Further Information for International Applicants

Students from EU countries: Ask your health insurance provider whether your journey to Germany and your stay from the first day in Germany are insured. If you are not insured, please read the next section.

Students from non-EU countries: Take out health insurance for the journey and for the first few weeks in Germany before you leave. After your arrival, you can take out German health insurance. Most German diplomatic missions abroad require proof of health insurance when you apply for a visa.

In Germany, all students must have health insurance. Your health insurance provider at home can tell you whether you are also insured during your stay in Germany. This may be the case in European countries in particular. Students from EU member states can use the blue European health insurance card to prove that they have health insurance in their home country and that the insurance is also valid in Germany. Please ask your insurance company BEFORE(!) you come to Germany, as this will make things a lot easier.

If your own health insurance is not valid in Germany, you should take out insurance as soon as you arrive in Aachen. You can either go to a statutory health insurance company or to a private insurance company. However, the insurance is only effective from the day of your registration.

With statutory insurance, you pay the same insurance premium everywhere. The benefits provided by the insurance companies also differ only slightly from one another.

With private insurance, you can choose between different tariffs. The benefits are also different.

You can find an overview and further information, for example, on the website of the German Studierendenwerk https://www.internationale-studierende.de/gerade-angekommen/krankenversicherung or the German Academic Exchange Service https://www.daad.de/de/in-deutschland-studieren/leben-in-deutschland/krankenversicherung/

Please note:

This information is a service provided by the Department of International Affairs and is intended as an initial guide. Although it has been compiled with the greatest care, no liability can be accepted for the quality of the information.

Luggage insurance

If you are bringing valuable items with you from home (e.g. a laptop), you should take out special luggage insurance.

Personal liability insurance

If you cause damage to someone, you are liable for the damage, i.e. you have to pay for it. In many accidents, the damage can be so high that you can no longer pay for it yourself without getting into financial difficulties. It is therefore strongly recommended that you take out insurance for such cases. Almost every insurance company offers personal liability insurance. It costs around EUR 60 per year.

Household contents insurance

Household contents insurance helps if the items you have in your home are damaged or stolen. This includes, for example, damage caused by water or fire and burglary. Almost every insurance company offers household contents insurance. The costs depend on the size of your home.