• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • DE

Search

Red Tape Translation

  • Home
  • Services
    • Take a translator
      • Public offices
      • Notary contract interpreting
      • Interpreting at condominium association meetings
      • Book now
    • Expat coaching
      • Learn more
      • Book and pay
      • Top Up Your Credit
    • Certified translations
      • Learn more
      • Upload your documents
    • Corporate translation
    • German rental lease summary
    • Red Carpet Registration
  • Resources
    • Resources
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Sign up for our newsletter
    • Our YouTube Channel
    • Visit us on Facebook
    • Instagram
  • Blog
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Why Choose Red Tape Translation?
    • Testimonials
  • Contact

International Health Insurance Not Currently Being Accepted at the Ausländerbehörde

April 20, 2016 by Kathleen Parker 4 Comments

Bureaucracy in action

Breaking News for 2016: The Berlin Ausländerbehörde has just made a decision to stop accepting ALL international health insurance plans. This might affect you if you’re going for the Artist’s Visa or the freelance work permit in Germany.

A client of mine left the Ausländerbehörde yesterday feeling very confused. She had done everything right.

She had her job offers, her qualifications and CV, references, bank statements, and she’d bought health insurance. She’d just gotten off the phone with an English speaking broker days earlier, who had set her up with a Global Health Insurance Plan from a reputable company. I know from experience that plenty of Berlin freelancers go in with this particular policy, and up until now, it has always been accepted for the freelance work permit (also known as the Artist’s Visa from time to time).

Not this time!

My lovely contact (a case officer) at the Berlin foreigner’s office put it like this. They’ve been quite generous up until now in accepting international medical health insurance plans, but there’s a problem they couldn’t ignore. In Germany, there’s a concept called Alterungsrückstellung, and it is unique to Germany. People who are elderly generally require more treatment and therefore cost more money later in life. Insurance costs are calculated over a lifetime to take this into consideration,  and a sum of money is set aside to help manage this increase in cost as a patient ages. Some global health insurance plans don’t work the same way, because many are not underwritten by German companies.

At this point, freelancers may have to opt for either German public health insurance (if they’re even eligible) or German private health insurance. There are very few options available for self-employed foreigners, and you are all strongly recommended to talk to a broker. The main thing is, the health insurance must be from a German company.

The case officer wasn’t 100% confident on the reasoning behind the decision, because she had only just been briefed. There’s a meeting in the department about publicising the changes. I almost feel like a lucky journalist getting a hot tip in advance!

I’ve since spoken to two brokers in the industry, and they were both pretty ropable. It’s possible that political pressure could get this decision overturned, and it seems to be a bit of a waiting game to see how it develops.

In the meantime, if you’re going to the Ausländerbehörde to get a freelance work permit and you’ve gotten an international health insurance plan, have have a chat to your broker about what to do next. But don’t take MY advice before you make a decision! Speak to your broker and get them to check it out for you – that’s their job. Decisions get reversed, and decisions also take time to filter through to everyone. You might get lucky, or you might get given a bridging permit and told to come back with German health insurance.

Leave a comment if you’ve already been affected! I’m curious to see how this develops.

Edit Nov 2017: This article is now out of date. The Ausländerbehörde ended up modifying its decision and now some plans are being accepted again. Talk to your broker to get the most up to date information.

Kathleen Parker

Filed Under: Freelance Life, Immigration and Visas, Moving to Berlin Tagged With: auslanderbehorde berlin, freelancer insurance, health insurance

Farewell, Konstantin
Red Tape Translation’s Text and Translation Services

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Olea Morris says

    April 26, 2016 at 8:27 am

    So… What private plans are still available? I had a friend use CareConcept a few months ago..

    Reply
    • Kathleen Parker says

      May 9, 2016 at 3:29 pm

      Latest update is that Care Concept is still accepted apparently, because it is underwritten by Hanse Merkur, a German company.

      Reply
  2. Christina Irvine says

    June 1, 2016 at 1:38 pm

    what about for marriage purposes? like i am a non-eu who has just married an eu passport holder. i have public health insurance but he has international travel insurance.. will that affect me getting the spousal visa?

    Reply
    • Kathleen Parker says

      September 19, 2016 at 8:14 pm

      You’ve got public health insurance and you’re the applicant, so you should be fine. However, whether or not the Ausländerbehörde checks HIS health insurance or not (he’s not the applicant), if he is resident in Germany he should have proper German health insurance. I’m aware some time has passed since you posted this: I’d be curious to know if his health insurance was an issue for you at the Ausländerbehörde?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Archives

Categories

  • Life in Berlin
  • Learning German
  • Moving to Germany
  • Being self-employed
  • About Red Tape Translation
  • Dealing with Problems
  • Doing Business in Berlin
  • Freelance Life
  • Immigration and Visas
  • Kids in Berlin
  • Life Changes
  • Life in Germany
  • Moving to Berlin
  • Moving to Munich
  • Uncategorized

Tags

algii anmeldung appointment booking berlin artists visa berlin auslanderbehorde berlin bank account berlin berlin startup brexit burgeramt berlin buying property contracts corona covid 19 foreigner’s office berlin foreign license in germany freelance freelance berlin freelancer freelancer insurance freelance work permit berlin government assistance government grant having a baby health insurance internship interpreting berlin job center kids KSK learning german Life Admin life in berlin paternity berlin red tape translation registration registration berlin renting an apartment berlin saving energy self-employed translator berlin unemployed unemployment visa berlin work permit berlin

Search

Footer

  • Super professional, and fast responsiveness.

    Irina Nikolovska, Berlin

Sign up for the newsletter

Connect with Red Tape Translation

© 2012 - 2023 Kathleen Parker

Legal Notice Terms of Service Data Protection Policy

Website by Laura Yeffeth.