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Every licensed health insurer, and who sells in English
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Janine El-Saghir
Janine El Saghir is an editor at How-to-Germany.com, where she specializes in the practical aspects of daily life and integration for expatriates. With years of...
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Sadie Voss is the Lead Editor for How-to-Germany.com. As an expat who carved her own way into Berlin from the United States, Sadie is deeply...
Private health insurance you can apply for in English
Advertising notice: provider links in this overview are affiliate links — we receive a commission from the provider for sign-ups made through them.
The cards show the full private health plans of ottonova, which is itself one of the insurers in the list below, and of Feather, an agent that sells plans underwritten by partner insurers. Prices are starting prices from our own product database; your premium depends on your age, your health and the tariff options.
Full private cover can only come from a company that holds a licence as a health insurer and runs no other line of insurance: German supervisory law keeps the two apart (§ 8(4) of the Insurance Supervision Act). That is why the directory below starts from the federal supervisor’s own register rather than from brand names, and why several familiar names appear in a second table, because they sell, broker or advise without carrying the risk of a full health policy themselves.
- 42 licensed health insurers: that is how many the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) lists under federal supervision, as of 3 October 2026. 16 of them are mutuals owned by their policyholders, 26 are stock corporations.
- Not every one sells to you: some insure only a closed group, such as the LIGA for Catholic priests, so the list is a register, not a shopping list.
- Not every brand is an insurer: Feather is an insurance agent, Getsafe works as agent and broker, and DA Direkt and DFV are property insurers that may sell supplementary health policies but no full cover.
- In English: ottonova, Feather and Getsafe offer quotes, advice and customer service in English.
- If something goes wrong: 38 of the 42 insurers name the private health insurance ombudsman as their arbitration body; BaFin supervises all of them.
All licensed private health insurers in Germany
The table lists every company that BaFin classes as a health insurer under federal supervision, in the register’s own spelling and order. Where How-to-Germany has a review of the insurer, the last column links to it.
| Company as registered | Legal form | Our review |
|---|---|---|
| Allianz Private Krankenversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | Allianz |
| ALTE OLDENBURGER Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | – |
| ALTE OLDENBURGER Krankenversicherung von 1927 Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit | Mutual | – |
| ARAG Krankenversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | ARAG |
| Augenoptiker Ausgleichskasse VVaG (AKA) | Mutual | – |
| AXA Krankenversicherung Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | AXA |
| Barmenia Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | Barmenia |
| Bayerische Beamtenkrankenkasse Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | – |
| Concordia Krankenversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | – |
| Continentale Krankenversicherung a.G. | Mutual | Continentale |
| Debeka Krankenversicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit | Mutual | Debeka |
| DEVK Krankenversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | – |
| DKV Deutsche Krankenversicherung Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | DKV |
| ENVIVAS Krankenversicherung Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | – |
| ERGO Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | ERGO |
| Generali Deutschland Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | Generali |
| Gothaer Krankenversicherung Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | Gothaer |
| Hallesche Krankenversicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit | Mutual | Hallesche |
| HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | HanseMerkur |
| HanseMerkur Krankenversicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit | Mutual | – |
| HanseMerkur Speziale Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | – |
| HUK-COBURG-Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | HUK-Coburg |
| INTER Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | INTER |
| Landeskrankenhilfe V.V.a.G. | Mutual | – |
| LIGA Krankenversicherung katholischer Priester Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit Regensburg | Mutual | – |
| Lohnfortzahlungskasse Leer VVaG | Mutual | – |
| LVM Krankenversicherungs-AG | Stock corporation | – |
