Every resident of Germany must hold health insurance (Krankenversicherungspflicht, §193 VVG). Tell us your residency, employment, and income, and we'll show you which system fits — public statutory (GKV), private substitutive (PKV), or short-term expat cover. In 2026 the income threshold (Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze, JAEG) to qualify for PKV as an employee is €77,400 gross per year, or €6,450 per month.
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60-second eligibility check
14-day right of withdrawal — free, no reason required (§8 VVG).
BaFin-regulated insurers
Every PKV undertaking shown is licensed by BaFin under §294 VAG.
§34d Abs. 1 GewO Versicherungsmakler
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14-day right of withdrawal
Cancel within 14 days, no reason needed (§8 VVG). Free complaints route via Versicherungsombudsmann e.V.
Chapter I
Germany runs three parallel paths for residents needing legally compliant cover. Which one applies to you depends on your residency, employment status, and gross income. Each card below is anchored to the statute that controls it.
I.
Eligibility
Employees under €77,400 JAEG; students under 30 (KVdS ~€121–€135/month); freelancers via voluntary membership.
Cost framing
14.6% base rate + carrier Zusatzbeitrag (2026 average 2.5%, range 2.18%–4.4%), capped at the BBG €5,812.50/month. Employer pays half.
Best for
Most employees, students, and families. Free Familienversicherung (§10 SGB V) is the headline advantage.
II.
Eligibility
Employees over €77,400 JAEG; freelancers; civil servants with Beihilfe; Beamtenanwärter.
Cost framing
From ~€196/month (Ottonova First Class Expats, 32-year-old employee, 2026 tariff). Premiums depend on age and tariff, not on gross income.
Best for
Singles or couples without children, long-term residents, civil servants.
III.
Eligibility
First 5 years in Germany; includes students who opted out of KVdS via §8 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 SGB V within 3 months of enrolment.
Cost framing
€58–€75/month from Mawista, Care Concept, and Advigon (under-40 entry age, excluding USA/Canada).
Best for
Newcomers filing visa packets now; bridge cover before GKV enrolment.
Source: §5 SGB V · §193 VVG · §10 SGB V
Chapter II
In 2026, the income threshold (Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze, or JAEG) to qualify for private health insurance in Germany is €77,400 gross per year. Below this number, employees stay in statutory (GKV) coverage; above it, they may choose to switch to private (PKV).
€
77,400
€6,450 / month
Source: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, Sozialversicherungsrechengrößen-Verordnung 2026, published December 2025.
JAEG 2026 = €77,400 / year (€6,450 / month).
This is the regular gross income an employee must exceed before they may opt out of GKV and into PKV.
It is not the same as the BBG.
The contribution ceiling (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) for 2026 is €69,750 / year (€5,812.50 / month). GKV contributions stop being charged on gross income above this lower number.
Employer and employee split the GKV premium 50/50 up to the BBG.
The maximum employee monthly share at the BBG is around €508.59 in 2026.
You must exceed the JAEG in the current and the upcoming year.
The so-called 'Vorausschau' rule under §6 Abs. 4 SGB V — a one-off bonus is not enough.
Once you switch to PKV, returning to GKV after age 55 is generally blocked.
Under §6 SGB V. Treat the switch as a long-term decision.
Chapter III
Every GKV fund charges the same statutory base rate of 14.6% (general rate, with Krankengeld). What varies is the individual Zusatzbeitrag each fund sets. In 2026, the cheapest fund charges 2.18%; the most expensive close to 4.4%. The total monthly cost (Gesamtbeitrag) is what matters — and you can switch funds with two months' notice after 12 months of membership (§175 SGB V).
Source: GKV-Spitzenverband fund register and individual carrier Beitragsrechner pages, retrieved May 2026.
Updated: May 2026
Employee share, calculated on the BBG monthly cap (€5,812.50). The employer pays the same amount on top.
Switch your GKV provider — we'll handle the paperwork.An honest note from the editor:
BKK firmus is the cheapest, but its English-language support is limited; if you do not yet speak German confidently, TK or Barmer (both with strong English support) are usually the better practical match, even though the monthly cost is around €12 higher.
Chapter IV
Most commercial pages show one PKV price for 'a 32-year-old employee' and stop there. Below are six dated scenarios mapped to real expat profiles. Each names a publicly disclosed tariff so you can verify the figure with the underwriter.
