Exemption from compulsory insurance as a student is applied for with your health insurer, within three months of compulsory insurance beginning. It takes effect only if you prove that you are covered in case of illness by other means. In practice, this means a private health insurance contract. The exemption generally applies for the whole course of study and cannot be revoked.
The key points at a glance
- The application for exemption must reach your health insurer within three months of compulsory insurance beginning (section 8(2) SGB V).
- The exemption takes effect only once you prove a separate entitlement to cover in case of illness.
- Retroactively from the start of the duty, it applies only if you have not yet drawn any benefits from the insurer. Otherwise it begins in the month after the application.
- The exemption is irrevocable. While it applies, you are not family insured without contributions.
- For health questions in the PKV application, you must answer truthfully. So first clarify whether an insurer will accept you.
Who can apply for exemption from compulsory insurance as a student?
You can apply if compulsory insurance arises only through your enrolment at a state or state-recognised university. The same applies to a required practical work placement without pay (section 8(1) no. 5 SGB V).
You do not need to apply if you are not subject to compulsory student insurance anyway. This applies to employees who are already compulsorily insured, and to students who are family insured without contributions through their parents. If you are family insured, think carefully before giving up this cover for an exemption. More on this is in the alternatives below.
What is the deadline for the exemption application to your health insurer?
You have three months, counted from the start of compulsory insurance. It begins with the semester. If you enrol after the semester has begun, it begins on the day of enrolment.
Do not wait until the last day anyway. The application requires proof of private cover, and that needs a concluded contract. The deadline also decides from when the exemption applies:
| Case | Exemption applies from |
|---|---|
| You have not drawn any benefits from the insurer by the time of the application | Start of compulsory insurance (retroactively) |
| You have already drawn benefits from the insurer | Calendar month after the application |
Example: Jonas enrols for the winter semester and applies in the first month. If he has not yet billed anything to the insurer by then, he is exempt retroactively from the start of the semester. If he has drawn benefits from the insurer in between, the exemption only begins in the month after the application.
How does the exemption application work step by step?
The process begins before the actual application, because the private cover must be in place first.
- Clarify your health status and tariff. An anonymous risk enquiry shows whether insurers would accept you, without binding you. How to find the right PKV tariff (in German) is explained in a separate article.
- Apply for the PKV contract. The steps and documents are described in the article on switching to PKV as a student (in German).
- Submit the exemption application to your statutory health insurer within the three-month deadline, with proof of the private cover. Ask your insurer which route and which form it requires.
- Wait for the insurer’s decision. The exemption takes effect only once proof of the other cover is in place.
- Get the proof for the university and present it at enrolment or re-enrolment.
Which proof does the university need?
Before enrolment, the university requires a digital confirmation from a statutory health insurer. This also applies to privately insured students. For a first-time insurance, you can choose the insurer freely. With the confirmation of the exemption, often called the exemption certificate in everyday usage, you show that you are exempt and remain insured elsewhere.
The insurer reports your status to the university, which can take up to 24 hours. Without proof, the university refuses enrolment or re-enrolment. Ask your university from when you can retrieve the confirmation and by when it must be available.
Is the exemption irrevocable? Can you return to statutory insurance?
Yes. The law states: “The exemption cannot be revoked.” It normally applies for the whole course of study, as long as you do not interrupt it for at least one month (see the Verbraucherzentrale (German consumer advice centre)). A leave semester does not count as an interruption in this sense.
A return to statutory insurance is generally possible only after your studies. Typical routes are employment subject to compulsory insurance below the annual earnings limit (2026: 6,450 euros a month, so 77,400 euros a year, see Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German pension insurer)) or a second degree after an interruption of more than one month. A minijob is not enough.
Returning becomes harder with age. If you would become compulsorily insured after your 55th birthday, you may remain exempt under certain conditions, which generally rules out a return to statutory insurance (section 6(3a) SGB V). So consider the decision beyond your years of study.
What changes with the exemption from student insurance (KVdS)?
Compulsory student insurance (KVdS) has fixed components. The contribution is calculated on 855 euros, the BAföG requirement for basic needs and housing allowance. This gives the following monthly contributions for 2026:
| Component | Under 23 or with a child | Childless from 23 |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance (10.22%) | 87.38 euros | 87.38 euros |
| Long-term care insurance | 30.78 euros | 35.91 euros |
| Additional contribution (example: average 2.9%) | 24.80 euros | 24.80 euros |
| Total | about 143 euros | about 148 euros |
Each insurer sets its own additional contribution, so the total varies. With the exemption you no longer pay these contributions. Instead, the contribution for your private contract applies. Its amount depends on entry age, tariff and deductible. An overview of the tariff criteria is in the article on comparing PKV tariffs for students (in German).
