Joining a Statutory Health Insurance Fund for the First Time

In Germany, there is not one single provider of statutory health insurance. Around 80 statutory health insurance funds perform this task. They are corporations under public law and are subject to strict statutory regulations. The procedure and rules for joining are the same for all statutory health insurance funds. Here's how to proceed if you are new to the system.

Step 1: Check whether you can join a statutory health insurance fund
Employees earning less than 5775.00 euros per month and students under 30 must join a statutory health insurance fund. The health insurance fund must accept them – regardless of their health status. Those working in Germany for the first time may join a statutory health insurance fund even if they make more than 5775.00 euros per month. Recipients of unemployment benefits (ALG) can join a statutory health insurance fund if they come from abroad or were previously covered by statutory health insurance.

Step 2: Choose a health insurance fund
Think about which health insurance fund best suits your needs. Our health insurance comparison calculator will help you. You can also look at our health insurance list with the descriptions of benefits, services, and contributions to get an overview. Here you can find the largest health insurance funds, and here the cheapest. You can't go very wrong when choosing one. Ninety-five percent of the benefits provided by health insurance funds are mandated by law. You can change health insurance providers after twelve months if you are unsatisfied.

Step 3: Apply for membership
Apply to the health insurance fund of your choice. You can apply for membership here at health-insurance.de. Note: It is a prerequisite for processing your application that you provide a date of joining and the name of the previous insurance provider. If you are from abroad, please indicate the country where you were last insured. Employees, students, and recipients of unemployment benefits must also give the reason for joining.

Step 4: Inform your employer, your university or employment agency
As soon as you have received confirmation from the new health insurance fund stating the date of joining, inform your employer. The employer will receive an electronic membership certificate from the new health insurance fund. If you are unemployed, inform the employment agency. Pensioners should notify their pension fund. Students will receive a confirmation letter for submission to the university.