Family insurance in the statutory health insurance scheme
Your way to the application
Many statutory health insurance companies offer you the option of submitting your application for family insurance online. Please visit the website of your health insurance fund.
If your statutory health insurance company does not offer an online procedure, you can submit the application for family insurance by post or hand it in in person at the office.
For further information and advice, please contact your statutory health insurance provider directly.
- current certificate of income or current income tax assessment of your partner (copy) if he or she is not covered by statutory health insurance
- for children aged 23 and over: School or study certificate
In individual cases, further documents such as pension certificates or proof of capital assets may be required. Please contact your statutory health insurance fund for more information.
You do not have to pay anything for the application.
Simply explained
As a member of a statutory health insurance fund, you can insure family members free of charge under certain conditions. You can apply for family insurance for your dependants from your statutory health insurance fund.
You can insure the following family members:
- Your spouse or registered partner, if he or she has little or no income of their own
- Your children up to certain age limits,
- grandchildren and stepchildren who live in your household or for whose livelihood you are responsible, as well as foster children
If you as parents are insured with different statutory health insurance funds, you can choose where you insure your child or children.
What requirements must be met?
You can apply for family insurance if
- you have statutory health insurance
- your family members live in Germany
your spouse or life partner is insured in Germany:
- is not self-employed as their main occupation or has statutory health insurance, for example as an employee or pensioner;
- does not have private health insurance, for example as an employee, civil servant or retired civil servant;
- is not exempt from compulsory health insurance and
- earns no or only a low income. The exact income limit is set by the legislator each year.
Your children are
- under the age of 18 or
- under 23 years old and not yet working or
- under 25 years of age and still attending school, studying or completing unpaid school-based vocational training
Children with a disability can remain permanently covered by family insurance if they are unable to support themselves as adults.
You can insure your grandchildren and stepchildren under family insurance within the age limits specified, provided they
- live in your household or
- you are mainly responsible for their livelihood.
- Foster children living permanently in the same household are also eligible for family insurance.
If your spouse or partner does not have statutory insurance but is privately insured, for example, you may only insure joint children free of charge if
- your partner's salary is below the statutory annual income limit or
- your partner earns less than you.
Frequently asked questions and answers
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