Everything about travel and international health insurance - tips - advice

The ultimate guide for vacation and long-term travel

International health insurance from A-Z

There are many myths and questions about the topic of "foreign health insurance" and unfortunately there are always misunderstandings. A detailed overview of the topic helps to understand who should take out which form of international insurance, why and when.

What is international health insurance and why should I take it out??

A health insurance abroad is the most important of all insurance when it comes to a stay abroad. It does not matter whether the stay abroad lasts only a few hours or many years. As soon as you are outside of Germany or want or need to access medical help outside of Germany, your German health insurance will no longer apply. In order to be protected abroad, travel health insurance is essential, because only with this insurance will you be reimbursed for medical treatment.

Depending on the case, the cost of medical treatment can quickly increase immeasurably, so imaging or surgery cost a lot of money that can potentially put you in financial ruin. For example, a single day in a hospital in the US costs the equivalent of around 6,000 euros and a medically necessary return transport to Germany from Turkey costs around 22,000 euros. The return transport from the USA even costs around 60,000 euros, from Australia the costs in complicated cases are quickly between 70,000 and 80,000 euros. In order to be protected from having to bear these high costs yourself and to concentrate solely on recovery and not on the financial aspect in an emergency, the conclusion of a foreign insurance helps.

Incidentally, statistics show the need for international health insurance:

According to a study by the ELVIA with 1,000 respondents, 34.6% of all interviewed people got sick on vacation.

However, this was still less than the respondents had previously estimated:

71.2% expected to get sick during the holiday in advance
45.1% feared having an accident while on vacation

According to the ELVIA study, 65.2% of all interviewed people are covered by annual foreign health insurance. 25.7% opt for a single policy.

Every third person gets sick on vacation, which speaks a clear language in comparison to lost luggage (15.1%) or involvement in an accident (14.1%) and clearly speaks for taking out travel health insurance.

Do I need international health insurance for a stay in Europe or only for other continents??

Many people think: I have my European health insurance card, so I don’t need any additional travel health insurance for my vacation in Italy or Spain.

But this idea is wrong. It is true that the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) also covers medical treatments in other European countries, but this only applies to public institutions. The EHIC cannot be used in private practices or clinics; these treatment costs must then be paid out of one’s own pocket.

The European Health Insurance Card is valid in all EU countries and also in Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia.

The EHIC is printed on the back of every German health insurance card and replaces the foreign health certificate that was previously required. All relevant data of the cardholder are stored on the card. The cardholder can present the EHIC in the event of illness or accident and will then receive medical treatment. For the services he has to pay in advance, the costs are then borne by the statutory health insurance in Germany.

Important to know: Only benefits that are medically necessary during your stay in another European country are really paid for by the health insurance fund. A certain amount of aftercare or something similar is not taken over and this also shows the shortcoming of the EHIC: It does not include return transport to the home country. This must be paid out of your own pocket. In order to secure this return transport, it is advisable to take out a foreign health insurance.

What applies to privately insured people?

If you are privately insured, you should check your insurance contract for the validity of the tariff abroad. For most insurance companies, protection in Europe is limited to one month, and some private insurance companies also protect up to three months abroad. Also important here: As a rule, the return transport is not included. It is therefore also advisable to take out foreign health insurance for private insured persons, especially if it is a trip outside Europe.

When should I take out travel health insurance??

Health insurance abroad should be taken out before departure. Strictly speaking, it is sufficient to take out insurance one day before departure. It is now common practice to take out a degree via the Internet, which is straightforward. Although there is also the possibility to take out insurance when you are already on the move, here the insurance companies have incorporated waiting times (if they even offer the possibility of insurance while on the move), in order to be able to take care of illnesses that have occurred while traveling to protect who are still to be secured quickly.

If you do not want to take out your health insurance over the Internet, you have the opportunity to do so both in travel agencies and directly through the insurer. You can arrange for the insurance documents to be sent to you by telephone, which you can then go through and sign at home. Alternatively, you can go to a branch or an insurance broker and seek advice. However, do not trust the broker blindly – he will receive a commission for the conclusion of your insurance and his recommendation may vary depending on the commission amount. So make sure that you can trust the broker, have someone recommend you to a friend and then, above all, check the insurance contract thoroughly before signing it.

