Germany
Germany Freelance Visa (Freiberufler residence permit): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Germany has no dedicated digital nomad visa. The route long-stay remote workers use is the freelance residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis for self-employment, often called the Freiberufler visa), issued for up to three years and renewable. There is no single published income figure: you must prove your freelance work supports you without public funds and that you hold German health insurance.
The requirements at a glance
| Local-licensed insurer required | Yes: international IPMI alone is usually rejected |
|---|---|
| Accepted proof | Confirmation of German statutory health insurance (GKV) or a private insurer's certificate showing coverage scope and cost (comparable private cover meeting the legal standard). The Berlin immigration office states foreign health insurance is not sufficient; expat policies are sometimes accepted for a first application but routinely rejected on renewal. |
No fixed minimum income is published; you must show the freelance activity is financially viable and self-supporting. Berlin's working benchmark is net income above rent plus health insurance plus 563 EUR per month. Since 1 July 2025, applicants over 45 must additionally prove pension entitlement of 1,612.53 EUR per month for at least 12 years, or assets of 232,204 EUR (a few nationalities are exempt). Applications in Berlin are filed online. Processing can take roughly 8 weeks to 7 months.
Who qualifies for the Germany nomad visa
The income bar is what decides most applications, and it is the number people look for first. Here is the current one, with the conditions that come attached to it.
- Income required
- No fixed minimum
- Length of permit
- 36 monthsrenewable
- Who can apply
- Freelancer
No income figure in law — you must show the freelance work can support you. Liberal professions only (not trades or standard employees).
Tax
Standard German income tax on freelance profit; no special nomad regime.
That is a summary of the rule, not tax advice. Residence for immigration and residence for tax are decided separately, and the second one tends to arrive quietly, usually after you have been in the country long enough to stop thinking about it. Take proper advice before the year you need it.
What the income bar really means
Two things get people rejected on income even when they earn enough. The first is proving it: consulates want a documented, repeating history, usually bank statements and contracts covering several months, not a screenshot of a good quarter. Irregular freelance income clears the bar on average and fails on paper. The second is dependants, who almost always raise the threshold, and by a percentage of the base figure rather than a flat amount.
Treat the number above as the floor for the paperwork, not as a comfortable income for living there. It is set by the country’s own cost of living or minimum wage, which means it moves, and in several countries it is re-set every year.
Since 1 July 2025, Berlin applicants over 45 for the self-employment/freelance residence permit must prove either a pension of 1,612.53 EUR per month for at least 12 years or assets of 232,204 EUR (per service.berlin.de).
Our take
Germany is unusual: the insurance hurdle is bigger than the income hurdle. The authorities will not accept the travel or 'nomad' policy you arrived on, so you need German statutory (GKV) or comparable private (PKV) cover lined up before the permit goes through. Treat that as a fixed monthly cost, not an afterthought.
The GKV-versus-PKV decision is the one to get right. PKV can be cheaper when you are young and self-employed, but premiums climb with age and switching back to public insurance after 55 is close to impossible. Decide based on the long term, and keep cover continuous through the slow permit processing.
What happens if you get it wrong
Applying with a basic expat or travel policy. It may slip through a first application, but on renewal the Ausländerbehörde commonly rejects it and wants proof of German GKV or comparable PKV, which can leave you scrambling under time pressure.
Letting cover lapse during processing. Decisions can take months; a gap in your health insurance while the permit is pending undermines the very requirement the permit is granted on.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Germany without insurance?
The rare one that changes your finances rather than your week. Intensive care, then an air ambulance.
| Emergency room, on arrival | $65–$400 |
| Three nights in intensive care | $5,124–$10,248 |
| Air ambulance home | $20,000–$200,000 |
| You pay, out of pocket | $25,189–$210,648 |
Priced as one lump instead of itemised, a serious admission in Germany runs $5,000 to $15,000.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
No. Germany has no dedicated nomad visa. Self-employed remote workers use the freelance residence permit (Freiberufler), valid up to three years and renewable, which requires proof that the work supports you and that you hold German health insurance.
Not reliably. The immigration office states foreign health insurance is not sufficient; you need German statutory (GKV) or comparable private (PKV) cover. Expat policies are sometimes accepted for a first application but usually rejected on renewal.
There is no official fixed figure. You must show the freelancing is viable and self-supporting. Berlin's practical benchmark is net income above rent plus health insurance plus 563 EUR per month, with extra pension or asset requirements for applicants over 45 since July 2025.
It is issued for up to three years and is renewable, though first-time applicants may receive a shorter permit if the business viability is questioned. Processing can take anywhere from about 8 weeks to 7 months.
US, UK, Canadian and Australian visitors enter visa-free for 90 days in any 180. From late 2026 they also need an ETIAS authorisation (about 20 EUR), which does not require insurance. Travellers who do need a Schengen tourist visa must show at least 30,000 EUR of travel medical cover.
How to apply
- Processing time
- Highly variable. Berlin appointment and processing waits run from weeks to months. Once approved, a sticker permit is same-day; the electronic card takes about 4 to 6 weeks.
