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:
How GKV and PKV fit together
Germany runs two health systems side by side. GKV (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) is the statutory system most employees belong to once they're working and registered. PKV (private Krankenversicherung) runs alongside it for the self-employed, higher earners, and others who qualify to opt out.
For Germany's national visa, GKV is the yardstick. The German Federal Foreign Office requires health insurance that includes the benefits statutory-insured persons get under §11(1-3) SGB V, in a contract that's open-ended, with no expiry or cancellation tied to your age, job, or residence status. Travel insurance never qualifies, no matter how comprehensive it looks. If you're weighing the freelance route specifically, see our freelance visa insurance breakdown.
The new-arrival catch-22
Here's the catch new arrivals hit. GKV enrolment usually wants a German address and an income or employment history you don't have yet. But the visa application wants GKV-equivalent cover before you land. That gap is exactly where fixed-term international or travel-style policies get rejected, since they carry expiry dates, exclusions, or cancellation clauses tied to your visa status, which the equivalence and open-ended rules are designed to catch.
Official guidance also tolerates only a small deductible, in the range of about €300 a year, so a policy built around a much higher one won't pass either. None of this is arbitrary paperwork; it's the same test a caseworker applies to every applicant. Run your own situation past our free policy check before you commit to a policy.
What bridges the gap
This is where we come in, and where we're upfront about limits. We're an introducer, not an insurer: a specialist looks at your visa type, timeline, and paperwork, and checks whether your case fits our partner's arrangement (confirmed July 2026) before you buy anything. If a German incoming-style product suits your case better, we say so rather than force a fit.
Once you're established, most people move on into statutory GKV or an approved German PKV plan; the cover arranged for your visa exists to carry you through the application and the bridge months, not forever. See real Germany insurance prices by age, or start with a quote to see where your case stands. Not sure which system your situation points to? The three-question helper maps your path without guessing at premiums.
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.