If you receive BAföG and are insured yourself, you get supplements for health and long-term care insurance (currently 102 euros and 35 euros, for students up to 30). The BAföG office determines your entitlement.
Is the exemption worth it? Advantages and disadvantages compared
There is no general answer. It depends on your health, your age, your plans after your studies, and how you weigh the risks.
| Aspect | Compulsory student insurance | Exemption and PKV |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution | Fixed framework, nationwide basic contribution plus your insurer’s additional contribution | Depends on entry age, tariff and deductible. Contributions can be adjusted later |
| Choice of tariff | Benefits according to the statutory catalogue | Benefits and insurer selectable, depending on the tariff |
| Family insurance | Possible as long as the conditions are met and you are not compulsorily insured as a student | Excluded during the exemption |
| Health check | Compulsory insurance by law, upon enrolment | Health questions in the application, an insurer can refuse |
| Duration and return | Generally ends with the semester of deregistration, at the latest with the semester in which you turn 30 | Exemption irrevocable, return to statutory insurance difficult |
The advantages include being able to choose the insurer, tariff and deductible. Student tariffs are aimed at young first-time policyholders up to 30, and the contribution depends on entry age. The contribution also includes a statutory surcharge of 10 percent, which flows into the ageing provisions and is meant to dampen contributions in old age. It is charged at the latest from the calendar year after your 21st birthday (section 149 VAG).
The disadvantages include the irrevocability, the loss of family insurance and the risk of rising contributions. Insurers review contributions at least once a year and can adjust them in case of deviations, with the approval of an independent trustee.
What are the alternatives to the exemption?
The first alternative is contribution-free family insurance. It applies to children up to 25 while they study, and requires that your total income in 2026 is no more than 565 euros a month. For a minijob the limit is 603 euros. BAföG and child benefit do not count as income.
The second alternative is compulsory student insurance itself. It ends with the semester in which you turn 30, and it applies as long as you are enrolled. Even with a working-student job of at most 20 hours a week during the lecture period, you stay in KVdS.
What role do health questions and the risk enquiry play?
The application for a private contract contains health questions that you must answer truthfully. Under section 19 VVG you must disclose known circumstances that are material to the insurer and about which it has asked in text form. If you breach this duty, the insurer may withdraw from or terminate the contract under certain conditions.
Ongoing treatment or recommended operations can lead an insurer to reject the application. An anonymous risk enquiry before the formal application shows you how insurers assess your case before you commit.
Does the exemption also apply to pension insurance?
The exemption application under section 8 SGB V relates to student compulsory health insurance. It has no effect on pension insurance. If you work as a working student, pension insurance duty remains, and the contribution of 18.6 percent is paid half by you and half by your employer. For pension insurance in a minijob, you can apply for an exemption from your employer. That is a separate procedure.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to apply for exemption?
Three months from the start of compulsory insurance. The deadline is set out in section 8(2) SGB V. If you miss it, speak to your health insurer immediately, because only it can judge whether anything is still possible in your case.
Can I revoke the exemption later?
No. The law excludes revocation. The exemption applies to the whole course of study, as long as you do not interrupt it for at least one month. You generally return to statutory insurance only after your studies, for example through employment subject to compulsory insurance.
Do I have to reapply for the exemption each semester?
No. One application is enough as long as you study without interruption. For re-enrolment, you continue to show the university that you are exempt and insured elsewhere. A leave semester does not interrupt your studies.
Am I family insured while exempted?
No. Family insurance requires that you are not exempted from compulsory insurance. During the exemption it is excluded. If you are currently family insured and within the income limit, you do not need an exemption application.
So what do you do now?
- Note the date your compulsory insurance begins and count three months forward.
- Check whether you could stay family insured. If so, weigh carefully whether you want to give up this cover for an exemption.
- Make an anonymous risk enquiry and compare tariffs before you apply for a contract.
- Submit the exemption application with proof of private cover to your statutory insurer in good time within the deadline.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage.
You can read reviews of us on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex. Academycon was also mentioned, among other places, in a press release in the Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). An overview of all mentions is on the press page (in German).
Related articles
- Basic tariff or comfort tariff in PKV (in German)
- Conditions for child benefit during study (in German)
- How to switch to PKV (in German)
- Comparing PKV tariffs (in German)
- Health insurance proof for enrolment (in German)
- Exemption from compulsory insurance (glossary, in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
