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:
The NHS and your move to Germany
NHS entitlement is based on living in the UK. Once you move to Germany, that entitlement doesn't travel with you, because the NHS covers residents, not people living abroad.
Since Brexit, UK citizens staying in Germany beyond the short-stay window need a national visa, whether on a work, freelance or family route, and insurance sits inside that visa file. A GHIC or EHIC covers necessary care during a temporary stay, but it isn't residence cover and it isn't what the visa file is asking for. If you're arriving on the freelance route, our freelance visa insurance guide walks through the requirement in detail.
Germany's rule and the catch-22
Germany's visa file has a specific requirement, not a general one. The Federal Foreign Office asks for cover that matches the benefits set out in §11(1-3) SGB V, Germany's statutory scheme, on an open-ended contract that can't expire or be cancelled because of your age, employment or residence status. Ordinary travel insurance doesn't meet this bar, and Germany will only tolerate a deductible of around €300 a year (verified July 2026).
This creates a catch-22 for new arrivals. Most people can't enrol in GKV, the state scheme, without a German address and an income history, both of which take time to establish. Once you're employed in Germany, most people join GKV through their employer. Private cover exists to bridge that gap: the visa stage and the early months before a GKV route opens up. See our public vs private comparison for how the two systems fit together.
What we arrange for UK movers
We're an introducer, not the insurer: we arrange access to a partner's international plan built for people moving country, not a domestic policy. Annual cover runs from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000, cover starts the same day with no medical exam, and you get a 14-day cooling-off period to check it suits you. Children aged 0 to 17 are charged a flat rate, and new applicants are accepted up to age 70 (or 80 on the Essential tier).
We're upfront about the limits too: pre-existing conditions are excluded, and treatment in the US isn't covered. It's the same insurer across all eight destinations we cover, so if your move changes, cover moves with you. A person checks whether your case fits our partner's arrangement before you buy, and if a German incoming-style product would suit you better, we'll say so rather than force a fit. Start with a quote or work through our visa insurance checklist.
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.