Health insurance abroad during your studies mainly depends on whether you stay enrolled in Germany. For a semester abroad in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, compulsory student insurance continues if you stay enrolled and keep your residence in Germany. For a full degree abroad, you usually deregister, and compulsory insurance ends at the end of the day on which you give up your residence in Germany. After that, you need cover at your place of study or a private long-term policy for abroad.
The key points in brief
- Semester abroad in the EU, EEA or Switzerland: if you stay enrolled and keep your residence in Germany, you remain in compulsory student insurance. The age limit of 30 continues to apply.
- Full degree abroad: compulsory insurance ends with deregistration, or, if you move away, at the end of the day on which you give up your residence.
- Outside the EU you generally need cover in the country of study or private abroad insurance. In countries without a social security agreement, such as the USA or Australia, the statutory insurer does not pay for illness.
- Statutory insurance does not cover medically necessary repatriation.
- The scope of private health insurance abroad is set by your tariff. An expectancy can keep open the way back into private health insurance.
Does statutory insurance continue during a study abroad?
Your status at the university decides this, not the length of the stay alone. The table shows what happens in which situation:
| Situation | What happens to statutory insurance |
|---|---|
| Semester abroad in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, enrolled in Germany, residence in Germany | Compulsory student insurance continues. Family-insured people still pay no contribution, and self-insured people continue to pay their health and long-term care contributions. |
| Leave of absence or temporary break from studies | Compulsory insurance generally continues in this case too. |
| Full degree abroad with deregistration in Germany | Compulsory insurance ends at the end of the semester for which you were last enrolled. If you move away, it ends at the end of the day on which you give up your residence. |
| Study outside the EU | You generally need insurance in the country of study or private abroad insurance. Without a social security agreement, such as in the USA or Australia, the health insurer does not pay for illness. |
The rule on the end of membership is in § 190 SGB V. For short stays, the article health insurance during a semester abroad (in German) is worthwhile. The organisation of the semester is explained in planning a semester abroad (in German).
What happens to health insurance abroad after deregistration?
After compulsory insurance ends, your membership with the health insurer continues as voluntary insurance, the so-called obligatory follow-on insurance (obligatorische Anschlussversicherung). You can leave within two weeks of the health insurer’s notice. However, leaving only takes effect if you prove other cover. Ask your insurer before leaving whether it recognises an overseas policy. The contribution then depends on the minimum assessment base, the additional contribution rate and long-term care insurance.
If there is no follow-on insurance and you are not gainfully employed, there is at most one month of continuing benefit entitlement after membership ends. Family insurance requires, among other things, a residence in Germany. Ask your insurer whether it continues if you live abroad.
Example: Mara, 25, is in compulsory student insurance and moves to Canada for a two-year master’s degree after deregistering. Assumptions: she deregisters her residence on 15 August, does not work and is not family insured. Compulsory insurance ends at the end of 15 August. If Mara proves other cover that the insurer recognises within two weeks of the health insurer’s notice and leaves, membership ends. Without this proof, it continues as voluntary insurance, and contributions are due.
How does private health insurance work abroad for students?
Your tariff determines this. Territorial scope, time limits and repatriation are set out in the policy conditions. Ask your insurer specifically about a multi-year study in the target country rather than a holiday trip, and get the answer in writing.
For context: anyone who was exempted from compulsory insurance at the start of their studies is privately insured. This exemption generally applies for the whole course of study and is irrevocable. A return to statutory insurance before age 55 is generally possible through employment subject to compulsory insurance. A mini-job is not enough for this. Contributions may rise: the insurer reviews them regularly and adjusts them as soon as the deviation exceeds the threshold. After a notification, you can terminate within two months at the time of the change, provided you are continuously insured elsewhere.
In practice abroad, the cost reimbursement principle applies. You pay the medical bill first and submit it to the insurer. You have three years from the end of the billing year in which the bill was issued. Example: a bill from March 2027 can be submitted until 31.12.2030. Keep receipts and treatment records so that they are traceable.
When is an expectancy worthwhile for a study abroad?
An expectancy keeps the way back into private health insurance open without you paying the full premium. There are two types, which differ in benefits and price:
| Type | What it secures | Cost according to providers |
|---|---|---|
| Small expectancy | Your state of health, without provisions for old age. The later premium depends on your age when you return. | About 5 to 10 percent of the tariff premium |
| Large expectancy | State of health and entry age. The provisions for old age continue to be built up. | About 25 to 45 percent of the tariff premium |
Reactivation usually has to take place within two months after the reason for the gap ceases to apply. Whether your insurer offers an expectancy for your time abroad, you can only find out from the insurer itself. When it pays off is described in the article expectancy in private health insurance (in German).
