AI that answers from EU law, not from memory.

People who fled Ukraine get a residence permit for temporary protection under Section 24 of the German Residence Act from the local foreigners office (Ausländerbehörde). Until it is issued, a provisional certificate (Fiktionsbescheinigung) counts for access to benefits.

EU countries extended temporary protection for people from Ukraine until 4 March 2028. For new applicants, protection is granted only to those who meet their military obligations in Ukraine; people already protected are not affected by this condition.

Register your address at the local registration office (Bürgeramt / Einwohnermeldeamt) within two weeks of moving into a flat. The registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) is needed for the residence permit, benefits and health insurance.

People who arrived before 1 April 2025 and need support receive basic income support (Bürgergeld) from the Jobcenter. With it they are members of a public health insurance fund (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) and the Jobcenter pays the contributions. People who cannot work or are of pension age receive social assistance from the social welfare office (Sozialamt) instead and also get a health insurance card.

Under the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act, healthcare covers treatment of acute illness and pain, care in pregnancy and childbirth, vaccinations and necessary check-ups. Other treatment can be granted case by case if it is essential for health. Depending on the federal state, you get a treatment voucher (Behandlungsschein) from the Sozialamt or a health card.

If you work in a job that pays more than the mini-job limit, you are insured in a public health insurance fund through your employer. The employer registers you and the contribution is shared between you and the employer. A mini-job alone does not give you health insurance.

You can choose any public health insurance fund (Krankenkasse) that is open in your area, for example AOK, TK, Barmer or DAK. The basic benefits are the same by law; funds differ slightly in extras and service languages. Tell the Jobcenter or your employer which fund you chose.

Children and a spouse without their own income above a set limit are insured free of charge with the insured family member (family insurance, Familienversicherung). They must be registered with the same fund.

After registration the fund sends an electronic health card (elektronische Gesundheitskarte) with your photo. Take it to every doctor, dentist and pharmacy. Until it arrives, the fund can give you a temporary certificate of insurance.

With a health card you can choose your family doctor (Hausarzt) freely. Most specialists can be seen without a referral, but a referral from your family doctor helps with appointments and is needed for some, such as radiology. Doctors with a public insurance licence (Kassenarzt) treat you at no charge for the visit.

The appointment service of the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians helps you find a doctor or specialist appointment: phone 116117 or the website 116117.de. For an urgent specialist appointment with a referral marked urgent, the service must offer one within four weeks.

In a life-threatening emergency call 112 (ambulance and fire service), free from any phone. Hospitals treat emergencies whatever your insurance status. If you need a doctor outside opening hours but it is not life-threatening, call the on-call medical service at 116117. At night and on weekends at least one pharmacy is always on duty; find it at aponet.de.

Prescription medicines are collected at any pharmacy with the prescription (also as an e-prescription on the health card). Adults pay a co-payment of 10% of the price, at least 5 euros and at most 10 euros per item, never more than the price. Children and young people under 18 pay no co-payment. Non-prescription medicines are usually paid by adults themselves.

For a hospital stay adults pay 10 euros per day for at most 28 days per calendar year. Planned hospital treatment needs a referral (Einweisung) from a doctor, except in an emergency.

Co-payments are capped at 2% of the household's yearly gross income, or 1% for people with a serious chronic illness. Keep receipts and apply to your health insurance fund for an exemption once you reach the limit. People on Bürgergeld reach it quickly because the limit is based on the standard rate.

Dental check-ups, fillings with standard material, root canal treatment and tooth extraction are covered by public health insurance. For crowns, bridges and dentures the fund pays a fixed subsidy (Festzuschuss) of 60% of the standard treatment; it rises to 70% or 75% with a full bonus booklet of yearly check-ups. Ask the dentist for a treatment and cost plan (Heil- und Kostenplan) before you start.

Care in pregnancy, birth and after birth is covered, including check-ups with a gynaecologist and support from a midwife (Hebamme). Children have free check-ups (U-Untersuchungen) and recommended vaccinations; vaccinations recommended by the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) are free for all insured people.

Psychotherapy is covered by public health insurance. You can contact a licensed psychotherapist directly with your health card, without a referral, starting with an initial consultation (psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde). The appointment service at 116117 can help find one.

Public health insurance does not pay for interpreters at the doctor's. Ask whether the practice has staff who speak your language, bring someone you trust, or ask a migration counselling service about free interpreting in your town.

Adults usually pay for glasses themselves; public insurance covers them for children and young people under 18 and for adults with severe sight problems. Medical aids such as hearing aids, wheelchairs or orthopaedic insoles are covered with a doctor's prescription, sometimes with a co-payment.

The back of the German health card is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It covers medically necessary care during temporary stays in other EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, on the same terms as locals. It does not cover treatment in Ukraine or other non-EU countries; buy travel health insurance for such trips. Leaving Germany for a long time can affect your residence permit and benefits; tell the Jobcenter or Sozialamt before you travel.

Free and independent advice on patient rights and health insurance: Unabhängige Patientenberatung Deutschland (patientenberatung.de). Migration counselling for adults (Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zuwanderer, MBE) helps with forms and offices, free of charge, in many languages. Questions about your insurance go to your health insurance fund; questions about benefits go to the Jobcenter or Sozialamt.

Bring any medical documents from Ukraine, such as discharge letters, test results and vaccination records, to the first appointment. Doctors decide whether a translation is needed; a list of current medicines with the active ingredients is especially useful.

