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Do I need travel health insurance when I live in Germany?

In short

Yes, almost always if you have public health insurance in Germany. It pays only limited costs abroad and never the flight home, outside Europe usually nothing. An annual travel health policy (Auslandsreisekrankenversicherung) often costs from about EUR 8 a year for one person. Trips to your home country count as abroad too.

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Do I need travel health insurance when I live in Germany?

What it costs

Published premiums for annual policies and long-term cover, as of 2026.

Example	Typical range
Annual policy, one person, low-cost tariffs	from about EUR 8 a year
Annual policy, family	about EUR 20 to 90 a year
Long trip of 90 days, under 60	around EUR 177

Guide values as of September 2026. Some family tariffs became much more expensive in 2026. From about age 65, premiums rise.

Worked example

Couple, two trips a year, one of them to the USA

What does cover cost, and what can happen without it?

Annual policy for two people	about EUR 20 to 50
Appendix operation in the USA	easily several tens of thousands of euros
Paid by public health insurance there	usually EUR 0

A few euros a year against a risk that can wipe out your savings. Worked example with guide values.

Why your German health insurance is not enough

In the EU and a few other countries, the European Health Insurance Card on the back of your public health insurance card applies. Your insurer (Krankenkasse) then pays only what state treatment costs there. Private doctors and co-payments are often left to you.

In countries without a suitable agreement, such as the USA, Thailand or Turkey, public health insurance usually pays nothing.

Service	Public health insurance	Travel health insurance
State doctor in the EU	yes, at local rates	yes
Private doctor or private clinic	usually no	yes
Treatment in the USA	no	yes
Medical flight back to Germany	no	yes, if medically sensible

Trips home and the difference from expat cover

For a German policy, every trip outside Germany is a trip abroad, including visits to your family. Some tariffs limit or exclude cover in the country of your citizenship or where you have a second home. Check this clause before you book.

Travel health insurance is not the same as the health insurance you need for a visa or residence permit. It only covers short trips out of Germany and assumes you have regular health insurance here.

What a good policy includes

Look for a medical flight home when it is medically sensible (medizinisch sinnvoll), not only when it is medically necessary. The first wording is more generous.

Also important: no deductible, enough days per trip and cover for pre-existing conditions that are not acute.

When you do not need your own

People with private health insurance often have worldwide cover, sometimes without the flight home. A look at your tariff settles it.

Some credit cards include travel health insurance. Check the terms, for example whether the trip has to be paid with the card.

Step by step

Check whether you have public or private health insurance.
Note your destinations and the longest trip of the year, including trips home.
Choose an annual policy with medical flight home and no deductible.
Save the insurer's emergency number in your phone.
Keep bills from abroad and submit them when you are back.

Checklist

Medical flight home when medically sensible
No deductible
Enough days per trip
Worldwide including USA and Canada
No exclusion for your home country
24-hour emergency line, ideally in English

Common mistakes

Relying only on the European Health Insurance Card
Assuming visits to your family do not count as travel abroad
Choosing a tariff with too few days for a long trip
Not keeping bills from abroad

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I need it for trips within the EU?

It is recommended. Public insurance pays only at local rates and never the flight home.

How much does it cost per year?

For one person often from about EUR 8, for families usually EUR 20 to 90.

Am I covered when I visit my home country?

Usually yes, but some tariffs exclude or limit the country of your citizenship. Check the terms before you buy.

Does it cover business trips?

Many tariffs do, some only cover holidays. Check the terms.

What about pre-existing conditions?

Acute treatment is usually covered. Trips taken in order to get treatment are excluded.

Do I need it with private health insurance?

Often not, but check whether your tariff includes the medical flight home.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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