Accessing Medical Care in Germany

This chapter is the practical, step-by-step guide to actually getting treated when you live in Germany: how to find a family doctor, book an appointment, get a referral, use a hospital and reach help in an emergency. It is written for foreigners who have already sorted out their insurance and now need to know what to do when they are ill. If you still need to understand how the system is financed, or whether to choose statutory or private cover, read the companion chapters below first. This is general information for living in Germany, not medical advice. If your health is at risk, call 112 and speak to a doctor rather than relying on any website.

Two things make German healthcare feel different from what many newcomers expect. First, there is no single family-doctor registration or “panel” you must join, and no automatic gatekeeper standing between you and a specialist. Second, the system runs on paper and appointments far more than on walk-ins, so a little planning goes a long way. Once you understand the everyday mechanics – your health card, the Termin culture, when a referral matters and which phone number to dial – the rest falls into place. For how the wider system is structured, see our comprehensive overview of the German healthcare system.

Finding and Registering with a Hausarzt

Your first port of call for almost any health problem is the Hausarzt, the family doctor or general practitioner who handles everyday illness, chronic-condition management, vaccinations, sick notes and referrals. Most people in Germany have a regular Hausarzt they return to for years, which lets the doctor build up a picture of your health over time. Unlike in the United Kingdom, though, there is no formal registration list or catchment area: you are not assigned a practice, you do not “sign on”, and you can change doctor whenever you like simply by turning up at a new one with your health card. Section 76 of the Sozialgesetzbuch V (SGB V), the statute that governs statutory health insurance, guarantees this freie Arztwahl, the free choice of any doctor licensed to treat insured patients.

To find a Hausarzt, you have several tools. The official one is the doctor search run by the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung (KV), the regional association of statutory-insurance doctors, at arztsuche.116117.de, which lets you filter by location, specialty and languages spoken. Your own Krankenkasse (health insurance fund) usually offers a similar Arztsuche on its website, and rating platforms such as jameda are widely used to read reviews and book online. Beyond the directories, word of mouth from colleagues, neighbours and other foreigners is genuinely one of the most reliable ways to find a doctor who takes new patients and, ideally, speaks your language. (jameda and the KV search are named here as plain references, not paid partners.)

The catch you will meet quickly is that many good practices are voll – full – and have closed their books to new patients, especially in cities. Do not be discouraged by the first “wir nehmen keine neuen Patienten auf”. Phone or e-mail several practices, ask specifically whether they are taking Neupatienten, and be flexible on location. Register early, soon after you arrive and while you are still healthy, rather than waiting until you are unwell and every nearby practice is closed. Registering simply means booking a first appointment and presenting your health card; there is no contract and no fee, and you remain free to switch later if the fit is not right.

Your Health Card (elektronische Gesundheitskarte)

The key that unlocks the whole system is the elektronische Gesundheitskarte (eGK), the electronic health card issued by your Krankenkasse. It is a chip card carrying your name, photo, insurance number and cover status, and you present it at every doctor, dentist, hospital and pharmacy. You show it once per Quartal – each calendar quarter – at each practice you visit, which is how the doctor confirms your cover and bills your insurer directly; you generally do not hand over money at the desk for a covered treatment. Keep the card in your wallet at all times, because without it a practice may ask you to pay privately and reclaim the cost later, or to bring the card within ten days.

The card does not appear automatically the day you land. The sequence is: complete your Anmeldung, the compulsory registration of your address at the Bürgeramt (see our guide to registration and legal documentation); join a Krankenkasse, whether statutory or private; and then wait a week or two for the physical eGK to arrive by post. In the gap before it comes, you are not uninsured – your cover starts from the day your membership begins. If you need treatment before the card arrives, your Krankenkasse can issue an Ersatzbescheinigung, a temporary paper certificate of insurance that a practice will accept in place of the card, so ask for one if you fall ill in those first weeks. If you have not yet chosen a fund at all, our chapter on public versus private health insurance in Germany walks through the decision.

Getting an Appointment (Termin)

Germany runs on the Termin, the booked appointment, and this is where newcomers feel the most friction. You book by phoning the practice, using an online system such as Doctolib or jameda, or occasionally by turning up in person. For a routine matter with your own Hausarzt you might be seen within a few days; for a Facharzt (specialist) in a busy city, waits of several weeks or even months are common. Say clearly why you are calling and whether you have a referral, because that lets the receptionist book the right length of slot. Punctuality matters: arrive ten to fifteen minutes early for a first visit, and cancel at least 24 hours ahead if you cannot make it, since repeatedly missed appointments sour your standing with a practice.

When a specialist genuinely cannot fit you in, you are not stuck. The Terminservicestelle (TSS), the statutory appointment-service run by the doctors’ associations, is reachable on the nationwide number 116117 (also online and via the 116117 app) and must arrange a specialist appointment for you, in principle within four weeks. To use it for most specialists you need a Überweisung, a referral, carrying a twelve-digit Dringlichkeitscode – an urgency code your referring doctor prints on it when they judge that you need to be seen within four weeks. Two specialties are exempt from the code requirement: you can have the service book you an eye doctor (Augenarzt) or a gynaecologist (Frauenarzt) without one. The TSS may offer you a doctor a little further away or at an awkward hour, but it breaks the deadlock when a practice tells you the next free slot is in three months.

