Health insurance for scholarship holders in Germany

If you come to Germany as a scholarship holder, you need health insurance, because everyone who stays in Germany for a longer period of time must have health insurance. This is the law in Germany. But how do you insure yourself as a scholarship holder in Germany?

As a scholarship holder in Germany

Basically, there are two types of health insurance in Germany: statutory and private health insurance. In some cases you have the choice between statutory and private health insurance for your stay in Germany, in other cases you don‘t.

German public health insurances usually offer reduced rates for students, also for students from abroad. However, in your case, this is probably not an option because you may be over 30 or have already completed your first graduation.

Then there is the question of whether you are insured by the sponsor of your scholarship. If not, are you employed by the university as a research assistant? If you have a German employment contract, you are a normal employee and as such covered by health insurance.

If you are not employed by the university, but of course receive financial benefits through the scholarship provider, these are not considered taxable wages. This means that you are not considered a normal employee and do not have health insurance as such. Then you have to insure yourself privately.

What scholarship holders should also be aware of

It gets even more complicated! What about in the case of a partial scholarship? Can the health insurance from your home country cover your time as a scholarship holder in Germany? Can't you just take out a conventional "travel health insurance" or "international health insurance" offered on the Internet at low prices?

In addition, will your health insurance be accepted by authorities and universities? When you apply for your visa for your stay in Germany, you have to have approved health insurance. The same applies to German universities: They do not accept any health insurance either.

Also important: Your family, i.e. your wife or husband and your children, must also be insured if they stay with you in Germany. In other words: The matter of health insurance for scholarship holders from abroad is so complex that it is almost impossible to cover every conceivable case.

Provisit Science for scholarship holders

We at DR-WALTER have been experts in dealing with those very matters for over 60 years. That's why we have created a special insurance policy so you don't have to worry about all these things at all, namely Provisit Science.

So, if you find that you need to take out private insurance for your time as a scholarship holder in Germany, don't just take any travel health insurance just because it's cheap. You won't be doing yourself, and possibly your family, any favors, because:

1. Conventional travel health insurances are meant for people who travel. Not for people like you, because you are not "travelling", but staying outside your home country for a longer period of time. This means: a travel health insurance does not pay for everything you need for your health during your stay in Germany.

2. For this very reason, conventional travel health insurance is often not accepted by authorities and universities.

Scholarship holder from abroad? Take Provisit Science!

Provisit Science is (in contrast to most travel health insurances) a so-called "substitutive, private comprehensive health insurance". This means that it is accepted by all authorities and universities, because a comprehensive health insurance covers all medical treatments and examinations that a statutory health insurance also would pay for.

But Provisit Science pays even more treatments and examinations than a public health insurance, and even offers extra-favorable prices for scholarship holders. Of course, Provisit Science also insures your family if needed.

We hope that you and your family will enjoy your stay in Germany!