Travel health
Insured worldwide — on every trip.
Why GKV usually isn’t enough abroad, what scenarios must be covered, and annual vs. per-trip policies.
Why isn’t GKV enough abroad?
Inside the EU plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein your EHIC card works — but only at the local rates, with the same co-pays a resident pays, and a medical flight back to Germany is never included. Outside this zone (US, Turkey, Asia, Latin America) the GKV pays nothing at all. A single hospital day in the US easily runs €3,000–10,000, and a medical evacuation flight back home €30,000–80,000. By comparison a travel health policy costs €8–40 a year — one of the cheapest insurance products you can buy.
The EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card) is your GKV card with extra functions for EU travel — it’s on the back of your regular insurance card and needs no separate application. Important: the EHIC only covers treatment that "becomes medically necessary during the stay". Planned treatments, foreseeable check-ups or pregnancy care abroad are not covered. Private clinics and private doctors often don’t accept the EHIC either — treatment must occur within the public health system of the destination.
Even within the EU there are gaps: in France patients typically pay 30 % of treatment cost as personal share — even with EHIC. In the Netherlands there is an annual deductible of €385 that tourists often must bear themselves. In the UK (no longer EU but with social security agreement) the NHS is overburdened and emergency treatment can be billed despite the card. Private travel health insurance covers these personal shares and ensures access to private doctors — a key advantage in tourist regions.
What does travel health insurance cover?
Four points are non-negotiable: “medically reasonable" (not just “medically necessary") repatriation, full outpatient and inpatient treatment with no sub-limits, emergency dental pain treatment up to at least €300, and direct billing with hospitals (you don’t want to front €5,000 in cash on the spot). Also important: cover for pregnancy up to at least week 36, reimbursement of prescribed medication and aids, and a 24/7 emergency hotline in German.
Concretely, a good travel health policy delivers in the following situations: in acute illness or injury outpatient doctor visits and inpatient hospital treatment including operations and intensive care. In emergency, medical repatriation by air ambulance or stretcher transport to Germany as soon as it becomes medically reasonable or directed by the insurer’s medical advisor. In case of death abroad, repatriation of remains or burial at the place of death. In pregnancy complications before week 36, full treatment including premature births.
Premium tariffs offer additional benefits that can be very valuable in emergencies: hospital daily allowance as a comfort lump sum, support for accompanying persons (e.g. a child in hospital, with a parent insured to stay on site), search and rescue operations for hiking and skiing accidents, telemedicine consultation cost coverage, and legal aid in claim cases. These extras often cost only a few extra euros per year — fine-tuning the tariff is worthwhile but secondary to the basic protection.
EU/EEA vs. worldwide
Travel health policies come with two geographic options. "Europe and Mediterranean" tariffs cover EU/EEA countries plus Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia and Israel — typically costing €8–15/year for a single person. "Worldwide" tariffs including USA, Canada and Asia cost €12–25/year, only marginally more expensive. Anyone travelling outside Europe even once every three years should pick the worldwide tariff right away — the extra €4–10/year is minimal compared to the protection. Some tariffs explicitly exclude the USA and Canada due to extreme health costs.
Special caution applies to travel to the USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland and Australia — countries with particularly expensive healthcare systems. An operation there can cost €50,000 and more, a simple ambulance transport within a city €1,000–2,500. Anyone travelling there should ensure the policy is "worldwide without USA exclusion" or "worldwide without sublimit for North America". Some tariffs offer reduced cover for the USA (e.g. only €100,000 maximum) — for a complex operation that might not suffice.
Destination-specific notes: travel to Russia and some former Soviet states often comes with restrictions — some insurers exclude these regions explicitly or require special tariffs. Travel to crisis areas (politically unstable countries, conflict regions) often falls under special rules in the policy. Generally: before a trip to extraordinary destinations, briefly check with your insurer whether the chosen tariff covers the destination and planned activity — the call is free and gives legal certainty.
Cost: annual vs. single-trip
An annual policy for a single person costs €8–15, for families €25–40 — covering unlimited trips of 6–8 weeks each. A single-trip policy runs €1–2 per day. From three trips a year onward an annual plan almost always pays off; for frequent travellers with stays under 56 days it’s unbeatable. Longer stays (study abroad, sabbatical) need a separate “long-term" tariff with its own conditions.
Concrete tariff examples for orientation: ADAC travel health single worldwide costs €11.90/year, family €25.90/year — solid standard tariff. HUK24 travel health annual €12/year, very good price-value. Allianz Reise-Komplett-Schutz €28/year single, with trip cancellation and luggage cover — interesting for frequent travellers. Würzburger Versicherung €10–14/year — often among Stiftung Warentest top picks. These amounts are extremely low compared to the potential risk, so pinching pennies here is counterproductive.
For per-trip policies (without annual contract) there’s an important trap: some tariffs are only available from 3 days’ trip duration, others have minimum premiums — a 5-day trip can cost €12, almost as much as an annual tariff. Another point: per-trip policies must be taken out before departure; no protection applies to trips already begun. An annual contract automatically protects from day one, without you having to think about insurance — a significant practical and psychological advantage.
