FORMALITIES Health and Insurance
Health Insurance
Health insurance is compulsory for all Heidelberg University students.
You must either take out health insurance in Germany or bring adequate health insurance coverage from your country of residence. Non-EU students under the age of 29 are eligible to take out statutory health insurance. This is strongly recommended.
German statutory health insurance is very comprehensive, it includes visits to the doctor and dentist, prescription medicine (excluding a small basic charge), hospital treatment (excluding a small basic charge), and some therapeutic treatments. Premiums and the extent of coverage are fairly uniform among the various public insurance companies (gesetzliche Krankenkassen). Extensive coverage is extremely important in the case of illness, but also to receive a residence permit for Germany, which requires proof of unlimited health insurance coverage (including pre-existing conditions, dental treatment, pregnancy etc.).
To take out statutory health insurance, you need to contact one of the statutory insurances in Germany. We encourage you to do so while still abroad, as your enrollment can only be finalized AFTER the University receives information on your insurance status from the statutory insurance.
Important note: Since German student health insurance coverage starts from the time of university enrolment– and never before October 1st / April 1st respectively - we strongly recommend students to take out extra insurance coverage at home for the journey to Germany and for the period between arrival and enrolment / the start of the semester.
Students over the age of 29 do not qualify for state health insurance and must purchase private insurance.
If you intend to bring health coverage from your home country, and request that the insurance requirement in Germany is waived, you will need to contact one of the statutory insurance providers in Germany and show evidence of your coverage. A waiver will only be issued if your coverage is very comprehensive and corresponds to the coverage offered by the statutory health insurance in Germany! Again, we encourage you to contact the insurance while still abroad, as your enrollment can only be finalized AFTER the University receives information on your insurance status from the statutory insurance.
Students from European Union member states whose health expenses are covered in their own country need to submit their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to a German statutory health insurance company of their choice to receive a confirmation about the exemption from compulsory insurance.
We encourage you to do so while still abroad, as your enrollment can only be finalized AFTER the University receives information on your insurance status from the statutory insurance.
Liability Insurance
Students are also strongly recommended to take out personal liability insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung). This insurance covers cases in which the property of a third party is damaged or a third person is injured (e.g. in a biking accident or as a pedestrian). This type of insurance can be arranged in Germany or in your country of residence.
Prescription Medicine
If you take prescription medicine on a regular basis, we recommend that you research its availability before you travel. It will be helpful to have the generic name available, and information on its ingredients, in case the specific brand is not common in Germany.
Some medication may require additional documentation from your doctor, or may not be legal in Germany. In these cases, it is important to get in touch with your doctor well ahead, to discuss comparable alternatives.
When seeing a doctor in Germany to refill your prescription, it will be very helpful to bring a letter from your physician, explaining the diagnosis, treatment and medication.