| Mecklenburgische Krankenversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | – |
| MÜNCHENER VEREIN Krankenversicherung a.G. | Mutual | Münchener Verein |
| NÜRNBERGER Krankenversicherung Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | – |
| ottonova Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | ottonova |
| praenatura Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (VVaG) | Mutual | – |
| Provinzial Krankenversicherung Hannover AG | Stock corporation | – |
| R+V Krankenversicherung Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | R+V |
| SIGNAL IDUNA Krankenversicherung a.G. | Mutual | Signal Iduna |
| SONO Krankenversicherung a.G. | Mutual | – |
| Süddeutsche Krankenversicherung a.G. | Mutual | SDK |
| UNION KRANKENVERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT | Stock corporation | UKV |
| uniVersa Krankenversicherung a.G. | Mutual | – |
| Versicherer im Raum der Kirchen Krankenversicherung AG | Stock corporation | – |
| vigo Krankenversicherung VVaG | Mutual | – |
| Württembergische Krankenversicherung Aktiengesellschaft | Stock corporation | – |
| Source: BaFin company database, category “health insurers”, 42 entries, data as of 3 October 2026; the Debeka entry is shortened by its seat (“Sitz Koblenz am Rhein”). Legal form read from the registered name: “a.G.”, “VVaG” or “auf Gegenseitigkeit” marks a mutual insurance association owned by its members, “AG” a stock corporation. | ||
A register is not a price list. Not all 42 sell full cover to anyone who asks, and the register says nothing about tariffs, service or price. Our reviews describe the tariffs of the insurers we cover, and the sections below explain who may buy, which providers work in English and what to compare.
Brands that sell health insurance without being a health insurer
Three kinds of company show up in searches for private health insurance without appearing in the register above: agents, brokers, and property insurers that may write supplementary health policies. Each of them can be the right contact, as long as you know who stands behind your contract.
| Brand | Company and role | Who carries the risk | Our review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feather | Popsure Deutschland GmbH, insurance agent (Versicherungsvertreter) under § 34d(1) GewO, register no. D-E6HJ-UVL9S-62 | The partner insurer named in the policy terms of each plan | Feather |
| Getsafe | Getsafe Digital GmbH, insurance agent (§ 34d(1) no. 1 GewO); Getsafe Broker GmbH, insurance broker (§ 34d(1) no. 2 GewO) | The insurer of the offer you choose; Getsafe names Hallesche, ARAG and Allianz as partners | – |
| DA Direkt | DA Deutsche Allgemeine Versicherung AG, licensed as a property and accident insurer, including health cover | The company itself, for supplementary health policies; full cover is not possible for a property insurer | DA Direkt |
| DFV | DFV Deutsche Familienversicherung AG, licensed as a property and accident insurer, including health cover | The company itself, for supplementary health policies; no full cover | DFV |
| die Bayerische | Its imprint names life, property and intermediary companies; none of them is among the 42 health insurers | The health insurer named in the offer | die Bayerische |
| Sources: imprints of Feather (Popsure Deutschland GmbH), Getsafe and die Bayerische; Feather licensing information 2026; Getsafe private health product page; BaFin company database entries for DA Deutsche Allgemeine Versicherung AG and DFV Deutsche Familienversicherung AG (licence classes including health), list of health insurers (3 October 2026); separation of lines: § 8(4) of the Insurance Supervision Act. Not to be confused: the Bayerische Beamtenkrankenkasse AG in the first table is a licensed health insurer. | |||
Insurer, agent, broker or adviser: why the label matters
The label decides whom the person in front of you works for. German trade law distinguishes three roles (§ 34d of the Trade Regulation Act):
- Insurance agent (Versicherungsvertreter): is entrusted by one or more insurers with selling their contracts. Feather and Getsafe Digital GmbH are registered in this role.
- Insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler): arranges contracts for the customer without being entrusted by an insurer. Getsafe Broker GmbH is registered in this role.
- Insurance adviser (Versicherungsberater): advises for a fee that only you may pay and must not accept any payment from an insurer, which makes this the role the law keeps independent of insurers.
None of the three carries the medical risk; your contract is always with the insurer. How much that distinction matters showed in 2025, when Getsafe’s own insurance company gave up its licence and BaFin had its policies transferred to andsafe AG, while the Getsafe brand carried on as an intermediary. For a full health policy that you may keep for forty years, the insurer’s register entry is the first thing to look up, and the list above gives it.
