How to see a doctor in germany (without speaking german?)

How to see a doctor in Germany

First of all: I hope you are reading this article out of curiousity.

And not because you are actually ill!

If you are ill, then let me say: Get well! :)

That’s what the German say for, ‘Hope you get better!’

So let me talk a little bit about what is like a doctor in Germany.

And what to do when you are sick in Germany.

How to make a doctor’s appointment.

And, most interestingly, how to find English-speaking doctors in Germany.

# 1 How do I find a GP (general doctor) in Germany?

In the German health care system there is a variety of doctors. On this platform you can search for a doctor close to you.

When you have a general practitioner / doctor.

If you do not speak German, no worries. There should be many general practitioners that speak English. Just google “General English + your city“.

This general practitioner wants to be your first point of contact if you are ill. It is very important that you report to the doctor when you feel ill. Especially, if this means you can not go to work. In this case, the doctor confirms your illness. You want to get a ‘certificate of illness’.

You must send this confirmation to your employer. Some employers want a confirmation from day one of your illness. Other employers in Germany only want to submit a confirmation from the third day of illness.

Ultimately, better check what your employer wants.

In any case, it’s important to call in sick when you can not go to work. Do not send an email or a text message, but make a personal call. Better on the safe side;)

… and I need a referral for a specialist in Germany?

So whenever you are sick in Germany, the first thing you do is go to a general practitioner. He checks what is wrong.

If it is something severe or can not help you, he will refer you to a specialist. For this you want to get a referral.

Without this document, you can not go see a specialist. You must be a referral to a specialist by your GP!

Women in Germany usually go to a gynecologist twice a year for regular check-ups. If you are over 18 years old, the contraception pill is usually not covered by your health insurance. One package for about 3 months costs usually around 20-30 Euros.

Further, if you are a member of public health insurance in Germany, you are expected to be a dentist at least once a year …

Otherwise the insurance may not cover the expenses of a visit to the dentist!!

So make sure to go there regularly …

Yes, I know it is not pleasant. But it will literally pay off !! :)

# 2 What is a ‘health card’ and how to get it?

The Health card is your German health insurance card. It is a document confirming that you have health insurance.

Your personal data and health information are stored on this card.

You must always carry yours Health card with you. If you are going to hospital or see a doctor in Germany they will always ask for your German health insurance card.

You get a health insurance card from your health insurance provider.

If you live in Germany, you must have health insurance. About 85% of Germans have public health insurance. The rest is privately insured.

# 3 Do I still get pa >

If you are a member of German public health insurance, your employer will pay six weeks’ full salary if you are ill.

In order to get ‘sick pay’ you must have confirmation of your doctor that you are ill (medical certificate). It is very important that you stay in touch with your employer while you are sick.

You should tell him how long you might be away, if necessary.

Indeed, it is common courtesy in Germany to call your employer, if you are ill. Do not just send a text or email. You can send the doctor’s confirmation by letter, fax. Or bring it into the office once you are back.

After six weeks of illness you can get sick pay. Then the government scheme pays a percentage of your income as sick pay (‘Public sick pay’) for a maximum of 78 weeks.

As you can see, you’re well taken care of :).

You are self-employed? Then things are different. And you only get sick pay if you have a private sick-pay health insurance …

# 4 How to find English-speaking doctors?

Generally, you can find English-speaking doctors and specialists in most parts of Germany nowadays. To search for you can use Google, or ask in expats groups on Facebook (see our online community).

Alternatively, if you are a member of AOK public health insurance in Germany, you can ring up their service hotline 0800 265 5000. TK also offers English service. These are two of the biggest insurance providers in Germany.

At AOK they speak 17 languages ​​and can assist you with any question you may have.

You can call them around the clock, 24.7. And tell you what kind of doctor you need to see.

Another option: An employee wants to search for an English-speaking doctor and even make an appointment on behalf of you. Easy, is not it?

If you live in Berlin, there is a great website called http://doctorberlin.de/ Here you can look out for doctors in Berlin that speak English, French, Arabic and more languages!

