Moving to Germany from the UK: what to sort, in order

Freedom of movement no longer covers a British citizen moving to Germany, so a long-term move runs through a national (D) visa arranged before you go. Insurance is part of that file rather than something to sort on arrival.

Germany is the destination where UK movers most often underestimate the insurance step, because there is no number to shop against and the requirement is easy to skim past.

Most countries publish a figure. Germany asks whether your policy delivers what its own public system delivers.

For the national visa, cover must include the benefits statutory-insured persons are entitled to under §11(1–3) SGB V — treatment, prevention and rehabilitation. Travel insurance is insufficient, and not by a small margin: it is written for trips and does not attempt prevention or rehabilitation at all.

That is a richer standard than any €30,000-style minimum, which explains a pattern that confuses people arriving from other European applications: a policy that passed comfortably in Greece or Portugal is refused in Germany. The §11 SGB V rule explained takes it clause by clause.

The second half of the rule fails more applicants than the first, and it has nothing to do with benefits.

The contract must be open-ended: no expiry, and no cancellation clauses tied to age, employment, or residence status. Read that against how expat and nomad products are typically sold — in fixed twelve or twenty-four month terms that simply end, or with clauses that cancel at a stated age or when your job changes.

Any one of those fails the file even when the cover is generous, because the German rule is about continuity as much as depth. Find the renewal terms in your policy wording before the appointment: if the contract expires on a date rather than renewing at each anniversary, that is the refusal waiting to happen. See why German files get refused.

Clearing the visa is the start. Germany then sorts residents into statutory (GKV) and private (PKV) routes, and which one you land in depends on work status and income rather than preference.

NHS access is based on residency, not citizenship, so a long-term move ends routine NHS access — your German cover is what you have. If you are weighing the two routes, the public vs private calculator shows where you would sit, and health insurance in Germany for UK citizens covers the detail.

Covered Abroad is an introducer, not the insurer. A partner insurer underwrites the policy, and our team calls you to talk through the quote with no obligation to buy. Cover can start the same day, with no medical exam and a 14-day cooling-off period, and children 0 to 17 are priced at a flat rate.

Stated plainly rather than at claim time: pre-existing conditions are excluded, including ones you did not know about, and cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Requirements can change and the decision is always the consulate's or the permit office's. See real prices by age, compare levels at pricing, or run a policy you already hold through the free policy check.