Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.
The rule in writing
“For Germany’s national visa, health insurance must include the benefits statutory-insured persons are entitled to under §11(1–3) SGB V, and the contract must be open-ended — no expiry or cancellation clauses tied to age, employment, or residence status. Travel insurance is insufficient.”
Official source: German Federal Foreign Office — health insurance in the national visa procedure — Last verified:
Why US coverage stops at the border
Medicare does not follow you across the Atlantic. It does not cover routine care outside the US, so a hospital visit in Berlin or a GP appointment in Munich falls entirely outside what Medicare pays (see our guide to Medicare abroad).
US employer plans and ACA marketplace plans have the same blind spot from a different angle: they are built around US provider networks and US residency, not a life based in Germany. When measured against what Germany actually requires for a national visa, those plans fail the equivalence benchmark below, not because the cover is bad, but because it was never designed for this border crossing.
Germany's insurance rule, and the catch-22 it creates
Germany's national-visa rule is specific. Insurance has to include the benefits a statutory-insured person gets under §11(1-3) SGB V, run on an open-ended contract, and carry no expiry tied to age, employment, or residence status. Travel insurance does not qualify, and a deductible is tolerated only up to roughly €300 a year (German Federal Foreign Office, verified July 2026).
That creates a catch-22 for new arrivals. Most people cannot enrol in GKV, Germany's statutory system, without a German address and an income history, yet the visa office wants statutory-equivalent cover in place before either of those exists. Fixed-term international policies tend to get rejected in that exact gap. Once residency and income are established, most people move into GKV or an approved German PKV plan (see public vs private in Germany).
What we arrange for Americans
What we arrange sits in that gap as bridge cover, not a substitute for GKV or PKV. Plans carry annual limits between US$1,000,000 and US$2,000,000, start the same day with no medical exam, and include a 14-day cooling-off period. Children 0-17 are covered at a flat rate per plan.
We are plain about the limits too: pre-existing conditions are excluded, and treatment inside the US itself is not covered (for trips home, see our guide to US trips for expats). New applicants are accepted up to age 70, or 80 on the Essential tier.
A specialist verifies whether your case fits our partner's arrangement (confirmed July 2026) and confirms certificate wording before you buy. If a German incoming-style product suits your situation better, we say so rather than force a fit (compare options at freelance visa insurance or get a quote).
Honest limits: Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, including conditions you did not know about. We disclose this before you request a quote. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s. US domestic and Medicare cover does not travel with you — see the questions below.