According to § 199a SGB V, HTW Berlin and the health insurance companies have corresponding mutual reporting obligations for the proper examination, determination and implementation of health insurance for students.

This concerns the reports of the health insurance companies to the HTW Berlin about:

• M10: Insurance status of students
• M11: Start of the insurance in the event of a change of health insurance company
• M12: Delay in payment of health insurance contributions => automatically blocks re-registration at HTW Berlin
• M13: Payment of the arrears by the students => automatically dissolves the re-registration block at HTW Berlin

and reports from HTW Berlin to the health insurance companies:

• M20: Start of studies and the date of enrollment at HTW Berlin
• M30: End of studies- end of the semester in which or with effect from the end of which the student was de-registered, as well as end of the semester immediately preceding the commencement of doctoral studies.

In the future, these reports will be exchanged in a purely electronic reporting procedure.

You require valid health insurance for your enrolment and for the duration of your studies at HTW Berlin. The mandatory insurance requirement for students ends upon completion of your study programme or at the end of your fourteenth subject semester or at the latest in the semester in which you reach the age of 30.

However, until the age of 30 or the 14th semester of study, you must generally be insured in a statutory health insurance. Only in exceptional cases should you take out private insurance. Here it is important to know that you can then no longer change to a statutory health insurance for the duration of your studies. In this case, you must contact a statutory health insurance company and apply there for your exemption from the statutory health insurance obligation.
 
The following options exist:

• Family health insurance: Up to the age of 25 or if you are married, you can be covered by your family health insurance providing you do not exceed a certain income threshold.
• Statutory health insurance up to the age of 30: If you do not qualify for family health insurance and do not work for more than 20 hours per week on either an employed or self-employed basis, you must take out mandatory student health insurance. You can choose the health insurance provider yourself – the student rate is the same with every provider.
• Statutory health insurance from the age of 30: Students from the age of 30 no longer receive a student rate. You can voluntarily continue to insure yourself at the standard rate.
• Private health insurance: You can take out private health insurance or be covered through your parents if they receive government aid or have private family health insurance.
• Free medical care: If you were a professional soldier, you will generally continue to be insured with free medical care for a period of two years after the end of your service.

Make sure that your health insurance coverage includes the following:

• Medical and dental treatment
• Provision of medicines, bandages, therapeutic products and other aids
• Hospital treatment
• Medical services for rehabilitation
• Services related to pregnancy and birth

The general rule is that you must have health insurance in order to be able to study in Germany.

• Germany has concluded social insurance agreements with a number of countries, including Member States of the European Union and the European Economic Area. If you come from one of these countries and are covered by statutory health insurance there, you can apply for this insurance cover to be recognised by a German statutory health insurance provider. A European health insurance card (EHIC) is normally required. You can apply for an EHIC free of charge from your health insurance provider.
• Please contact a German statutory health insurance company upon enrolment and show them your EHIC. Ask the health insurance company to report your insurance status to us using the registration reason M 10 HTW Berlin (sender number H0002550).
• If you are unable to obtain health insurance coverage from a provider in your home country, you must take out health insurance in Germany. Please take out a German health insurance policy directly before you travel to Germany or immediately after your arrival. In Germany there are two types of health insurance: statutory and private. However, up to the age of 30 or the fourteenth subject semester you must be insured with a statutory health insurance provider. Only in exceptional cases should you be privately insured. It is important to be aware that if you have private health insurance, you cannot change to statutory health insurance for the duration of your studies. If HTW Berlin recognises your private health insurance, in order to enrol you require confirmation that you are exempt from the statutory health insurance requirement.
• If you exceed the age of 30 or the fourteenth subject semester during your study time in Germany, you can continue to be insured with statutory health insurance with a higher monthly premium. If you have already reached the age of 29 when you start your studies, you can only take out private health insurance.
• Travel insurance does not provide sufficient health insurance cover for the duration of your studies in Germany and will not be accepted as proof of health insurance. Travel health insurance only applies for your visa and entry into Germany as long as the semester has not yet started.

• According to the Health Insurance Law participants on a preparatory course („Studienkolleg“) are no regular students, even if they are enrolled at a German university. Therefore statutory insurance is not compulsory. Generally, they do not fulfil the requirements for a voluntary insurance with a statutory health insurance provider. Participants on the university preparatory course can only take out a private health insurance policy with a private health insurance provider.