Health insurance to enrol in Germany: EU students use the EHIC plus an exemption, non-EU students join a statutory fund. Costs, steps and traps in 2026.
No German university can enrol you without a health-insurance status sent to it electronically by a German statutory health fund. That single sentence explains the whole procedure. If you come from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers your care during the exchange, and a German fund issues an exemption which it transmits to the university — at no cost to you. If you come from outside the EU, you normally have to join the statutory system as a student: expect at least €118 to €123 a month in 2026 for the compulsory part alone, plus your fund's own supplement on top. Here is the path for each profile.
The step nobody warns you about: the electronic notification
Since the electronic student notification procedure was introduced, German universities no longer accept a paper insurance certificate at enrolment. Health funds send the university an electronic status message — known in the sector as the M10, part of that procedure (Studentenmeldeverfahren). The message says one of two things: this person is insured with us, or this person is exempt from compulsory statutory insurance.
Two consequences:
- Even if you already have perfectly valid cover from home, you still have to contact a German statutory fund, because only a German fund can send that message.
- Enrolment can stall for weeks if you skip it. Start the process before you arrive, or in your first days on the ground — at the same time as your Anmeldung.
The main statutory funds (TK, AOK, Barmer, DAK and others) all run an English-language process for international students, and the request is free.
If you come from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland
Your EHIC — the European Health Insurance Card issued by your home health-insurance body — entitles you to medically necessary treatment in Germany during your stay, under the same conditions as a locally insured person. For an exchange semester, that is the normal solution: you do not buy anything and you do not join the German system.
What you do have to do:
- Request the card at home before you leave (or a provisional replacement certificate if it will not arrive in time). Check that it covers your entire stay.
- Contact a German statutory fund on arrival, with a copy of your EHIC and your enrolment documents.
- The fund recognises your home cover and issues the exemption from compulsory insurance (Befreiung), which it sends electronically to the university.
- Keep the confirmation. You may be asked for it again at re-registration.
Three limits of the EHIC worth knowing before you need a doctor:
- it covers necessary care in the public system, not planned treatment you travelled for;
- it does not cover repatriation, and rarely covers private clinics — a doctor practising privately can ask you to pay up front;
- it is not a substitute for civil-liability or personal-effects cover, which are separate products.
If your stay extends beyond what your home body will cover, or if you start working in Germany beyond the usual student thresholds, your status can change. Ask your fund rather than guessing.
If you come from outside the EU
One clarification first, because the "EU / non-EU" shorthand misleads people every year: what decides your route is where you are insured, not what passport you hold. If you have a European Health Insurance Card issued by a scheme in an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, the section above is the one for you — including if you are a non-EU national studying there. If you have no such cover, read on.
The default rule is different: you must be insured within the German statutory system (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) as a student. Travel or "incoming" policies bought online are, as a rule, not accepted for enrolment, even when they look cheaper. Check the requirement with the fund and with the university's international office before you buy anything.
What it costs in 2026, per month:
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Student health-insurance contribution | €87.38 |
| Long-term care insurance, childless, aged 23 and over | €35.91 |
| Long-term care insurance, under 23 or with a child | €30.78 |
| Fund's individual supplement (Zusatzbeitrag) | Varies by fund |
So before your fund's individual supplement, the compulsory part alone comes to €118.16 a month (under 23 or with a child) or €123.29 a month (childless, 23 or over). The Zusatzbeitrag comes on top of that, it is set by each fund individually, and it is the reason two students with identical profiles pay different amounts. Figures published by statutory funds for 2026; the supplement can change. Ask the fund you are considering for the exact monthly total before you sign up — that figure is the only one that binds anyone.
Two more things to know:
- The student rate is not unlimited. It generally applies while you are a student, subject to age and semester limits; beyond them, contributions rise substantially.
- Exemption from statutory insurance in favour of a private policy is possible in some cases — and § 8(2) SGB V states in as many words that the exemption cannot be revoked. In practice that normally locks your choice in for the whole of your studies. Do not make it to save a few euros in your first month; ask the fund what it commits you to before you sign anything.
What it gets you, day to day
Once you are insured with a German fund, you receive an electronic health card (elektronische Gesundheitskarte). You pick a general practitioner (Hausarzt), show the card at the desk, and consultations are settled directly — there is no per-visit fee. Specialists usually work by appointment and often want a referral. Prescriptions carry a small co-payment.
With an EHIC, the mechanics are similar: you show the card, and the practice bills the German system. Ask when booking whether the practice treats patients with a European card — a Privatpraxis may not.
For urgent care outside opening hours, Germany runs a medical on-call service reachable by phone nationwide, separate from the emergency number. Note both down on arrival, alongside the university's own welcome information.
The order to do things in
For an exchange student landing in Göttingen, a workable sequence looks like this:
- Before departure: request the EHIC (EU) or start the statutory-fund application (non-EU).
- First days: Anmeldung, then contact the fund so the electronic notification reaches the university.
- Enrolment: pay the semester contribution — which also gets you the semester travel ticket — and complete registration once the insurance status has landed.
- First weeks: register with a GP, and sort the household admin such as the broadcasting fee.
None of this is expensive in itself for an EU student. What costs money is doing it late: a stalled enrolment can delay your student status, and with it your ticket and your access to university services.
FAQ — Health insurance for students in Germany
Is my EHIC enough to enrol at a German university? The EHIC covers your care, but the university needs an electronic status message from a German statutory fund. So you still contact a German fund, which issues an exemption and sends it to the university.
How much does statutory student health insurance cost in 2026? Around €87.38 a month for health insurance, plus €35.91 for long-term care insurance if you are childless and 23 or over (€30.78 if under 23 or with a child), plus your fund's individual supplement on top. That means at least €118.16 or €123.29 a month before the supplement; ask your fund for the exact total.
Are travel or "incoming" insurance policies accepted? As a rule, no: they are generally not accepted as proof for enrolment in place of statutory cover. Check with the fund and the international office before buying one.
Do I have to pay to see a doctor? With a German health card or an EHIC in a practice that accepts it, consultations are settled directly and there is no per-visit fee. Private practices may ask you to pay up front.
What if I start working during my semester? Working can change your insurance status and your contributions. Tell your fund before you start, rather than after.
Health cover is the one piece of German admin that can quietly block your enrolment, and the fix is a single email to a statutory fund. Do it in the same week as your address registration, keep every confirmation, and the rest of your semester setup follows. Our student services map out the arrival steps in order, and if the room is still missing, look at what is available on Studroof.
This article is informational and does not replace official sources or medical advice. Check the current conditions with a German statutory fund, with the GKV-Spitzenverband, and with the University of Göttingen's international office. Figures published for 2026; contributions and supplements change. Last updated: August 2026.