Which abroad health insurance do you need for a long degree?
A classic travel insurance policy is not suitable for several semesters, because it often covers only a limited number of days per trip. You need a long-term policy. Health insurers and the consumer advice centre recommend private abroad health insurance for longer stays. These criteria help with a comparison without naming a provider:
| Criterion | Question for the provider |
|---|---|
| Term | Does the policy cover the entire length of study, including extensions? |
| Repatriation | Is medically necessary repatriation expressly included? |
| Territorial scope | Is your country of destination included, and does the policy apply to study? |
| Proof | Does the university in the destination country require a particular proof of insurance? |
| Return | How can the contract be ended if you return to Germany? |
Within the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, the European Health Insurance Card covers medically necessary services under the rules of the country of stay. Local co-payments may apply, but it does not cover repatriation. More on this is under health insurance in the EU abroad (in German). For a degree in a non-EU country (in German), the rule is: clarify your cover before departure.
If you receive BAföG for study abroad, there is a supplement for the additional cost of abroad health insurance, half as a grant and half as a loan. How the health insurance supplement for BAföG (in German) works is explained in a separate article.
What applies when you return to Germany?
Before enrolment, the university requires a digital confirmation from a statutory health insurer about your insurance status (§ 199a para. 2 SGB V). This also applies to privately insured people. According to FernUniversität Hagen, the confirmation can be retrieved no earlier than 1 June for the winter semester and no earlier than 1 December for the summer semester. If you have never been statutorily insured before, you can choose your health insurer freely.
If you re-enrol at a state or state-recognised university within one month of the end of the semester, membership does not end through deregistration. Also keep the age limit in mind: compulsory student insurance ends with the semester by the end of which you turn 30. An extension is only possible for reasons of training or for family or personal reasons.
Frequently asked questions
Am I still insured by my statutory health insurer while studying abroad?
That depends on your enrolment. For a semester abroad in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you remain insured if you stay enrolled in Germany and keep your residence here. For a full degree abroad, compulsory student insurance ends with deregistration, or, if you move away, at the end of the day on which you give up your residence.
Do I need abroad health insurance as a student abroad?
For a degree outside the EU, you generally need cover in the country of study or private abroad insurance. Important are a term covering the entire length of study and repatriation expressly included. Classic travel insurance often covers only a limited number of days per trip, so for stays of several months you need a long-term policy.
Does my private health insurance apply abroad?
Your tariff decides. Territorial scope, time limits and repatriation are set out in the policy conditions. Ask your insurer explicitly about a multi-year study and not a trip, and get the answer in writing. You pay bills first and submit them afterwards. You have three years from the end of the billing year.
What is an expectancy, and does it help abroad?
An expectancy keeps the way back into private health insurance open without you paying the full premium. The small one secures your state of health. The large one additionally secures your entry age and continues to build up provisions for old age. According to providers, the small one costs about 5 to 10 percent and the large one about 25 to 45 percent of the tariff premium.
Does statutory insurance pay for repatriation from abroad?
No. Statutory health insurance does not cover medically necessary repatriation to Germany, even with the European Health Insurance Card. Private abroad insurance is common for this. When you take out a policy, make sure that repatriation is expressly included.
So what should you do now?
- Clarify whether you stay enrolled in Germany or deregister, and when you deregister your residence.
- Ask your health insurer in writing when compulsory insurance ends and how follow-on insurance or leaving works.
- Check long-term policies against the criteria in the table, and pay attention to term and repatriation.
- If you are privately insured, get the conditions for your stay abroad and for the expectancy in writing.
- Plan your return: retrieve the health insurer’s confirmation before enrolment, and keep the age limit of 30 in mind.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to a consultation on the Academycon homepage.
You can find experiences with us on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex. Academycon was also mentioned in a press release in the General-Anzeiger Bonn. An overview of all mentions is on the press page (in German).
Related articles
- Health insurance during a semester abroad: what applies? (in German)
- Health insurance studying in the EU: EHIC and more (in German)
- Health insurance studying outside the EU: what counts (in German)
- Master’s degree abroad: countries, application and costs (in German)
- Master’s degree abroad: health insurance with a residence in Germany (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
