Health Insurance:

27. Will my home insurance be enough?

Exchange students with statutory (public) health insurance from countries with social security agreements (mainly EU students):The German government maintains social security agreements with a health insurance clause with the EU member states as well as a number of other countries, e.g. Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland (EFTA countries), Switzerland, Turkey, and successor states of former Yugoslavia. Exchange students with statutory (public) insurance from these countries will be covered during their stay in Germany by their health insurance at home given that they remain enrolled at their home university during their study abroad in Germany (usually limited to 2 semesters).

Please contact your home insurance company to find out, whether you will be covered during your stay in Germany. If so, you will receive the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) or another form (E 111, E 127) confirming your health insurance. Watch out what kind of coverage you have. Usually you are only entitled to receive the same treatment as a German citizen if you are a member of the statutory health insurance. If you are treated as a private patient your insurance might not reimburse all your costs.

The EHIC card is sufficient to enrol yourself at Ingolstadt University. However, it might still be advisable to take out supplementary insurance before coming to Germany to make sure that all medical costs will be covered and not just emergency and treatment in case of an accident.

Exchange students with private health insurance in their home countries:
If you have private health insurance in your home country and do not wish to take out extra health insurance in Germany you need to bring confirmation (in English or German) from your home insurance that it covers all costs (without any coverage limit!) in case of medical treatment and rehabilitation during your stay in Germany. During the orientation week in Ingolstadt this document will be reviewed by the public insurance company (AOK or Techniker Krankenkasse) in order to check that all German legal requirements are met. They will then issue a document relieving you from statutory insurance in Germany. With this document you will be able to register at Ingolstadt University.

Please note that once you have been exempted from statutory health insurance in Germany you may not go back to public German health insurance. If you decide to stay in Germany after your exchange programme has ended, e.g. to continue your studies in a degree programme, you cannot simply apply to a public health insurance but must take out private insurance.

28. How much does health insurance in Germany cost?

Public health insurance for students in Germany costs 67 € per month. Private health insurance fees in Germany vary according to your age, the coverage and the insurance provider.

29. Will I need additional insurance?

If you are doing an internship in Germany we highly recommend taking out third party liability insurance. Some companies provide group third party insurance for their interns, but not all of them do. Third party liability insurance will cover any possible unintended damages caused by you. In the context of an internship, such damages may occur and most likely will be extremely costly. Such insurance will also cover damages to rooms or appliances in your accommodation.

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