Repatriation: the critical building block
Medically reasonable repatriation is by far the most important benefit of travel health insurance — and the most expensive type of claim. A repatriation by scheduled flight with medical accompaniment costs €8,000–25,000 (stretcher transport, oxygen supply, medical attendant). A medical jet from Asia or Australia €60,000–120,000. Without insurance you must bear these costs yourself — financial ruin for most families. Important is the wording "medically reasonable" rather than just "medically necessary" — the latter means the patient cannot travel; the former includes cases where treatment in Germany would be better or cheaper.
Practically the repatriation works like this: in an emergency you call the insurer’s 24/7 hotline. There a medical advisor (contracted doctor) decides together with the on-site treating doctor whether repatriation is sensible. With an affirmative decision, the insurer organises transport via specialised repatriation services like ADAC Air Rescue, Lufthansa Medical Service or DRK rescue services. You don’t need to handle anything — the insurer settles directly with the transport service.
Important is fast contact with the emergency centre. If you organise repatriation on your own (e.g. hiring a private ambulance company on site), the insurer can refuse to cover. Skipping medical necessity (e.g. "I just want to go home") is also not covered — repatriation must be medically founded. Always keep the insurer’s emergency phone number at hand, ideally on your smartphone and printed in your passport.
Who needs long-term travel health cover?
For stays longer than 56 or 60 days (depending on tariff) the standard annual policy is not enough — here you need a long-term travel health policy. Typical target groups: students abroad and Erasmus participants, employees abroad (expatriates), emigrants in transition, sabbatical travellers and multi-year backpackers. Tariffs typically cost €35–80/month, depending on destination, duration and age. They often include extras like prenatal care, routine check-ups and dental treatment that standard policies don’t cover.
Students abroad should pay particular attention: GKV applies in EU only via EHIC, in non-EU not at all. Without long-term travel health cover there is a significant gap. Universities often require proof of adequate health insurance as a precondition for foreign enrollment — corresponding certificates are issued by insurers like DAK, Care Concept or Hanse Merkur after signup. Repatriation cover is also important, since parents in Germany would otherwise pay privately.
Emigrants in transition deserve special attention: anyone leaving Germany and not yet insured at the destination should take out a transition policy that depending on country can apply for 3–24 months. Some insurers offer special "expat assignment" tariffs for the first 5 years after departure — afterwards integration into the local health system is required. On return to Germany the German insurance rules apply again, with possible waiting periods or underwriting required.
Family and group insurance
Family annual policies are a particularly cheap solution: a family of four typically pays €25–40/year — about €6–10 per person. Spouses and children up to age of majority are covered (some tariffs up to 25 in education). Beneficial: family members can travel separately — when a child goes on a school trip or a spouse travels for business, cover applies even without the other family part. The policy also applies to "family-like ties" such as registered civil partnerships and in some tariffs unmarried partnerships.
Group insurance for clubs, tour operators and school classes works similarly but with extra special conditions. For a school trip the operator typically pays €0.80–1.50 per participant per day — insurance you would find complex to organise yourself. For sports clubs with international competitions group policies are particularly relevant since they include high-risk sports often excluded by individual tariffs. Employers also increasingly offer group travel cover for staff with frequent business trips — an employee benefit that costs only a fraction of individual insurance.
For seniors over 65 there are often separate tariffs with higher premiums — the regular annual policy is often limited to certain age groups or excludes pre-existing conditions. Special "senior tariffs" cost €30–80/year and cover even chronic conditions that worsen acutely. When travelling with care-dependent relatives, you should clarify whether their condition is covered in case of acute worsening — provisions vary considerably between insurers. When in doubt a brief written inquiry to the insurer is the safest path.
What to look for when buying
Four typical gaps in standard tariffs: pre-existing conditions or treatment in the last 6 months (unless the trip was clearly not advisable to begin with), high-risk sports like diving below 40 m, mountaineering above 3,000 m, motorsport, bungee — usually addable for a small surcharge. Pregnancies from week 36 onward, ongoing chronic treatment without acute worsening, and any incident under the influence of alcohol (typically above 0.11 % BAC). Read the fine print before you leave — these exclusions are unfortunately not a mere formality.
A useful pre-purchase checklist: 1. Geographic coverage — worldwide or only Europe? 2. USA and Canada included or excluded? 3. Maximum trip duration (typically 56 days, some 60 or 90)? 4. Emergency dental at least €300 included? 5. Repatriation "medically reasonable" or only "medically necessary"? 6. Pregnancy through week 36 included? 7. Direct billing with hospitals or upfront payment required? 8. 24/7 hotline available in German/English? 9. High-risk sports included or only with surcharge? 10. Premium stable on yearly adjustment or with escalation clause?
A frequently overlooked point: most travel health policies are not trip cancellation insurance — that must be bought separately. Trip cancellation reimburses cancellation costs if you must cancel a planned trip before departure (illness, family death, etc.). Both insurances complement each other but are different products with different conditions. For larger package tours (over €1,500 per person), a combination of both often pays off, often cheaper as part of a complete travel cover package.