Health insurance with a credit card: you have to be aware of this

If you have a credit card that already includes travel protection, you should check it carefully. Often this is just basic protection, which can be incomplete in some cases and often does not include, for example, the return transport from abroad. In addition, international health insurance via credit card only applies if the trip was also booked via credit card. In any case, check the tariff thoroughly before booking the trip and, if necessary, take out additional insurance – simply relying on it would be negligent.

What do I have to consider when taking out travel health insurance??

Before you take out international health insurance, you have to consider all sorts of aspects and, above all, compare them. Many tariffs are quite similar, but differ significantly in some points, such as when it comes to return transport. The included services are not always the same and are sometimes only taken up to a certain amount or not at all. Make sure that your insurance company also provides the following treatments and services in addition to the basic services such as treatment of illnesses or care after accidents:

Help after sports accidents
Temporary dentures
Prescribed aids such as crutches or a wheelchair
Placement of parents in the hospital if the child falls ill

In addition, the following aspects are important criteria and already determine a large number of general conditions for the insurance that is suitable for you:

USA and Canada

Depending on where you want to go, this filter is one of the first that you should set when looking for the right health insurance tariff. To explain briefly: The treatment costs in the USA and Canada are significantly higher than in all other countries in the world. Insurance companies therefore offer a policy that covers these two countries more expensive than without the USA and Canada. Depending on the provider, the prices are between 30 and 50% higher if the insurance cover is also to apply in these two countries.

If your trip does not go to the USA or Canada, you can choose a tariff without these two countries and save a lot of money. If you travel to North America, you won’t be able to avoid the conclusion of the relevant tariff, as it could financially ruin you to have to pay the treatment costs in these countries out of your own pocket.

deductible

The deductible is an important aspect when it comes to foreign health insurance. Some insurance companies provide that insured persons bear a certain part of the costs themselves for each treatment (usually between 50 and 100 euros) and that the insurance premium is lower. It is best to choose a tariff without a deductible, in order to really have no costs in the event of damage. The insurance is then a bit more expensive from the ground up, but you do not have the anger if there is really an insurance claim due to an illness or an accident.

Prepaid protection

You usually have to pay for treatment costs abroad first out of your own pocket and then receive an invoice that you can submit to your insurance company. So you have to pay in advance and get the money back from the insurance. Since these costs can rise to dizzying heights depending on the scope of treatment, there are now also insurance companies that offer a kind of credit card that can be charged to pay for medical treatment.

The pioneer in this offer is ELVIA international health insurance with its real-time emergency card. If there is an emergency and you have to pay for medical treatment abroad, you can top up the credit card via a telephone number with the required amount and do not have to pay in advance. This procedure is very customer-friendly, especially for larger sums, such as those due for operations.

Annual policy or individual degree?

International health insurance can either be taken out for a specific trip or for a whole year. If you already know that there will be no more trips this year apart from a trip, you can take out an individual policy that protects you for the duration of the trip. This can even be billed to the day and, if necessary, extended if the trip takes longer than expected. You should definitely discuss the possible extension with the insurance company beforehand, since not everyone offers this option.

Individual policies are generally a little cheaper than annual insurance, but are often no longer worthwhile from the second trip per year – then annual insurance is cheaper. The advantage of the single policy is that if you only have one trip abroad this year, you do not have to remember to cancel the insurance.

An annual policy is automatically extended by one year if it is not canceled beforehand, but it also has a clear advantage: You never have to worry about your insurance on any trip. Even if it is only a weekend trip to a neighboring European country, you are always well protected and the return transport is also secured in an emergency. You have your insurance, which runs for a year, automatically renewed year after year and you do not have to worry about it and have to conclude individual contracts again and again.

Medically necessary return transport vs. medically reasonable return transport

Repatriation is the point that is often the most expensive factor for international health insurance. There must be sufficient berth in an airplane, a doctor or medic must be on board, under certain circumstances even a private ambulance jet has to take care of the return transport. The costs quickly go into the middle five-digit range – but only arise rarely, since the case of “medically necessary return transport” only occurs rarely. A return transport is medically necessary only if no effective treatment can be given in the holiday country. This is not the case in many countries because there are solutions for most illnesses and consequences of accidents even in poorly medically supplied areas of the world.

Medically meaningful, on the other hand, means that a return transport is already taken over if the prospects for healing at home are better than in the holiday country. Factors for this are the familiar environment and non-command of the native language of the holiday country. Here, the patient has a great say in terms of the return transport and is much more likely to be treated at home if he is fit for transport.

