Insurance - Stay with a Scholarship
Health Insurance
Non-EU citizens
If your stay in Germany is based on a fellowship and not an employment contract you will usually be exempt from statutory social security contributions. You must ensure that you have adequate health insurance cover. Barring certain extremely exceptional cases, you will have to take out private insurance cover.
***An overview of possible private health insurance is currently being revised. Please contact us at welcome@uni-due.de for further information and advice.***
EU citizens
EU citizens should initially enquire with their health insurance provider at home whether their domestic insurance cover will continue to be valid during the stay in Germany. If this is the case, you can choose a German statutory health insurance provider as a representative to settle the costs of any doctors' visits with your domestic provider. Here you can find a list of statutory health insurance providers.
If it is not possible to continue being insured with your domestic health insurance provider, you have the choice of either registering voluntarily with a statutory health insurance provider in Germany or taking out a private travel and comprehensive insurance. Particularly if you are only making a short visit, you can also use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) when consulting a doctor.
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
To facilitate treatment during temporary visits abroad, every health insurance scheme is obliged to issue its members with a European Health Insurance Card. In case of illness in another EU country or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, medical services are provided according to the laws of the host country an reimbursed according to the charges applying there.
The EHIC only has limited scope which means it is advisable to take out an additional insurance if you are staying for a longer period of time. The European Health Insurance Card is, for example:
- only valid for temporary stays abroad
- only valid for essential medical services (the relevant doctor will decide what is essential)
- not valid for trips abroad specifically for the purpose of treatment
- not valid for the cost incurred in transporting an invalid home.
More information on health insurance for longer stays (e.g. for a guest professorship or a research stay for the duration of a semester or year) can be found here.
Pension Insurance
As you do not have an employment relationship you will usually not be liable for statutory social security payments. In order to avoid gaps in your pension contributions during the fellowship period you can pay voluntary contributions to the "Deutsche Rentenversicherung" (statutory pension scheme). The "Deutsche Rentenversicherung" will advise you on the matter, you will find their offices through their website.
Accident Insurance
At UDE, scholarship holders are covered by accident insurance through the university during their work at their workplace as well as on the way to their workplace and back. This is only valid if the unversity has been officially informed of your research stay. The insurance cover does not apply to private activities. Please note that you must report an accident immediately or as quickly as possible. For this, please contact Ms Laufer-Metaxas: birgit.metaxas@uni-due.de
Liability insurance
If you cause damage to other people's property in Germany, you must pay for the damage. We therefore recommend that you take out private liability insurance to cover the costs incurred in such cases. Private health insurance providers often offer combination packages that include liability insurance or you can add liability insurance for a small fee.
Transnational Social Security
Germany has concluded so-called social security agreements with various countries. Please find out before your stay whether there is a social security agreement between your country of origin and Germany so that other regulations may apply. You can find links and information on social security and a list of countries with which Germany has concluded social security agreements here and here.