Staying healthy

Health Insurance

You must have health insurance if you live in Germany. There are a large number of health insurance companies in Germany. You are free to choose. You will find an overview of the various health insurance companies on the Internet or in the phone book under "Health insurance".

• through your employer,
• the Employment Agency, the Job Centre or
• by arranging a personal appointment

If one spouse already has health insurance, the other spouse and their children (up to a certain age limit) can all be insured together by the same health insurance company.

If you have any questions, please contact the health insurance company or the Welcome Center Stuttgart.

Visiting a Doctor

As a patient, you are free to choose your doctor. We recommend that you have a set family doctor. This is usually a general practitioner or specialist in internal medicine or a paediatrician in the case of children. The family doctor makes the initial diagnosis. They know your medical history and can refer you to a specialist, if necessary. They will give you a letter of referral in such cases.

Arrange an appointment before visiting a doctor and do not forget to cancel the appointment if you are no longer able to see the doctor.

You need to remember the following when visiting a doctor:

• Insurance card (health card) when visiting a doctor, dentist or the hospital
• Letter of referral for a specialist
• Maternity record during pregnancy
• Vaccination record and health record for visiting a paediatrician

Doctors speaking a Foreign Language

You can have a look on the website of Baden-Württemberg Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians to find doctors in Stuttgart who speak your language:

The website is unfortunately not available in English but the team at the Welcome Centre will be happy to assist you in finding a doctor.