De-registration and health insurance go together: after de-registration, you remain in student health insurance (KVdS) until the end of the semester for which you were last enrolled or re-registered. Your membership then continues with your insurer as voluntary follow-on insurance (Anschlussversicherung), unless something else takes priority. This is called mandatory follow-on insurance. You can leave within two weeks of your insurer’s notice, but only if you prove that you have other cover.
The key points at a glance
- What matters is the end of the semester of your last enrolment or re-registration, not the day of your last exam.
- If you have nothing else by then, you are automatically voluntarily insured with your insurer afterwards (section 188(4) SGB V).
- The deadline for leaving is two weeks from your insurer’s notice, not from de-registration.
- Family insurance, a job or unemployment benefit I take priority over voluntary insurance.
- Voluntary insurance costs at least around €278 a month in 2026 at the average additional contribution rate (childless), and considerably more without proof of income.
De-registration and health insurance: until when am I insured?
Student compulsory insurance ends with the end of the semester for which you were last enrolled or re-registered, provided you were de-registered by the end of that semester (section 190(9) SGB V). So your insurance continues until the end of the semester after your last exam. Each university sets its own semester dates.
| Event | End of student insurance |
|---|---|
| De-registration by the end of the semester | End of the semester of your last enrolment or re-registration |
| Last exam | No effect on insurance, de-registration is decisive |
| De-registration and giving up your residence in Germany | Already at the end of the day on which you give up your residence |
| 30th birthday | End of the semester in which you turn 30 |
| Re-enrolment within one month after the end of the semester | Membership continues without interruption |
Re-enrolment within one month is the route from bachelor’s to master’s without a break. What applies in the gap if your re-enrolment comes later is covered in Insured between bachelor’s and master’s (in German).
A special case concerns a part-time job: the student assistant privilege ends with the month in which you are informed in writing of the overall result of your final examination. From then on, the job is generally subject to compulsory health, long-term care and unemployment insurance, even if you are still enrolled.
What is mandatory follow-on insurance?
Mandatory follow-on insurance is the automatic continuation of your membership as a voluntary member when compulsory insurance or family insurance ends. It begins on the day after you leave (section 188(4) SGB V). You do not need to apply for it.
Your insurer informs you of the option to leave. From this notice, you have two weeks to declare your departure. It takes effect only if you prove that you have other cover. Without leaving and without other cover, you remain voluntarily insured and pay your own contributions.
Automatic continuation does not apply if the conditions for family insurance are met, or if a follow-up entitlement to benefits exists and other cover is proven afterwards. The follow-up entitlement lasts for at most one month after the end of membership, as long as you are not employed.
What options do I have after de-registration?
Options that take priority are those in which you are insured without your own contribution or as a compulsory member:
- Job: As an employee, you are compulsorily insured. A mini-job and a non-compulsory student job do not count for this.
- Family insurance: Through your parents up to age 23 if you are not employed, and up to age 25 during school or vocational training or studies, in each case with total income of up to €565 a month (mini-job €603). Through a spouse or civil partner there is no age limit, provided the partner is statutorily insured. After completing a degree, family insurance continues until the end of the semester, but at most until age 25. More details are in Family insurance during studies (in German).
- Unemployment benefit I: If you receive it, you are compulsorily insured, and the Federal Employment Agency pays the contributions. One requirement is at least twelve months of contributions to unemployment insurance within the last 30 months. A mini-job or a non-compulsory student job does not count towards this.
- Basic security benefit (Grundsicherungsgeld, formerly Bürgergeld): You are also compulsorily insured here, and the job centre pays the contributions.
- Further study: If you re-enrol within one month after the end of the semester, student insurance continues.
If you were exempted from compulsory insurance at the start of your studies and are privately insured, you remain with the private insurer for the time being. The exemption generally applies to the whole degree. What applies after your studies is explained in What happens to your private health insurance after studies? (in German). Which routes are open without a job, and what they cost, is described in Health insurance after studies without a job (in German).
Deadlines at the Federal Employment Agency: if you know when your studies end, register as job-seeking three months beforehand. Personal registration as unemployed must take place no later than the first day of unemployment. More information is available from the Federal Employment Agency.
What does voluntary insurance cost after de-registration?
