About Insurance
In Germany it is rather important to be insured. There is a variety of insurances which you can take out besides the statutory health insurance (without it you cannot enrol at university). There are many different websites where you can compare prices and services. Next to the mandatory health insurance we recommend to take out a liability insurance.
Health insurance
In Germany all students must be registered with a health insurance. In order to enrol at any university you have to show a proof that you are insured. You will not be able to start your studies without it. Students from EU states and some other European countries hold the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which is valid in all EU states. You can apply for the card at your health insurance company.
There are two kinds of health insurances in Germany: statutory (public) and private. There are a few conditions for the admittance to statutory insurance:
- You have to be enrolled or accepted at a public German university
- You have studied less than 14 semesters and you have to be younger than 30 years of age. There are a few health insurances that offer special options for graduates.
- Language students (who are not enrolled) cannot be admitted to the public health insurance. They have to take out a policy with a private insurance company. Once these students become enrolled they can change to the public insurance!
You are obliged to take out a private health insurance if you are not allegeable for public insurance. You can choose between many different companies. The umbrella organisation of all student unions in Germany – Deutsches Studentenwerk – has a concluded special contract the UNION Versicherungsdienst which guarantees the insurance is reasonably priced and comprehensive.
Liability Insurance
A liability insurance covers damages that you caused another person. The insurance pays, for example, if you break your flatmate’s computer or furniture by accident. Especially where it comes to damages or injuries to people you may have to pay extremely high sums. Also students have to pay in these cases without limits. Therefore a liability insurance is one of the most important insurances. Such an insurance cost only a few €uros each month and it can save you a lot of trouble!