A good tariff includes this aspect and is offered, for example, by Hanse Merkur or ERGO Versicherung.

Which international travel health insurance is right for me?

International health insurance for children and families

If you have children and want to travel with you, it is worth considering taking out a family tariff. These are usually cheaper than if all family members are insured individually. With most insurance companies, family members are protected even if they are traveling alone. If you travel without your children or if your children go abroad on a school trip or student exchange, all family members are still covered independently of one another.

Many insurers also reimburse childcare costs for travel health insurance if the parents fall ill and can no longer be with their children due to a hospital stay or a serious illness. If the children fall ill and have to go to the hospital and the parents do not want to leave their protégés alone, these costs are usually also reimbursed. When concluding a family contract, it is always worth comparing different tariffs and, above all, calculating whether a family tariff is cheaper for everyone than if individual insurance was taken out for everyone.

International health insurance for seniors

Most insurers have built in age limits and those who exceed them have to pay more for their travel insurance than younger people. Depending on the provider, these limits are between the ages of 65 and 75. There are even insurers who no longer insure people who are older than 75 or 80 years. The susceptibility to illnesses and emergencies increases at this age and the insurance companies want to protect themselves from the treatment costs incurred.

International health insurance for students, work and travelers, au pairs or interns abroad

Young people who go abroad for long periods need long-term travel protection. Many insurance companies offer special rates for students work and travelers, au pairs or interns abroad, which are generally somewhat cheaper than for older people. The insurance companies assume that young people are less susceptible to illnesses and can then offer their tariff cheaper for these age groups. The tariffs for work and travelers, students or interns generally have an upper age limit, which varies greatly depending on the provider. Some insurers set the limit at 34 years, others only at 55. It is important to ensure that all necessary benefits are covered in long-term insurance, i.e. visits to the dentist and medical aids, as well as a return transport without deductible.

It is also crucial whether the stay abroad lasts longer than 12 months or not. If you stay away for more than 12 months or don’t know exactly yet, you should make sure that the insurance coverage does not end after this period. It is also important that the insurance period can be extended if necessary if the period actually planned is exceeded. Many insurers have usually not provided for an extension of their tariffs, so in case of doubt it is better to directly conclude a tariff with a longer term and if the return occurs sooner, the overpaid premiums will then be reimbursed. Since the USA and Canada are popular countries for au pair work and also for work and travel, it is important to ensure that the selected insurance tariff also covers these two countries.

Travel health insurance for people with disabilities

People with disabilities can also take out travel health insurance, but have to accept a restriction. The insurance thus excludes the chronic or disability-causing illness and no related treatment would be covered by the insurance. An exception is if an existing chronic illness worsens, then you are again entitled to the reimbursement of costs.

If you have an accident while on vacation that was not caused by your disability or if you suddenly suffer from complaints that are unrelated to the disability, you can use the benefits of the health insurance abroad like everyone else.

Travel health insurance for athletes

Professional athletes suffer from their profession when it comes to travel health insurance because they are not insured when they practice their sport abroad. Although you can take out international insurance for all other illnesses or sports-related accidents, but something happens to you when you exercise your profession, i.e. sport, you have to pay for the treatments yourself.

However, travelers who want to practice sport privately at their holiday destination should also read the insurance conditions carefully. So there are insurers who exclude certain sports. If something happens to you when you practice one of these sports on vacation, you have to bear the treatment costs yourself.

International health insurance during pregnancy

Pregnant women should exercise special caution when choosing their travel health insurance. After all, it can happen at any time that an examination is necessary during the trip or that even the baby announces itself on the way. If you then have no insurance, but you give birth in the hospital and are also treated afterwards, you have to expect very high costs. Many foreign health insurance companies have not covered preventive medical examinations, but there are also some that have included this point.

Women who are pregnant should definitely choose one of these tariffs, which covers all treatments medically necessary in connection with pregnancy. Travel health insurance should also cover the costs of premature or miscarriage and childbirth. In addition, not only should the mother receive medical care, but the treatments of the newborn baby should also be paid for by the insurance. If there is a medically necessary termination of pregnancy, these costs should also be borne.

