Which travel health insurance do I need for a long stay abroad?
In short
Up to about 56 days per trip a normal annual policy is enough. Stay longer and you need a separate long-term travel policy (Langzeit-Auslandskrankenversicherung), roughly EUR 21 to 210 a month depending on your age. If you give up your German residence, no travel policy works any more: you then need full international health insurance from about EUR 80 a month.
Published premiums for long-term travel policies and full international health insurance, 2026.
Example
Typical range
Long-term travel policy up to age 27
about EUR 21 a month (EUR 41.90 for 2 months)
Long-term travel policy up to age 65
about EUR 29 a month (EUR 57.50 for 2 months)
Long-term travel policy, age 66 to 75
about EUR 75 a month (EUR 149.40 for 2 months)
Long-term travel policy from age 76
about EUR 210 a month (EUR 420.50 for 2 months)
Trip of 12 months, under 55
from about EUR 1.63 a day without North America, from about EUR 2.20 with
Trip of 2 to 5 years, under 55
from about EUR 2.27 a day without North America, from about EUR 2.87 with
90 day trip, under 60, good tariff in the 2026 comparison
around EUR 177
6 month trip, age 56 to 74, expensive provider in the 2026 comparison
up to EUR 9,360
3 month trip, one person, recommended tariffs
about EUR 60 to 170
12 month trip, one person, recommended tariffs
about EUR 480 to 1,400
Full international health insurance, under 40, without North America
from about EUR 80 a month, standard tariffs about EUR 95 to 140
Full international health insurance from age 60, without North America
about EUR 400 to 700 a month
Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples.
The monthly figures are calculated from published two month premiums and therefore rounded.
Age bands differ by provider.
Your premium depends on age, length of stay, destination, deductible and the health questions;
we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Semester abroad, 10 months in Canada, age 24
The annual holiday policy stops after 56 days. This is how the right policy adds up.
Length of stay
305 days
Annual policy for holiday trips
covers only the first 56 days
Long-term policy including North America, from EUR 2.20 a day
about EUR 670 to 900
Deductible
EUR 0 to 100 per treatment
Visits home to Germany
3 weeks included
Together about EUR 670 to 900 for 10 months, roughly EUR 67 to 90 a month. Your contributions to the German health fund keep running alongside, without paying anything abroad. Worked example using published daily rates.
The break point is the length of the trip, not the destination
Every travel policy has a maximum length per trip. With a single-trip policy you book the exact days; with an annual policy the limit sits in the small print, usually 42 or 56 days, with a few tariffs reaching 70 days. From the first day beyond that you have no cover, even though the contract runs on and you paid the premium.
Once you travel longer, you change product. Long-term travel policies run from 2 months to 5 years and assume that your residence stays in Germany. Give up your registered address (Abmeldung) and no travel policy applies any more, so you need full international health insurance instead.
Length of stay
Right product
Rough cost
up to 56 days per trip
annual policy for holiday trips
from about EUR 8 to 30 a year
57 days to 12 months
long-term travel policy, booked by the day
about EUR 21 to 210 a month by age
1 to 5 years, residence stays in Germany
long-term travel policy with extension
about EUR 2.30 to 2.90 a day under 55
residence moved abroad
full international health insurance
from about EUR 80 a month
Seven situations, seven answers
What separates these cases is not the destination but two questions: does your residence stay in Germany, and will you work or study abroad? The answers decide which cover fits and what happens to your German health fund.
Find the row that matches you, then read the last column. It decides whether a travel policy is enough or whether you need full cover.
Situation
Right cover
Term
German health fund
Holiday within the day limit
annual policy for holiday trips
1 year, up to 56 days per trip
continues, benefits abroad only under EU rules
Long trip or round-the-world trip
long-term travel policy, booked by the day
2 months to 5 years
continues while your residence stays
Semester or degree abroad
long-term travel policy or the cover the host university requires
usually 5 to 12 months
student cover continues, benefits abroad are suspended
Internship, working holiday, au pair
long-term policy that explicitly allows work abroad
3 to 24 months
depends on your contract, often local compulsory cover
Posting by your employer
employer cover plus a separate repatriation policy
length of the posting, in the EU up to 24 months
stays German with an A1 certificate or a treaty certificate
Emigration with a change of residence
full international health insurance
open ended
usually ends, an Anwartschaft can hold your place
Retired and wintering abroad
long-term travel policy for the months away
3 to 6 months per winter
continues while Germany stays your main address
What happens to your German health cover
While your residence stays in Germany, your membership in the public health fund continues and you keep paying contributions. Your entitlement to benefits is suspended for as long as you are abroad. In the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom the European Health Insurance Card helps, but it only pays what state treatment there costs. The fund never pays for transport back to Germany.