For something urgent that cannot wait for a booked slot, ask about the offene Sprechstunde, the open consultation hour that many Hausärzte and some specialists hold, where you queue without an appointment and are seen the same day for an Akutfall (acute case). It is worth being honest about one more thing: privately insured patients (Privatpatienten) are, in practice, often offered appointments faster than statutory patients, because private cover reimburses doctors at higher rates. This is a well-known feature of the two-tier arrangement rather than a rule, and the TSS and open hours exist precisely to protect access for the statutory majority. The trade-offs between the two systems are covered in our chapter on public versus private health insurance.

The Referral System (Überweisung)

Here is the single most common misunderstanding foreigners carry into the German system, often repeated in older guides: the belief that your Hausarzt is a compulsory gatekeeper and that you always need a referral to see a specialist. That is not how the law works. Section 76 SGB V gives you free choice of doctor, and you may go directly to almost any Facharzt who treats statutory patients without asking your Hausarzt first. Only a small set of specialties is genuinely referral-bound under the doctors’ collective agreement (§13(4) BMV-Ä): laboratory medicine, microbiology, nuclear medicine, pathology, radiology, radiotherapy and transfusion medicine – fields you would never approach on your own anyway. A referral is compulsory as a permanent rule only if you have voluntarily joined a Hausarztmodell (§73b SGB V), an optional programme in which you agree to route your care through your family doctor in exchange for small perks.

So why do people still get referrals? Because a Überweisung is useful even when it is not required. It passes your medical history and the reason for the visit to the specialist, it lets the specialist bill correctly, and, as noted above, it is what the Terminservicestelle needs (with an urgency code) to guarantee you a four-week appointment. Two everyday specialties you can always visit directly, with no referral, are the gynaecologist (Frauenarzt) and the eye doctor (Augenarzt); the dentist (Zahnarzt) is also a direct-access practice. The Überweisung itself is now largely electronic, linked to your eGK, so in many cases the referral simply travels with your card rather than as a paper slip you carry across town. Note that the government has announced plans for a Primärarztsystem that would make the family doctor a genuine first stop for most care – but as of 2026 this is a proposal, not law, and today’s free choice still applies.

Specialists (Fachärzte) and Finding an English-Speaking Doctor

Germany has a dense network of Fachärzte working in private practices out in the community, not only inside hospitals, so most specialist care happens on an outpatient basis. The ones a foreign resident meets most often are the Frauenarzt (gynaecologist), the Kinderarzt (paediatrician, your child’s family doctor), the Hautarzt (dermatologist), the Orthopäde (orthopaedist, for joints and back) and the Zahnarzt (dentist). Dental care deserves a special note, because it is only partly covered by statutory insurance. Routine check-ups and basic treatment are included, but for crowns, bridges and dentures (Zahnersatz) the fund pays only a fixed subsidy, the Festzuschuss, and you top up the rest. Keeping a Bonusheft – a booklet stamped at each yearly check-up – raises that subsidy over time, so ask for one at your first dental visit and get it stamped every year.

Finding a specialist who speaks English is the practical worry for many newcomers. In large cities it is very doable; in smaller towns it takes more effort. The realistic tools are the same as for a Hausarzt: filter by language on the KV search at arztsuche.116117.de, use the language filter on booking platforms such as Doctolib, check the English-speaking-doctor lists that many embassies and consulates publish for their nationals, and ask in local foreigner communities. When you book, confirm the language directly, because a website badge does not always match who is actually at the desk that day. For everything the German system does to keep you well before you fall ill – screenings, checkups and the free preventive programmes – see our chapter on preventive healthcare and wellness in Germany.

Hospitals (Krankenhaus) and the Notaufnahme

You reach a hospital (Krankenhaus or Klinik) in one of two ways: planned, through a referral from a doctor who arranges your admission for surgery or treatment that needs an overnight stay, or unplanned, through the Notaufnahme, the emergency department, which you may walk into or be brought to without any referral. For planned inpatient care your Hausarzt or specialist issues a Krankenhauseinweisung (hospital admission referral), and the stay itself is covered by your insurance under §39 SGB V. Bring your eGK for registration, though in a genuine emergency you will be treated first and the paperwork sorted out afterwards – no one is turned away from emergency care for lack of a card.

Statutory insurance covers a shared room and treatment by the ward’s regular doctors. The extras you may hear about – a private or twin room (Einzelzimmer) and treatment by the head physician (Chefarztbehandlung) – are comfort options that come with private insurance or a Wahlleistungen add-on (Zusatzversicherung), not standard cover, so do not assume them. There is one cost to budget for even as a statutory patient: the Krankenhauszuzahlung, a co-payment of 10 euros per day for inpatient stays, charged for a maximum of 28 days per calendar year. That caps your hospital co-payment at 280 euros a year no matter how long or how often you are admitted, and it counts towards the annual limit described later in this chapter. Children and young people under 18 pay nothing.