Pregnant women should have their doctor confirm that they are fit to travel before departure. If you are leaving as a problem, you have to expect that the insurance will not pay in an emergency if something should happen to your mother or child during your vacation. Mostly, the tariffs for pregnant women are not basic tariffs, but are called Premium– or Comfort tariff. These are more expensive, but should be chosen to be on the safe side. If you already have annual insurance, you should check the existing tariff if you are pregnant and top up if necessary. This special protection is very likely not included in the policy that has already been concluded, since most of the contracts are basic tariffs. Even in an existing insurance with a credit card, the benefits for pregnant women are very likely not covered.

International health insurance for expats

Anyone moving abroad as an expat and then starting to work in another country is usually insured through the German employer. As a rule, the companies take care of taking out insurance for their employees, with which the expat is then well protected. This point should definitely be clarified with the boss before moving to the new country. If the company does not cover the costs, you have to take care of your insurance yourself. After all, you don’t want to be left with the treatment costs in an emergency.

Here too, depending on how long you will be staying abroad, you have the option of concluding a tariff for up to one year or for up to five. If you then go back to your home country earlier, the contributions can also be reimbursed here. Make sure that preventive examinations are also covered in the chosen tariff, after all, you don’t want to do without good health protection during your time abroad.

Even if your employer has taken out insurance for you, you should insist that you check them thoroughly for their benefits. If necessary, take out additional protection yourself, because the topic of returning home should be given special attention.

International health insurance for emigrants

Emigrants have to think particularly carefully about their insurance cover abroad. Especially if the employer does not provide insurance in the new country, an internationally valid insurance policy should be taken out in Germany. Even if it is possible to take out insurance in your new home – in many countries around the world medical care is worse than in Germany, which is why it is better to have your own comprehensive protection for all cases.

Foreign health insurance for visitors

You can take out international health insurance not only for yourself, but also for your visitors from abroad. This has the advantage for your guests that they do not have to worry about anything and can simply enjoy their stay without worries. The cost of insurance for visitors varies depending on the length and the services included; with most insurance companies, shorter visits of up to 10 or 14 days allow for daily billing.

If you take an au pair with you for a longer period, for example, you must note that the insurance should also apply for the entire period. The insurance for visitors can often be extended, but this should be checked in advance in the insurance conditions. The insurance for visitors is called "Incoming" insurance and the prices also start at € 1.10 a day or € 38.50 a month for longer stays.

Health insurance costs

The cost of foreign health insurance varies depending on the provider, age of the insured, travel time, benefits and much more. It is therefore difficult to name flat rates. Basically, the following applies:

Annual policy: A basic annual policy for up to six weeks of travel is available from 8 euros. Depending on the provider and personal requirements (e.g. with families or with insurance for senior citizens), the costs increase to up to 50 euros.

Long-term travel insurance: For long-term travelers up to five years, there are many different tariffs that start at 30 euros a month and go up to 200 euros a year. It is very important here which additional benefits are to be insured, for example preventive medical check-ups, dental costs, prenatal care etc. Especially for long trips of one year or more, it is advisable to choose all-round protection. After all, you don’t want to miss any preventive care or visits to the dentist on the go.

Insurance for emigrants: If you have no intention of returning to Germany, you can take out permanent protection. These policies cost between 70 and 500 euros a month – here too, the individual factors and needs count.

Health insurance abroad tested

Comparing health insurance is the be-all and end-all, and insurance shouldn’t be taken out without getting thorough information beforehand. After all, in an emergency it’s all about good medical care as well as full coverage and that’s what you should aim for. After all, it is already stressful to have to go to the doctor or to the hospital on vacation if you have been looking forward to carefree, relaxed days.

In order to find out which health insurance is the best, various criteria must first be taken into account. Finally, there are some key differences. As already mentioned, there are tariffs with worldwide validity, i.e. including the USA and Canada, and tariffs without worldwide validity. There are tariffs for young people, for older people, for expats, for long-term travelers and for pregnant women.

Assuming that most travelers take out normal basic insurance for their vacation, there are some insurance companies that do better than others. The Stiftung Warentest published a travel health insurance test in April 2017 after checking 88 tariffs. All insurances that were checked were annual policies, through which several individual trips a year of up to a maximum of eight weeks can be insured.

The DKV and Ergo Direkt offerings have become test winners among insurance policies for individuals. Würzburg’s TravelSecure insurance was also rated "Very Good". Concordia, Hallesche and Hanse Merkur Versicherung have other very good offers for individuals. All of these tariffs cost between 7.50 euros and 25 euros per year.