If you receive no benefits and are not employed in Germany, for example if you live on savings or work remotely for a Ukrainian company, you are not insured automatically. Contact a public health insurance fund soon after arrival about voluntary membership: there are deadlines, and after them private insurance may be the only option. You pay the contribution yourself.

In an emergency anywhere in the EU you can call 112 free of charge from any fixed or mobile phone to reach the emergency services. Some EU countries also still use their own national emergency numbers alongside 112.

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives you medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in another EU country (also Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland). It covers any treatment that cannot wait until you get home. You get it on the same conditions, and at the same cost, as people insured in that country.

The EHIC does not cover private healthcare, rescue and repatriation (separate travel insurance is needed), lost or stolen property, or planned treatment in another EU country. It also does not cover care if you travel in order to get medical treatment.

With the EHIC you are treated on the same terms as people insured in that country. If treatment is free for local residents it is free for you; if locals pay a patient fee, you pay it too. If you paid upfront, you can claim a refund from the national institution while you are still in the country, or from your own health insurer after you get home. Refunds follow the rules and rates of the country where you were treated.

You should get the EHIC for free from your health insurer before you leave home. In some countries it is printed on the national health card, in others you must apply for it. Do not use websites that charge a fee for the card; contact your health insurer directly. In Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, non-EU nationals can use the EHIC only if they are refugees residing in an EU member state or family members of an EU citizen.

Without an EHIC you cannot be refused treatment, but you may have to pay upfront and claim the money back from your health insurer at home, and only for treatment you would be entitled to at home. The refund is capped at what the treatment costs in your home country, which can be less than you paid. For urgent care, the local health insurance authority may issue a Provisional Replacement Certificate; this is also available if your EHIC is lost or stolen abroad.

The EHIC is accepted only by doctors and hospitals that belong to the country's statutory (public) health system. At a private provider you pay the full price yourself, though you may be able to claim a partial refund. Carry your EHIC: it makes administration and reimbursement for public care much easier.

EU law gives you the right in certain circumstances to arrange medical treatment in another EU country, such as a specialist consultation, surgery or treatment for a specific condition. There are two ways: (1) you organise it yourself and claim reimbursement from your health insurer, or (2) your public health insurer approves it in advance and you receive an S2 form. Prior authorisation is not always needed.

Your health insurer may require prior authorisation for treatment that involves at least one overnight hospital stay, or that needs highly specialised and cost-intensive medical infrastructure or equipment. If approval is required and you do not get it, you may not be reimbursed. Check with your National Contact Point or insurer before you book.

If you organise treatment abroad yourself (Directive 2011/24/EU), your insurer reimburses only care that is among your benefits at home. The refund is capped at what your insurer would have paid for the same care at home, and never exceeds what you actually paid. Your insurer may choose to cover more. You may have to pay upfront. Travel and accommodation are generally your own responsibility.

If your public health insurer approves planned treatment abroad, it issues an S2 form (formerly E112). You send the S2 form to the insurance organisation in the country of treatment. Depending on the case, your insurer may arrange payment with the institution abroad so that you do not pay everything upfront. For treatment that is not part of your statutory insurance, approval can be given only if it cannot be obtained within a reasonable time at home.

Each EU country has at least one National Contact Point for cross-border healthcare. It can advise on your rights, which treatments are reimbursed and how much, whether you need prior authorisation, how to apply and how to appeal. It also informs about providers and patient rights in the country of treatment. Your own health insurer handles the EHIC, reimbursement and authorisation. If your cross-border healthcare rights are not respected, you can turn to SOLVIT, which is free.

Which country is responsible for your health insurance depends on your economic status and where you live, not on your nationality. If you work in one country and live in another, you are entitled to treatment in both: register in the country where you work and get an S1 form (formerly E106) from its health insurance authority, which gives you the right to healthcare where you live.

If your pension from the country where you live includes healthcare rights, you and your family are covered there. If you have no pension or other income from your country of residence, you are covered there only if you would be entitled to treatment in the country that pays your pension: request an S1 from that country's institution and register it with the local health institution when you arrive.

Students, researchers and trainees must have comprehensive health insurance in the host country. If you are not employed, the EHIC may be an option if you are eligible. If you are employed in the host country, you must join the local health scheme. If your home institution sends you abroad for under two years you stay in your home scheme: apply for an EHIC or S1 before leaving. Some national insurers cover study abroad only for a limited time, often for students over 28 or 30, who may then need local or private cover.

Posted workers on assignments of under two years can stay insured in their home country. If you move to the country of the assignment, ask your home insurer for an S1, which covers you and your family there; give it to the local institution on arrival. If you work in several countries and at least 25% of your activity (time or income) is in your country of residence, you are usually covered there.

If you receive unemployment benefits and move to look for work, get an EHIC before you go; it covers only necessary treatment while you receive those benefits. If you are not insured anywhere, the social security institutions decide which system covers you, and you will probably need healthcare cover in the new country.

A prescription issued by a doctor in one EU country is in principle valid in all other EU countries. The rules of the country where it is dispensed apply, for example limits on time or dosage, and the medicine may be unavailable or have a different name there. It should show the patient's name and date of birth, the date, the prescriber's details and signature, and the generic name, form, strength, quantity and dosage. Ask for a paper copy if you plan to use it abroad, because an e-prescription may not work outside your home country.