In follow-on insurance you pay your own contributions, even without income of your own. The insurer generally uses the reduced contribution rate of 14.0% plus your insurer’s additional contribution rate, on at least an assessment base of €1,318.33 a month. This applies even if your actual income is lower. Long-term care insurance adds 3.6%, or 4.2% for childless people from age 23. Additional contribution rates differ between insurers. Three examples for 2026:
| Additional contribution rate | Health insurance | Long-term care (childless) | Total per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.18% | €213.31 | €55.37 | €268.68 |
| 2.9% (average) | €222.80 | €55.37 | €278.17 |
| 3.29% | €227.94 | €55.37 | €283.31 |
With a child, long-term care insurance costs 3.6%, which is €47.46. At the average rate of 2.9%, the total is then €270.26 a month.
Proof of income is decisive. Without proof, the insurer uses the contribution assessment ceiling of €5,812.50 a month. At 16.9%, that alone means around €982 for health insurance. If you submit proof within twelve months, the insurer sets the contribution again. So submit it early.
Case studies: graduation, forced de-registration, master’s
The examples are chosen freely and show the logic. Your university sets the exact end of the semester.
| Case | Starting point | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mara, 24, graduates in the summer | De-registration at the end of the semester on 30 September, new job from 21 October | Student insurance until 30 September. From 1 to 20 October, a follow-up entitlement to benefits applies through her previous insurer without her own contributions, as long as no priority cover such as follow-on insurance applies. From 21 October, Mara is compulsorily insured as an employee, provided she proves the new cover to her insurer. |
| Ben, 22, forced de-registration | The university ends his enrolment after a final failed examination | Student insurance runs until the end of the semester of his last enrolment. After that, family insurance through his parents is an option for Ben if he is not employed and his income does not exceed the limit. |
| Noah, 26, drops out | De-registration, no job, family insurance not possible | Follow-on insurance applies. At an additional contribution rate of 2.9% and without a child, Noah pays at least €278.17 a month, and correspondingly more or less at a different additional contribution rate. |
| Elif, 23, bachelor’s completed | Re-enrolment for the master’s within one month after the end of the semester | Student insurance continues without a gap. |
The same rules apply when dropping out, where the decision and the cover are the focus: Health insurance when dropping out (in German). If you change university, the details are under Health insurance when changing degree (in German).
What do I need to do after de-registration?
Inform your insurer of your de-registration and ask how you are insured from the end of the semester. Read your insurer’s notice about the option to leave carefully, because the two-week deadline runs from its receipt. Keep the de-registration certificate, as it documents from when your cover changes. If you start a job, tell your insurer about that too.
Frequently asked questions
Until when am I insured after de-registration?
Until the end of the semester for which you were last enrolled or re-registered, provided you are de-registered by then. The date of your last exam makes no difference to this. If you give up your residence in Germany when you de-register, the insurance ends at the end of that day.
Do I have to report de-registration to my insurer?
It is safest to tell your insurer yourself and ask about your further cover. The insurer will point out the option to leave follow-on insurance, and two weeks run from that notice. If you start a job, tell your insurer about that too.
What is mandatory follow-on insurance?
It continues your membership as a voluntary member after the end of compulsory or family insurance, without you needing to apply. You can leave it only within two weeks of your insurer’s notice, and only if you prove that you have other cover.
Can I be covered by family insurance after de-registration?
Yes, if the conditions are met. Through your parents, up to age 23 if you are not employed, and up to age 25 during training or studies, with total income of up to €565 a month (mini-job €603). Through a spouse or civil partner there is no age limit. Family insurance takes priority over follow-on insurance.
What does voluntary insurance cost afterwards?
At an additional contribution rate of 2.9%, at least €278.17 a month without a child and €270.26 with a child, calculated on at least €1,318.33. Without proof of income, the insurer uses the maximum amount. So submit proof of income.
What to do now
- Ask your university for the end of the semester and the date of your de-registration.
- Inform your insurer of the de-registration and note the date of receipt of its notice about the option to leave.
- Check whether family insurance, a job or unemployment benefit I applies, and prove any other cover in good time.
- If the end of your studies is known, register as job-seeking three months beforehand with the Federal Employment Agency.
- For voluntary insurance, submit proof of income so that the contribution is calculated correctly.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the route to advice on the Academycon homepage.
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Related articles
- Health insurance when dropping out: staying covered (in German)
- Health insurance when changing degree: what applies to your cover (in German)
- What happens to your private health insurance after studies? (in German)
- Health insurance after studies without a job (in German)
- De-registration checklist: what ends after graduation and what to do (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