- Government fee
- Berlin LEA fees: about EUR 100 for the electronic residence permit (or EUR 56 for a sticker), plus a EUR 13 processing fee and about EUR 6 for the digital photo. If your nationality requires a national visa first, that carries a separate consular fee of roughly EUR 75.
- Where to apply
- From inside Germany at the local Auslanderbehorde; in Berlin this is the LEA (Landesamt fur Einwanderung), via its online portal. Visa-free nationals apply in-country; others must get a national visa from a German consulate before entering.
- 1
Check your route by nationality first: US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Israel citizens (plus EU/EEA) may enter Germany visa-free and apply for the permit from inside the country; most other nationals must first obtain a national (D) visa for self-employment from a German mission abroad.
- 2
Once in Germany, register your address (Anmeldung) and, as a Freiberufler, register with the tax office (Finanzamt) to get a tax number.
- 3
Prepare the file: passport, biometric photo, CV with qualifications, a business concept and financing plan, letters of intent from prospective clients, proof of health insurance, pension provision if you are over 45, and proof of accommodation and living costs.
- 4
Submit the application online through the Berlin LEA portal. From March 2026 Berlin no longer accepts paper or in-person submissions for freelance permits, and payment is required before you submit.
- 5
The LEA reviews and may request more documents; when it approves, it gives you an in-person appointment.
- 6
Attend the appointment to give biometrics; you either receive a sticker permit on the spot or wait about 4 to 6 weeks for the electronic residence card.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Germany does not publish a minimum figure, which sounds permissive and is not. It means you are judged against somebody's unwritten idea of adequate, and the safe reading of adequate is enough to cover a serious hospital admission in Germany, not the cheapest policy that technically exists.
The hard constraint here is the insurer. This visa is only satisfied by a policy from an insurer licensed in Germany, which disqualifies international plans outright, however comprehensive they are. Check this before you buy rather than after, because it invalidates the whole purchase rather than requiring a top-up.
Repatriation is not named as a condition, though it is the benefit you would most want to have if the worst happened, and it costs very little to add.
And the dates. The policy has to run for the whole permit, which a standard travel policy cannot do because it stops at around 90 days. An officer comparing your policy period with your permit period does not have to look hard to see it expire in the middle.
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The other ways into Germany
A nomad visa is not the only door, and for a lot of people it is not the right one. If you do not clear the income bar, or you only want a few months, these are the routes the country actually runs.
Short-Stay Schengen Visa (Type C): Tourism & Visits
Up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the Schengen area.Visa-required nationals visiting for tourism, family/friends or short visits (visa-exempt nationals enter without a visa; ETIAS authorisation expected to be required once it launches, around Q4 2026).
Valid passport, proof of funds, accommodation and return travel, plus a clear purpose of visit; €90 fee (reduced to €45 for children aged 6–12).
Insurance: Required: travel medical insurance with minimum €30,000 coverage valid across all Schengen states, including emergency treatment and repatriation.
Short-Stay Schengen Visa (Type C): Business
Up to 90 days within any 180-day period; not for taking up employment.Visa-required nationals attending meetings, conferences, negotiations or short training/internships (no local employment).
Invitation/letter from the German business partner, proof of funds and ties; €90 fee.
Insurance: Required: €30,000 minimum Schengen travel medical insurance covering the full stay.
Airport Transit Visa (Type A)
International transit zone only; no entry into German/Schengen territory.Nationals of a defined list of countries connecting through a German international airport without entering the Schengen area.
Onward flight booking and valid travel documents for the final destination; required only for the listed nationalities.
Insurance: Not required: no Schengen entry, though travel cover is advisable for the journey.
EU Blue Card (National Visa, Type D)
Tied to the employment contract; renewable, with a fast track to a settlement permit (21 months with B1 German, or 27 months with A1).Highly qualified non-EU professionals with a recognised university degree and a qualifying German job offer.
Recognised degree plus a job offer meeting the 2026 salary threshold of €50,700 gross/year (or €45,934.20 for shortage occupations such as IT, engineering, science and healthcare, recent graduates, and IT specialists without a degree).
Insurance: Required: German statutory or fully comprehensive private health insurance from the start date; foreign/travel insurance is not accepted.
Skilled Worker Visa (§18a/§18b, National Visa Type D)
Linked to the employment contract; renewable, with a path to a settlement permit.Non-EU workers with recognised vocational training (§18a) or a university degree (§18b) and a German job offer who do not meet Blue Card terms.
Recognised qualification (at least ~2 years' vocational training, or a recognised/comparable degree) plus a job offer for qualified work; no general salary minimum, though pay must be appropriate (first-time applicants over 45 must earn at least €55,770 gross/year in 2026, or prove adequate pension provision). Verify recognition rules.
Insurance: Required: German statutory or comprehensive private health insurance valid in Germany; travel insurance is not accepted.
Rules are written for non-EU/EEA/Swiss foreign nationals; EU/EEA/Swiss citizens enjoy free movement and need no visa. Many visa-exempt nationals (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Australia) can still enter for short stays without a visa. ETIAS travel authorisation is expected to launch around Q4 2026 (and only become mandatory after a transition period, likely in 2027), so it is not yet required as of mid-2026; verify before travel.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
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