Source: carrier-published tariffs (Ottonova) and PKV industry-body figures (pkv.de). Indicative ranges for fresh underwriting; your final premium depends on age, health, and chosen tariff.
01
age 28
28-year-old international postdoc, single, employee just over JAEG
Postdoctoral researcher
Lowest published tariff in the segment; non-EU expats only.
Ottonova First Class Expats · €500 deductible
See full Ottonova quote~€196
per month
02
age 31
31-year-old SWE, Blue Card, Berlin, gross €92,000
Software engineer (Blue Card)
Solid middle-tier benefits; PKV uses the reimbursement model — you pay first, claim back.
Ottonova Premium Economy · €500 deductible
Compare middle-tier PKV~€284
per month
03
+ 4 more
Three more scenarios in the full dossier
Including civil servant Beihilfe, mid-career freelancer, and the age-55 PKV-to-GKV return case.
Open the full pricing dossierSidebar — Expat bridge cover
Expat health insurance is a bridge product, not a permanent home. It is valid for first-time visas and most residence permits if the policy meets §193 (3) VVG (outpatient + inpatient cover, deductible capped at €5,000/year). Travel insurance does NOT qualify. All four products below comply, and all four can be replaced with GKV the moment a German employer enrols you under §257 SGB V.
Updated: May 2026
(Popsure Deutschland GmbH) — newcomer plan
€72/month
EU-citizen residents only on the cheapest tier; supports English-language app.
Visit site(AWP P&C / Allianz subsidiary)
€75/month
4.6/5 average rating (2,608 reviews); separate USA/Canada-inclusive tier exists at ~€175.
Visit siteCare Expatriate
€58/month (age 13–40, excluding USA/Canada)
Longest tenure in the DE expat market; multilingual onboarding.
Visit site~€72/month (€2.40/day)
Daily-rate billing useful for short stays before GKV enrolment.
Visit siteHonest framing:
All four are bridges. The moment a German employer enrols you in GKV, your expat policy can be cancelled mid-month with written notice. We won't push you to keep an expat policy longer than the law requires.
Chapter V
Under §10 SGB V, your non-working spouse and your children are insured on your GKV policy at zero additional cost, provided the dependent's regular monthly income stays below €565 in 2026 (or €603 if they have a mini-job). PKV does not offer free family coverage — every family member needs their own underwritten policy.
GKV
earner + spouse + 2 children, BBG-capped — spouse and children free under §10 SGB V€508.59 employee share + €0 family
€509 / mo
PKV
earner + spouse + 2 children — every family member rated separately, none free~€600 main + €300 spouse + 2 × €150 kids = €1,200
€1,200 / mo
Annual delta
€8,297 / year
The ~€691/month gap above is roughly €8,297 over a full year — the single biggest variable in the GKV-vs-PKV decision for any family with one earner and dependants.
We are a §34d-licensed Versicherungsmakler. We earn the same commission whether you choose GKV or PKV, so we publish the honest math. PKV can still win for single high-earners or couples without children; it usually loses for one-earner families with children.
We are a fully licensed German insurance broker, not an aggregator and not a single-carrier insurer. Here is what that means in practice.
Independent §34d Abs. 1 GewO broker
Our Versicherungsmakler licence is registered in the public Vermittlerregister and verifiable in one click at vermittlerregister.info. We represent you, not a specific insurer.
Multi-carrier comparison: GKV, PKV, and Expat
We compare across the full GKV fund directory plus every major PKV undertaking plus the four leading expat carriers — and we route under-JAEG employees to GKV instead of rejecting them.
Dated 2026 figures, primary sources
Every number on this page is dated and traceable to a primary source (BMG, gesetze-im-internet.de, GKV-Spitzenverband, or the carrier's own published tariff). Stale figures in Google AI Overviews don't end up in our copy.
English-language advisor, German regulatory backbone
Our advisors work in English with you, while the paperwork meets every German regulatory requirement (Erstinformation, IPID, suitability documentation, §34d disclosure).
Chapter VI
Eight common questions covering visa compliance, switching, dependents, leaving Germany, students, freelancers, and the Basistarif safety net. Statutes named throughout so you can verify each answer at gesetze-im-internet.de.