# 5 Do I need to make an appointment to see a doctor?

Generally, yes, you do. Especially for specialists, you must make an appointment.

It is normal to wait a couple of weeks to see a specialist, sometimes even a few months. So be sure to make appointments as early as possible.

In case of an emergency or if you need a ‘sick leave’ – a verification for your employer that you’re ill – you do not need an appointment.

First of all, there are always visiting hours where you can come in without an appointment at your general practitioner’s (doctor’s).

Just come back to the same day.

As such, you better call first thing in the morning and go there as early as possible.

Otherwise, you might have to wait a few hours before you get to see your doctor in Germany …

# 6 Will my German private health insurance cover visit my doctor’s?!

If you’re privately insured, it works as follows. When you go see a doctor you will get an invoice for the treatment. When? Usually, this happens a few days or weeks after the treatment. You must first pay this bill yourself though!

Be sure to make a copy of the bill for your own record. Send the bill to your private health insurance provider. The provider should reimburse you after one to three weeks. Exactly how long depends on what kind of health insurance agreement you have. Some agreements cover 100%, some less. Again, check your contract!

What about medicine and prescriptions in Germany? Who pays for it?

If your doctor prescribes your medicine, then you take the prescription to the pharmacy. Tell the pharmacy that you need a copy of the prescription and a stamp for your private health insurance. You pay for the medicine yourself in the first instance.

Then send the copy of the prescription and the payment receipt to your health provider.

Again, you should receive the reimbursement directly on your German bank account within a few weeks. In case you do not have one yet, open a German bank account online.

# 7 I have public health insurance in Germany. Do I need to pay for medicine and treatments?

You are a member of a public health insurance? Search as TK or AOK? Then everything is quite easy.

Once you are insured, you want to get a so-called Health card (German health card). You must always carry this card with you.

When you go see a doctor, you first go to the reception. There you give the receptionist your German health card.

If you have public health insurance in germany most treatments and medicine are covered.

However, you should talk to your health insurance to check the details. Some homeopathic and dental treatments are not included.

Crucially, if you get yourself in detail about what your health insurance covers, you may be surprised!

If you’ve got pain free practice. How cool is that?!

… and I can get dental care, vaccinations & gym benefits from my German health insurance?

Exciting news: If you go to the gym regularly, your health insurance provider may sponsor your gym membership.

If you are going to be aware that only the ‘basic’ treatments are usually covered. Before you get new teeth or have a major surgery at the dentist, check with your public health insurance!

So how do you do this the best way? Let me explain.

Firstly, ask the doctor for a proposalCost estimate). Send a copy of this to your insurance company. This is the safest way. They want to send you a letter with the details of how much they will cover.

What about vaccinations? Are they covered by german health insurance?

Most vaccinations are covered by public health insurances in Germany. Even vaccines and malaria tablets are often paid for.

So, make sure you get vaccinated, before you get vaccinated. Indeed, some vaccinations are even obligatory in Germany!

Consequently, it is best to ask your general practitioner for more information. And make sure to bring your vaccination booklet, if you have one.

Want to add something? We do our best to keep this article up-to-date. Nevertheless, if you spot anything that’s unclear or inaccurate, then please contact us.

© 2019 Copyright Expat Services UG (limited liability). All rights reserved. Expat Services UG (haftungsbeschränkt) no liability for the correctness, accuracy, relevance, reliability or completeness of the information published.

Wiki Categories

Login

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

Cookie and privacy settings

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let you know when you visit our websites, how to interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different categories headings to find out more. So you can change some of your preferences. We are able to offer some types of cookies.

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, they will have an impact on our site functions. You can block all cookies on your website. But this will always prompt you to accept / refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We again and again ask if you want to refuse cookies. You are free to opt out or opt in for a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are unable to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

We use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this may greatly reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings on our Privacy Policy Page.

Related Posts

Like this post? Please share to your friends:
Christina Cherry
Leave a Reply

;-) :| :x :twisted: :smile: :shock: :sad: :roll: :razz: :oops: :o :mrgreen: :lol: :idea: :grin: :evil: :cry: :cool: :arrow: :???: :?: :!: