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.
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?
You pay, out of pocket
$5,000–$15,000
A self-pay surgery and inpatient stay; indicative.
Bars to scale. A flight home is in another league.
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.
Reviewed by Lukas Schönberg, Founder & researcher, Nomad Insurance Broker OÜ
Nomad Insurance Broker OÜ (Estonia) is an information and matching platform, not currently registered as a regulated insurance intermediary in any jurisdiction. See /how-it-works for the full disclosure.
Source: service.berlin.deLast verified
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