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What does the GOT mean for vet costs in Germany?

In short

The GOT (Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte) is a federal regulation that sets a single rate for every veterinary service. Your vet may not charge less than that single rate and may charge up to three times as much. In the out of hours emergency service the bill starts at twice the rate and can reach four times, plus a fixed emergency fee of EUR 50 net. So your policy should reimburse up to the fourfold rate.

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What does the GOT mean for vet costs in Germany?

What it costs

Figures from the official German fee schedule, net and without medicines, plus premium ranges for tariffs with a high reimbursement multiple.

Example	Typical range
General examination of a dog or cat, single to triple rate	EUR 23.62 to EUR 70.86 net
Emergency service fee, fixed amount per case	EUR 50.00 net, EUR 59.50 with 19 percent VAT
Neutering a male dog, single to triple rate, without anaesthesia and materials	EUR 70.60 to EUR 211.80 net
One X-ray image in the emergency service, double to fourfold rate	EUR 53.06 to EUR 106.12 net per image
Surgery only cover reimbursing up to the triple or fourfold rate	about EUR 5 to 25 a month
Full cover reimbursing up to the fourfold rate	about EUR 30 to 80 a month

The GOT figures are official and apply across Germany, as of September 2026. The premium ranges are guide values from our quoting practice and from published tariff examples; age, breed and deductible shift them a lot. We obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Sunday emergency visit with a cat, billed under the GOT

Your cat stops eating on a Sunday. The emergency service examines her, takes blood and makes two X-ray images. In the emergency service, billing starts at twice the rate.

General examination, double rate	EUR 47.24
Blood sample, double rate	EUR 20.52
Small blood count, double rate	EUR 41.60
Two X-ray images, double rate	EUR 106.12
Emergency service fee	EUR 50.00
Total net	EUR 265.48
With 19 percent VAT	EUR 315.92

A policy reimbursing up to the fourfold rate pays this bill in full. A policy that only covers the single rate pays about EUR 188, leaving roughly EUR 128 with you, and that is before any medication.

How the fee schedule works

Germany does not leave vet prices to the market. A federal regulation called Gebührenordnung für Tierärztinnen und Tierärzte, GOT for short, lists every veterinary service with a single rate (einfacher Satz). Every practice in Germany is bound by it.

The single rate is a floor. Charging less is only allowed in a justified individual case and only if you agreed it in writing before treatment. Upwards the range goes to three times the single rate, and the practice decides within that range at its reasonable discretion. All amounts in the schedule are net; VAT is added on top.

What changed in 2022

The version in force today comes from a regulation dated 15 August 2022 and has applied since 22 November 2022. It replaced a version from 1999, and the rates went up considerably. A smaller amendment followed in March 2023.

You can see it in the invoices. The Federal Statistical Office measured that veterinary services were 27.2 percent more expensive in August 2023 than a year earlier, and names the GOT change as the reason. If you took out a pet policy before 2022, check which multiple it reimburses.

The rates in figures

The amounts below are net rates from the fee schedule: no VAT, no anaesthesia, no medicines, no materials. With 19 percent VAT, add almost a fifth to each figure.

The emergency fee works differently. It is a fixed EUR 50 net, it is never multiplied, and it may be charged only once per case, even if several animals belonging to the same owner are treated.

Service	Single rate	Double rate	Triple rate
General examination with advice, dog or cat	EUR 23.62	EUR 47.24	EUR 70.86
Subcutaneous injection, for example a vaccination	EUR 11.50	EUR 23.00	EUR 34.50
Taking a blood sample from a vein	EUR 10.26	EUR 20.52	EUR 30.78
Small blood count, machine run	EUR 20.80	EUR 41.60	EUR 62.40
X-ray, first and second image, each	EUR 26.53	EUR 53.06	EUR 79.59
Neutering a male cat	EUR 30.32	EUR 60.64	EUR 90.96
Neutering a male dog	EUR 70.60	EUR 141.20	EUR 211.80
Emergency service fee	EUR 50.00	never multiplied	never multiplied

Nights and weekends follow their own rules

If a service is provided at night, at the weekend or on a public holiday as part of the veterinary emergency service, the bill does not start at the single rate. It starts at twice the rate and can go up to four times. Night means 6 pm to 8 am, and the weekend starts on Friday at 6 pm.