If you move your residence and centre of life to a country outside that group, membership usually ends. If you plan to come back, an Anwartschaft keeps the door open: a small monthly premium with no benefits that preserves your contract even with pre-existing conditions. For a posting inside the EU, the A1 certificate confirms that German law still applies, as a rule for up to 24 months. Countries with a social security treaty (Sozialversicherungsabkommen) use their own certificates, and those treaties do not always include health insurance. For countries without a treaty no such certificate exists, so the employer has to arrange cover.
Eight points that decide the tariff
With long-term policies the price tells you little. The 2026 comparison shows how far price and cover drift apart: for six months, people aged 56 to 74 pay up to EUR 9,360 with some providers, while a good tariff for 90 days under 60 costs around EUR 177.
Check these eight points before you look at the premium. They are rarely on the comparison page, only in the terms.
Point
What matters
Extension while abroad
whether you can add months without flying back to Germany
Cover in your home country
3 to 6 weeks in Germany per year is normal, some tariffs pay nothing there
Pre-existing conditions
acute treatment is usually covered, planned treatment almost never
Maximum benefit
unlimited is better than a cap of EUR 300,000
Deductible
EUR 0 to 100 per case is normal, EUR 1,000 a year cuts full cover by 20 to 40 percent
Pregnancy and birth
often covered only if the pregnancy starts during the trip
North America surcharge
the USA and Canada often cost two to four times the daily rate
Cancellation terms
a pro rata refund if you return early beats a fixed notice period
When a long-term policy is not enough
A long-term travel policy pays for acute treatment. Check-ups, dental work beyond pain relief, planned operations, ongoing therapy for a chronic condition and a planned birth are excluded or tightly capped. If you live abroad for two years, work there and start a family, this is not cover, even if the policy is technically still valid.
The line is clear. Once you move your residence, once your stay exceeds the maximum term of the tariff, or once your destination asks for proof of comprehensive cover for a residence or work permit, switch to full international health insurance. It costs more but covers everyday care, not just emergencies. The reverse is also true: for a three week holiday you do not need a long-term policy, the annual contract is cheaper and enough.
Step by step
Write down the length of your stay in days and compare it with the per trip limit in your contract.
Decide whether your German residence stays registered or whether you deregister (Abmeldung).
List your destinations and check whether the USA, Canada or Mexico are among them.
Read the terms on extension abroad, visits home, maximum benefit and repatriation.
If you move your residence, get a quote for full international health insurance and sort out an Anwartschaft in Germany.
Checklist
Length per trip stays within the limit of the policy
Extension possible from abroad
Repatriation when it is medically advisable, not only when medically necessary
Visits home to Germany included
Maximum benefit unlimited or well above EUR 300,000
North America included if you plan a stopover there
Work abroad explicitly allowed for an internship, working holiday or au pair year
Anwartschaft in Germany settled if you give up your residence
Common mistakes
Using the annual policy for a trip over 56 days and missing the per trip limit
Deregistering your address and still buying only a travel policy
Choosing a policy that cannot be extended from abroad
Leaving out North America and later planning a stopover there
Expecting check-ups, dental work or a planned birth to be covered
Taking a working holiday tariff that excludes paid work abroad
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
From what length of stay do I need a long-term policy?
As soon as a single trip lasts longer than the limit in your contract, usually 42 or 56 days.
A few annual tariffs reach 70 days.
How long can a long-term travel policy run?
From 2 months to 5 years depending on the tariff.
From age 66 many providers cap it at 12 months, from age 76 at 6 months.
Does the policy pay if I come back to Germany in between?
Good tariffs cover 3 to 6 weeks at home per year, others pay nothing in Germany.
Look for Heimaturlaub in the terms.
Do I keep paying my German health fund contributions?
Yes, while your membership continues and your residence stays in Germany.
Your entitlement to benefits is still suspended while you are abroad.
What about pre-existing conditions?
Acute treatment is usually covered,
planned treatment and trips taken in order to be treated are not.
Chronic therapy belongs in full cover.
Do I need anything at all for a semester inside the EU?
The European Health Insurance Card covers state treatment but no repatriation and no private
doctors.
A long-term policy closes that gap.
What does switching to full international health insurance cost?
Under 40 without North America from about EUR 80 a month, from age 60 often EUR 400 to 700.
A deductible cuts the premium by 20 to 40 percent.
What applies if my employer posts me abroad?
Inside the EU the A1 certificate confirms German law still applies, as a rule for up to 24 months.
It does not cover repatriation, so buy that separately.