Which providers work in English
Language is the practical filter for most readers of this site, because a private policy brings invoices, reimbursement claims and letters from the insurer for decades.
- ottonova, an insurer from the register, markets its full cover to expats with English-speaking support by phone and chat, an app for claims and help in finding English-speaking doctors.
- Feather runs quotes, sign-up and service entirely online and in English; the confirmation your employer and the immigration office need is placed in your account once cover starts.
- Getsafe compares more than 150 offers and books a free 15-minute consultation in English (as of 4 October 2026); the contract itself is with the insurer you choose, whose documents may be in German.
For every other insurer in the register, ask before you apply whether the application, the policy documents and the claims service are available in English. If the tariff conditions exist only in German, have them explained before you sign: they, not the brochure, decide what is paid.
How to compare insurers: the tariff decides, not the brand
Each insurer sells several full tariffs that differ in what they pay, so the comparison that matters runs between tariffs. Compare tariffs first, then look at the company behind them.
| Point | What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors’ fees | Reimbursement up to 3.5 times the fee scale, not only 2.3 times | Doctors may bill up to 3.5 times where the case justifies it (§ 5 GOÄ) |
| Daily sickness benefit | Included, with a start day that matches your situation | An employer pays for six weeks of illness; after that only the policy pays |
| Deductible | Amount per year and whether it applies to hospital stays | A high deductible lowers the premium and raises your own costs |
| Dental and dentures | Percentage paid and limits in the first years | Staged limits for the early years exist, ottonova’s tariffs among them |
| Medical aids | Paid by medical necessity or only from a closed list | Hearing aids and orthopaedic devices cost a lot if a tariff caps them |
| Cover abroad | How long a stay outside Europe is covered | Some plans cover only one month outside Europe |
| Changing tariff later | Which tariffs of the same insurer you could move to | A change within the insurer keeps your ageing reserve (§ 204 VVG) |
| Legal basis: § 5 of the Scale of Medical Fees (GOÄ), § 3 of the Continued Remuneration Act, § 204 of the Insurance Contract Act. Examples: ottonova tariff conditions (staged dental limits), Feather private health insurance (one month outside Europe), read on 4 October 2026. | ||
Large traditional insurers usually offer more tariff levels and more ways to adjust cover later; digital providers keep the choice short and the processes online. Neither model is better in itself. Changing insurer after some years is the expensive move: for contracts concluded after 1 January 2009 only the part of the ageing reserve that corresponds to the basic tariff moves with you (§ 204(1) no. 2 VVG), and the new insurer asks its own health questions at your new age.
How to check an insurer before you sign
A private health contract usually runs for decades, so the company deserves the same scrutiny as the tariff. Four checks take less than an hour and need no insider knowledge.
- The register entry. Search the company’s name in the BaFin company database. It shows whether the company is classed as a health insurer under federal supervision, which classes of insurance it is licensed for and since when; ottonova’s health licence, for example, dates from 20 June 2017.
- The solvency report. Insurers that fall under the European Solvency II rules, which the register entry states, have to publish a report on their solvency and financial condition at least once a year, no later than 14 weeks after the end of the financial year (§ 40 of the Insurance Supervision Act). It is on the insurer’s website, usually in German, and describes the business, the risks and the capital.
- The arbitration body. The register also names the body that settles disputes out of court. For 38 of the 42 health insurers it is the ombudsman for private health and long-term care insurance (Ombudsmann Private Kranken- und Pflegeversicherung).
- The conditions behind the tariff. Private health contracts combine general terms, for which the insurers’ association publishes model conditions (MB/KK 2009), with tariff conditions that set the actual benefits. Ask for both before you apply, and read the tariff conditions first.