On top of that comes the emergency fee of EUR 50 net, which is EUR 59.50 with VAT. A practice may waive it in a justified individual case but does not have to. Expect a night at the clinic to cost more than double a normal consultation.

Why this decides which policy to buy

Pet health insurers state in their terms up to which multiple they reimburse: single, double, triple or fourfold. That single line matters more than whether dental cleaning is included.

Do the maths. A policy that pays only the single rate covers at most half of the fee items in an emergency, because billing there starts at twice the rate. If four times is charged, three quarters stay with you. Many tariffs on the German market reimburse up to the fourfold rate. Check the annual limit as well, otherwise a high multiple is of little use.

How to read a German vet invoice

An invoice must show the date of the service, the species, the diagnosis or reason for the visit, every service with its item number from the fee schedule, the total and the VAT. If you ask, the practice has to break the invoice down for you.

Besides the fees, only compensation, disbursements, medicines and consumed materials may be charged. Home visits add a travel fee of EUR 3.50 per kilometre there and back, with a minimum of EUR 13. General practice overheads and the use of equipment are already covered by the fees and must not appear as separate items.

When a higher multiple is justified

The regulation names the reasons itself: difficulty of the service, time needed, timing, the value of the animal and local circumstances. A restless dog, a wound in an awkward place or treatment on a public holiday justify a higher multiple. What is already part of the service description must not be counted again.

Above three times the rate, a written agreement before treatment is required, and you must receive a copy of it. If you are unsure why an item carries the triple rate, ask. You are entitled to an explanation, and asking is not an accusation.

Step by step

Compare the invoice item by item with the official fee schedule.
Work out the multiple per item: divide the amount charged by the single rate.
Check that the emergency fee appears only once and that your visit really fell in emergency hours.
Look up in your policy terms which multiple it reimburses.
Ask for an itemised invoice if anything is unclear; you are entitled to one.

Checklist

Reimbursement up to the triple rate, better up to the fourfold rate
Emergency service and the EUR 50 emergency fee explicitly included
Annual limit high enough that the multiple still matters
Medicines, consumables and travel fees covered
Clear wording on what happens above the triple rate

Common mistakes

Buying a tariff that only reimburses the single rate
Treating the EUR 50 emergency fee as a billing error and arguing about it
Looking only at the multiple and ignoring the annual limit
Forgetting VAT and setting your own savings buffer too low

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Is the GOT a law?

It is a federal regulation (Rechtsverordnung) and binding on every veterinary practice in Germany. The normal range runs from the single to the triple rate.

Can my vet charge less than the single rate?

Only in a justified individual case and only if agreed in writing before treatment. There is a separate exception for neutering free roaming cats on behalf of recognised animal welfare organisations.

Why is there a EUR 50 emergency charge on my bill?

Because the fee schedule provides for it. It may be charged only once per case, even for several animals, and a practice may waive it in a justified individual case.

When may more than three times the rate be charged?

In the emergency service up to four times without any extra agreement. Beyond that only with a written agreement made before the service, of which you receive a copy.

Which multiple should my policy cover?

At least three times, ideally four times. Only then is nothing substantial left with you after a night in the emergency clinic.

Are medicines included in the rates?

No. Medicines and consumables are charged separately, and home visits add a travel fee. VAT is added to everything.

Are invoices and policy terms available in English?

Invoices are almost always in German, and German policy wording is what counts in a claim. Ask us when a clause is unclear; we read the terms with you before you sign.