Mandatory Health Insurance
All students in Germany are obligated to have health insurance. You cannot be enrolled at TUM without sufficient health insurance.
Health insurance is not mandatory to receive admission at TUM. Before you can be enrolled, however, your health insurance status has to be confirmed by a digital notification sent from a German public health insurance company (AOK, TK, etc.) directly to TUM.
All applicants therefore need to contact a German public health insurance provider before enrollment – regardless of your country of origin.
Digital transmission of the insurance status
The public health insurance provider confirms that
- you are already insured sufficiently
- you are exempt from the insurance obligation.
This confirmation is free of charge. If your insurance coverage is not sufficient, then you must obtain statutory health insurance in Germany.
As soon as the statutory health insurance company can confirm your insurance status, it will be digitally transmitted to TUM (TUM’s number is H0001558). Without this notification from the health insurance company, you cannot be enrolled.
Until the digital notification arrives, there will be a suspension in your TUMonline account preventing you from being enrolled.
After the digital notification arrives, the suspension will be removed automatically.
Please note: If you change health insurance, your new health insurance provider must again confirm your insurance status to TUM.
Processing of digital notifications usually takes 2 working days. Please refrain from status requests during this timeframe.
If the suspension has not been removed after that time, please contact your health insurance company again so that the notification is re-sent correctly.
Exceptions and Info Sheet
Exemptions from mandatory health insurance apply to students who have reached the age of 30, to doctoral students and to participants preparatory studies at the Studienkolleg. They do not have to submit proof of their health insurance.
If you come to TUM as an international student, you are usually subject to mandatory health insurance. There are special regulations for individual countries. In case of doubt, please contact a statutory health insurance provider in Germany to clarify your status.
Our info sheet gives a summary of the most important facts.
Health Insurance Info Sheet
Please contact a statutory health insurance provider in Germany at least 2 weeks before the start of the semester so that your insurance status is transmitted in time for you to enroll. You must request the transmission yourself and it will only take place after you have been admitted to your studies.
If you are a member of a German statutory health insurance or covered by family insurance, please inform them that you plan to study at TUM. Your insurance status will be automatically sent to the university.
If you are covered by private health insurance, you can request confirmation of this from a statutory health insurance provider. Please contact the statutory health insurance provider with which you were last insured. If you have never been insured with a statutory health insurance provider, please contact any statutory health insurance. Inform the health insurance provider that you will be studying at TUM and your insurance status will automatically be forwarded to the university.
Students from European Union (EU)/EEA countries should send their international health insurance certificate (formerly E111 or E128), or a copy of their EHIC card to one of the German statutory health insurances. A membership certificate from your insurance company in your home country or a copy of your health insurance card is not sufficient. Inform a German health insurance provider that you will be studying at TUM and your insurance status will automatically be forwarded to the university.
If there is a social security agreement between your home country and Germany (e.g. Switzerland, Turkey or Tunisia), then you must present a foreign health certificate from your health insurance provider to one of the statutory health insurance companies in Germany. A membership certificate from your insurance company in your home country or a copy of your health insurance card is not sufficient. Inform the German statutory health insurance provider that you will be studying at TUM. Your insurance status will then be sent directly to the university.
If you come to Germany from a country with which there is no social security agreement, then we strongly recommend that you take out statutory German health insurance for the duration of your studies. To do so, contact any statutory health insurance company in Germany. After taking out the insurance, the insurance status will automatically be transferred to TUM.
The costs for students currently amount to approximately 120 to 130 Euros per month.
You also have the option of being exempted from compulsory health insurance in Germany and remaining with your home health insurance company. However, this exemption is then valid for the entire duration of your studies and cannot be revoked. As a rule, we advise against this, as you will first have to bear the sometimes very high costs yourself in the event of illness and then possibly be reimbursed later by your health insurance company. In addition, if you do not take out a German health insurance policy, you will have to prove to the immigration authorities that your health insurance from your home country covers and recognizes 100% of the costs for medical treatment, which is rarely possible. This may result in your visa not being issued.
If you nevertheless decide to be exempted from compulsory health insurance in Germany, you must submit an officially confirmed translation of your existing insurance policy to a statutory health insurance company in Germany for this purpose.
If you do not have health insurance in your home country, then you must insure yourself in Germany for the duration of your studies with a statutory health insurance provider of your choice. This is usually done via an online form at any statutory health insurance company. Inform the health insurance provider right away that you plan to study at TUM – your insurance status will then be sent directly to the university.
The costs for students are currently around 120 to 130 Euros per month.