DKV, Ergo Direkt and TravelSecure Versicherung also received top marks among family insurance policies. The price range for these tariffs ranges from EUR 18.60 to EUR 40 a year.

FAQ – The most frequently asked questions about travel health insurance abroad

You ended your trip earlier than planned. Now get your contributions back?

Most insurance companies offer reimbursement of overpaid premiums if you can show that you actually returned earlier than planned. This can be regulated, for example, by submitting a flight ticket that proves that you ended your trip earlier.

What is the notice period for my annual policy??

Since the annual policy is automatically extended if it is not canceled, you must actively think about the cancellation when you no longer need your insurance. Depending on the insurance company, the notice period is between four weeks and three months. You can usually recognize good insurance by a short notice period of one month, but of course this is not the only criterion that defines a good tariff.

Do I have to take out travel health insurance immediately after booking the trip??

No! As a rule, insurance packages are offered to you immediately after you have booked a trip on the Internet, sometimes even in parallel to the conclusion. Reject these offers and take the time to examine various tariffs and companies extensively and compare different offers. You have until the day before your departure to take out the insurance, so you should not be put under pressure by additional offers while booking your trip.

A travel insurance package is worthwhile?

Overseas health insurance is often offered directly in combination with travel cancellation insurance, luggage insurance and travel interruption insurance. Although these offers often appear tempting at first glance, because they are somewhat cheaper than if all insurance policies were taken out individually, they are often worse in terms of the scope of services and therefore incomplete.

If your intensive examination of all insurance policies shows that the individual policies provide adequate and comprehensive protection, you can safely conclude a package. However, it makes more sense to take out insurance individually and to put everyone through their paces. Especially when it comes to international insurance, there are so many subtleties to be taken into account, which also differ from person to person, that it will be difficult to find a company that offers the optimal insurance tailored to your needs.

How long does an overseas health insurance actually protect me??

How long international health insurance is valid during a trip varies. There are many very good annual policies that cover a travel period of six to eight weeks at a time. This protection then applies to any number of trips per year. Many tariffs cover even more days or weeks, at least until a sick person can be transported again.

If you need more than six or eight weeks of health protection there are two options. You can also insure individual days, which are then settled with a flat rate per day. Or they take out long-term international health insurance, which is then valid for up to one year or even up to five years, depending on the tariff. With long-term insurance for one year, you usually pay the premiums for the entire period in one fell swoop and then get back overpaid premiums if your trip does not take 12 months.

The international insurance also applies to professional trips?

Whether a tariff also applies to business trips or covers purely private purposes varies from provider to provider. Some expressly state in the insurance conditions that the tariff only covers private vacation trips. Other providers also insure professional travel for a short period of time, usually 10 to 14 days. Weigh up how important this point is for you and whether you have to travel in your job at all and then adjust your insurance if necessary.

When do international insurance companies not pay??

Although each company and tariff has its own rules for when benefits are taken over and some pay for treatments that others do not even have in the insurance contract, there are some uniform cases in which all foreign health insurance policies do not pay:

If the purpose of the trip is medical treatment, so if you go abroad for an operation, the insurance will not cover the cost of this treatment.
If it is already certain before departure that a certain treatment has to be carried out abroad, the costs will not be covered either.
If illnesses or accidents are caused deliberately, the insurance does not pay either.
Withdrawal treatment is also not included in insurance company policies.
Much of the international health insurance does not cover psychological treatments. Some long-term travel insurance companies offer to cover the costs, but this is usually capped at a certain amount and is an exception.
If political unrest or even war events in a country are foreseeable or even active participation is planned, no international insurance is provided.
International health insurance also does not cover rehabilitation measures such as a cure or a stay in a sanatorium.
In the case of long-term care, no accommodation is paid for.
The costs for dentures that have to be remade are not covered, just like for orthodontics.
In the event of treatment by relatives, the insurance companies do not cover any costs apart from the costs for material.
Strengthening and nutritional supplements are also not included in the service catalogs.

I always need a receipt for the treatment costs?

Yes! Without an invoice or receipt, no insurance company will reimburse the costs. Therefore, always and without exception – even in forest and meadow practices – have an invoice issued. In addition to the amount paid, this should also list the diagnosis or the treatment performed and be signed by a doctor and stamped if possible.

Only a few euros in insurance premium but full coverage in an emergency – how does that pay off for the insurance company??

