Overview

• Statutory German health insurance abroad reimburses only local standard rates or pays nothing, exposing travellers to large medical bills.
• Finanztip finds that individual plans start at €10 per year and family cover costs €25–35, insuring at least 42 consecutive travel days worldwide.
• Recommended policies must cover repatriation for both medical necessity and medical sense, and include a minimum €5,000 for search, rescue and evacuation.
• Plans should not exclude pre-existing conditions, require travellers to buy online before departure within Germany and offer an Ombudsmann procedure for disputes.
• Annual policies under €20 per person suit frequent travellers and can be purchased up to the day of departure to ensure immediate protection.