Emergencies: the Numbers That Matter

Learn these three numbers before you ever need them. Dial 112 for a life-threatening medical emergency or a fire: it is the Europe-wide emergency number, free from any phone, staffed around the clock, and it sends the Rettungsdienst (ambulance service) or Feuerwehr (fire brigade). Use it for chest pain, severe bleeding, difficulty breathing, a suspected stroke, serious injury or any situation where a life may be at risk. Dial 110 for the police (Polizei) – crime, accidents, immediate danger from another person. And dial 116117 for the ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst, the on-call medical service, when you have a real medical problem that cannot wait for your practice to reopen but is not life-threatening: a high fever at night, a bad ear infection on a Sunday, a wound that needs looking at when every surgery is closed. The 116117 line is nationwide, free and available 24 hours a day. Operators on 112 can help in English, so do not hesitate to call because your German is shaky.

The distinction foreigners most often get wrong is Notaufnahme versus 116117. The hospital emergency department is for genuine emergencies; turning up there with a mild fever or a cold clogs it, means a long triage wait behind sicker patients, and is not what it is for. When your own practice is shut but you could safely have waited for it, 116117 is the correct door – it will give advice, direct you to an on-call practice (Bereitschaftspraxis, often located at a hospital), or send a doctor. For medicines outside pharmacy hours, every area runs an Apotheken-Notdienst, a rota of on-call pharmacies; how to find the one on duty is covered in our chapter on pharmacies and prescriptions in Germany. Save 112 and 116117 in your phone now, and if you live somewhere rural, note where the nearest hospital with a Notaufnahme actually is.

If a language barrier in a crisis worries you, one free preparation tool may help. Werkzeu.ge, a browser-based tool platform built by Cryon UG, the company behind WeLiveIn.de, offers Notfall-Phrasen, a free no-account guide to German emergency phrases, and an Arztbesuch-Navigator that helps you prepare what to say at a doctor’s visit; both sit in its Einwanderung (immigration) section and are free to use, though the platform is in beta until late 2026 and carries ads on its free tier, so treat its output as a preparation aid. These are language helpers, not medical tools – in a real emergency, call 112 and speak to a person. You can see what the platform costs beyond the free tools on its pricing page.

Costs, Sick Notes and Loose Ends for Foreigners

Everyday care under statutory insurance is mostly free at the point of use, but a few co-payments (Zuzahlungen) apply. On prescription medicines and many medical aids you pay 10 percent of the price, with a floor of 5 euros and a ceiling of 10 euros per item (never more than the item costs), plus the hospital co-payment described earlier. None of this is meant to be crushing, and there is a hard cap: the Belastungsgrenze limits your total co-payments across the year to 2 percent of your gross household income, or 1 percent if you are chronically ill (chronisch krank) and in regular treatment. Keep every receipt; once your co-payments pass the limit, your Krankenkasse exempts you for the rest of the year and refunds anything above it. If you are managing prescriptions, our chapter on pharmacies and prescriptions explains how the Rezept and the pharmacy side works.

If you are employed and fall ill, you need a Krankschreibung – the doctor’s certificate of incapacity to work, formally the Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (AU). Since the move to the elektronische Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (eAU), the doctor now transmits this electronically: your Krankenkasse receives it directly and your employer retrieves it from the fund, so you usually no longer carry a paper slip to the office, though it is wise to confirm your absence with your employer yourself. By law an employer may already require a certificate from the first day of sickness, so ask your doctor for the AU rather than assuming you have a few grace days. A widely reported reform to sick-note rules has been debated but is not yet law as of 2026, so the existing rules stand; the details of pay during illness sit in our chapter on German employment contracts and rights.

Finally, mind the gaps. Health insurance is compulsory in Germany, so never let yourself drift uninsured: if you change jobs, become self-employed or move between a statutory and a private fund, arrange continuous cover so there is no uninsured day, because gaps can trigger back-payments. If you are caught genuinely uninsured and need care, contact a Krankenkasse straight away – statutory funds have a duty to take back most former members – and in an emergency you will always be treated first regardless of your insurance status. When in doubt about your own cover, call your fund; that is what the membership hotline is for.

What to Do Next

Turn this into a short to-do list while you are healthy, because that is exactly when it is easy. Make sure your Anmeldung is done and your Krankenkasse membership is active so your eGK is on its way; if you need care before the card arrives, ask your fund for an Ersatzbescheinigung. Find and book a first appointment with a Hausarzt near you, filtering for your language if you need to, and do it before every good practice in your district closes its books. Save 112, 110 and 116117 in your phone today, and note the nearest Notaufnahme.

When a specialist is slow to see you, remember your options: you may go directly to most Fachärzte, the gynaecologist and eye doctor need no referral at all, and if you are stuck, a referral with a Dringlichkeitscode plus a call to the Terminservicestelle on 116117 gets you an appointment within four weeks. Keep your receipts for co-payments so you can claim the Belastungsgrenze exemption, keep a dental Bonusheft stamped each year, and ask any doctor to explain your treatment until you understand it – that is your right, not an imposition. With the four companion chapters on the healthcare system, insurance, pharmacies and prevention alongside this one, you have the full map of getting well and staying well in Germany.