Health insurance abroad is usually quite cheap, especially in relation to health insurance in Germany. The reason for this is simple: The statutory health insurance in Germany is based on a social system, which means that many pay into a large pot and from this all necessary treatments are financed. With a private health insurance abroad, you only pay your premium for yourself and not for the others.

As the statistics showed at the beginning, just under 35% of all travelers get sick – many insurance policies are therefore taken out without claiming any benefits. And even if a service is used, it is not always horrendously expensive. Few of them actually have to pay for a return transport and a complicated operation, most of the cases are minor injuries or illnesses, for which a visit to the doctor and one or two medications are sufficient.

For the insurance company, this results in a mixed calculation from the expected income from all insurance premiums and the expected treatment costs for which they have to pay. Mathematicians and risk managers calculate these quotas and statistics on the basis of which the prices for insurance are made.

Can I take out international health insurance online??

An online degree is easily possible. The premium can then be paid directly from most providers via PayPal, bank transfer or credit card and is usually valid from the same day – provided that the conclusion is from Germany. This is the reason why travel insurance abroad can also be taken out one day before the start of the trip.

Can a health insurance abroad be taken out from abroad??

As a rule, travel health insurances only apply if the departure from Germany has taken place or the conclusion has been made in Germany. Some insurance companies offer tariffs that can also be taken out from abroad. But these are significantly more expensive! These insurance companies also often have a waiting period to protect themselves against paying for acute treatment. Pre-existing illnesses that already existed at the start of the trip are also excluded from the insurance, as is a possible need for treatment of an illness that was determined before the departure.

The international health insurance pays the cost of a spontaneously self-booked flight in the event of an illness?

If you get sick on vacation and you are thinking that you would prefer to be treated at home, you should not rely on the reimbursement of the international health insurance for a spontaneous flight booking. Of course, it is possible that you are not so sick that you can still fly without any problems – but health insurance does not cover the costs of the flight you have booked.

A return transport is only paid for by the insurance company if it is medically necessary or medically sensible and is organized by them. For this, a previous treatment in the holiday country must have taken place, in which the treating doctors come to the conclusion that a return transport is necessary or sensible. If you take care of your return flight yourself, you have to bear the costs yourself.

Your international health insurance does not want to pay for your treatment abroad. There is an arbitration board?

Yes! If there are problems with the assumption of costs, you can contact an ombudsman of the private health and nursing insurance. These help with arbitration and their services are free. The chairman then makes a non-binding recommendation on how the problem that has arisen can be resolved, and the parties usually agree out of court. However, the insured can still sue if he does not agree with the recommendation. Many insurance companies participate in the ombudsman’s proceedings, but not all. The general consumer arbitration board is an alternative to the ombudsman. There, however, participation in the arbitration procedure is voluntary for both parties and can either be excluded from the outset by the insurer or then rejected in the specific case.

Is it possible to take out travel health insurance only if there is also insurance cover in Germany during the trip?

If you go abroad for a long time, you have the option of deregistering from German statutory health insurance. This option is available for stays of three months or longer and has the advantage that no contributions have to be paid in Germany during this time. To be able to deregister, a certificate from the long-term international health insurance or deregistration from Germany is usually sufficient. It is therefore not a prerequisite to be insured in Germany in addition to travel health insurance. Rather, a prerequisite for deregistration is being able to show an international insurance. Important is just that the travel health insurance is taken out from Germany and you are usually still insured in Germany at this time.

There are providers of foreign health insurance that also cover short stays in Germany if a home visit is planned during the long-term trip. As soon as you are back in Germany from your trip, you must report to the health insurance company in order to be fully protected again. In addition, health insurance is compulsory in Germany. If you had previously had compulsory insurance, your old health insurance must take you back.

If you had previously had voluntary insurance, you can choose a health insurance fund after the trip, but this does not have to be included if you come back sick. If in doubt, it may happen that you have to take out private insurance. For voluntarily insured persons, it therefore makes sense to take out an entitlement for the time of the trip, which guarantees re-entry into the insurance. An entitlement costs between 30 and 60 euros, depending on the insurance company and the personal situation.

As a rule, privately insured persons can also take out an entitlement for their insurance and can then be fully insured again after their trip. It is less advisable to cancel private insurance because of the trip abroad. Finally, it may be that if you apply again after returning, the premiums are set higher because you are now older than when you took out insurance or other previous illnesses that made the premium more expensive.