About 8.79 million people in Germany held full private health insurance at the end of 2025, according to the association of private health insurers, and the insurers also carried almost 32 million supplementary contracts. If an agent or broker cannot show you the tariff conditions behind an offer, ask the insurer directly before you sign.
Who can buy full cover from these insurers
The register says nothing about whether you may join. Employees need regular pay above the compulsory insurance threshold of €77,400 a year (value for 2026); the self-employed, civil servants and students who opt out of the public scheme qualify on other grounds, and insurers add their own conditions such as a minimum income for freelancers. The rules, the costs and the groups that are better off staying public are set out on our page on private health insurance in Germany; for students the decision is on private health insurance for students.
Frequently asked questions
The company database of the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) lists 42 health insurers under federal supervision (data as of 3 October 2026): 26 stock corporations and 16 mutual associations owned by their members. Not all of them sell full cover to anyone who applies; the LIGA, for example, insures Catholic priests. Several brands you meet online, such as Feather or Getsafe, are intermediaries and do not appear in the register at all.
No company is best for every reader, because the tariff decides more than the name on the policy. Compare how far a tariff reimburses doctors’ fees, whether it includes a daily sickness benefit, the deductible, the dental limits in the first years and the cover abroad, then check the insurer’s register entry and solvency report. For newcomers, service in English is a practical criterion: ottonova, Feather and Getsafe offer it from the quote to the claim.
No. Feather is the brand of Popsure Deutschland GmbH, which is registered as an insurance agent (Versicherungsvertreter) under § 34d(1) of the Trade Regulation Act, register number D-E6HJ-UVL9S-62. It sells and manages the plans; the medical risk is carried by the partner insurer named in the policy terms of each plan. The same applies to Getsafe, which works through an agent and a broker company. ottonova, by contrast, is a licensed health insurer.
ottonova, a licensed insurer, supports expats in English by phone and chat and through its app. Feather, an agent, runs quotes, sign-up and service online in English. Getsafe advises in English and manages quotes, claims and documents in its app, while the contract is with the insurer you choose. For any other insurer, ask before you apply whether the application, the policy documents and the claims service are available in English.
You can, but it is rarely cheap. Within your own insurer you have a right to move to another tariff with comparable cover and keep your ageing reserve. Moving to another insurer means a new application with new health questions at your current age, and for contracts concluded after 1 January 2009 only the part of the ageing reserve that corresponds to the basic tariff goes with you. Compare the offer of your own insurer first.
Start with the insurer’s own complaints department and keep the correspondence. If that does not solve the problem, the ombudsman for private health and long-term care insurance (Ombudsmann Private Kranken- und Pflegeversicherung) settles disputes out of court; 38 of the 42 health insurers name it as their arbitration body in the BaFin register. If your contract runs through an agent or broker, the insurer remains the party responsible for paying claims.
Sources and legal basis (as of 4 October 2026)
Register (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, BaFin): company database, health insurers under federal supervision (42 entries, data as of 3 October 2026); entries for ottonova Krankenversicherung AG, DA Deutsche Allgemeine Versicherung AG and DFV Deutsche Familienversicherung AG; withdrawal of the Getsafe Insurance AG licence and transfer of its portfolio to andsafe AG.
Statutes (gesetze-im-internet.de): § 8 and § 40 VAG (separation of health insurance from other lines, solvency report), § 34d GewO (agents, brokers, advisers), § 204 VVG (change of tariff and of insurer), § 5 GOÄ (doctors’ fee scale), § 3 EFZG (continued pay during illness).
Industry: Association of Private Health Insurers, figures for 2025 and model conditions MB/KK 2009 (read on 7 September 2026).
Providers (read on 4 October 2026 unless stated): Feather, private health insurance, Feather imprint and Feather licensing information 2026; Getsafe, private health insurance and Getsafe imprint (7 September 2026); ottonova expat health insurance (7 September 2026) and ottonova tariff conditions Business Class Pro and First Class Pro+; die Bayerische imprint.
Prices and card details in the comparison come from our own product database and are refreshed automatically.