- Price
- €7.95incl. VAT, 2 pages included
- Delivery time
- Next business dayusually, after handover to the post
- Proof
- Delivery recordinto the letterbox, + tracking
- Handed to the post
- Upload by 12:00Central European Time on a business day, posted the same day
- Counts as
- Domestic registered mailprinted and posted in Germany
Do you need registered mail to cancel German health insurance?
No. A public health fund (Krankenkasse) accepts a written notice, and many have a form in their portal. Private insurers accept notice in text form, so an email works too. Registered mail is optional.
What matters is that the notice arrives in time and that you can show it did. Deadlines run from receipt. People who have already left often send the notice as registered mail, or keep the fund's confirmation of receipt.
What applies to a public health fund?
Compulsory members, such as employees, do not cancel. Membership ends by law when the duty to be insured ends, for example when your job in Germany ends. Tell the fund you are leaving anyway, and send your deregistration certificate (Abmeldebescheinigung).
Voluntary members cancel themselves. Notice takes effect at the end of the second month after the month you give it: notice in March ends membership at the end of May. If you will not join another German fund, the usual twelve-month lock-in does not apply. The fund then confirms the notice within two weeks. It takes effect if you prove other health cover within the notice period, such as insurance in your new country.
What applies to private health insurance?
The duty to hold cover with a German insurer applies to people who live in Germany. While it applies, notice on a full health policy only takes effect once you prove follow-on cover. When you leave, show the insurer your deregistration certificate and ask which proof it wants.
Ordinary notice is to the end of the insurance year, with three months' notice. If you move to another state of the EU or the European Economic Area, the policy can continue. The insurer then pays at most what it would pay in Germany.
Keep the door open instead?
If you may come back, many funds and private insurers offer a dormant policy (Anwartschaft). You pay a reduced contribution and keep your right to return. With a private insurer this often avoids a new health check. Ask before you cancel.
With a public fund, long-term care insurance ends with the health insurance. With a private insurer, the care policy is a separate contract, so name it in your notice.
Which deadlines apply?
| Cover | When it ends | Proof |
|---|---|---|
| Public fund, compulsory member | Without notice, when the duty to be insured ends | Deregistration certificate, end of your job |
| Public fund, voluntary member | End of the second month after your notice | Other health cover |
| Private full health policy | End of the insurance year with three months' notice, or as agreed when you leave | Deregistration certificate or follow-on cover |
| Private long-term care policy | Cancel it together with the health policy | As for the health policy |
| Supplementary policies | As the policy terms say | Usually none |
How do you cancel from abroad?
- Consider a dormant policyIf you might come back, ask about it before you cancel.
- Write the noticeWith the deregistration certificate and proof of new cover.
- Upload one PDFLetter and attachments together; we print in Germany.
- Wait for confirmationKeep the tracking number until the insurer confirms.
Sample cancellation letter in German
In German, the language of your insurer. Compulsory members send a notice of the move with the deregistration certificate instead.
[Vorname Nachname]
Versichertennummer: [Nummer]
[Krankenkasse oder Versicherer]
[Anschrift]
Kündigung wegen Wegzugs ins Ausland
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
ich ziehe am [Datum] nach [Land]. Hiermit kündige ich meine Mitgliedschaft [bei privater Versicherung: meine Krankheitskosten- und Pflegepflichtversicherung] zum [Datum], hilfsweise zum nächstmöglichen Termin.
Als Anlage erhalten Sie meine Abmeldebescheinigung und den Nachweis meiner Krankenversicherung in [Land].
Bitte bestätigen Sie mir die Kündigung schriftlich. Ein Guthaben überweisen Sie bitte auf dieses Konto: [IBAN]
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Vorname Nachname]
Neue Anschrift: [Anschrift im Ausland]
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to cancel my public health fund as an employee?
No. Compulsory membership ends by law when the duty to be insured ends. Tell the fund anyway and send your deregistration certificate.
How long am I bound as a voluntary member?
Notice takes effect at the end of the second month after you give it. The twelve-month lock-in does not apply if you leave the German system.
Which proof does the fund want?
Proof of other health cover, such as insurance in your new country, and your deregistration certificate.
Does my private policy continue in another EU country?
Yes, if you want it to. The insurer then pays at most what it would pay in Germany.
What is an Anwartschaft?
A dormant policy at a reduced contribution. It keeps your right to return, with a private insurer often without a new health check.
Does registered mail prove the contents?
No registered letter proves the contents. Your proof PDF does contain the printed letter, so you can show what you sent.