Germany · Answer
Can I choose my own health insurance fund in Germany?
A new employer may hand you a form for 'their' health fund — but the choice is yours by law. Here is the right, and the sequence to follow when you start a job.
You choose your own health insurance fund (Krankenkasse) — by law you are a member of the fund you select, not one your employer picks for you. Your employer needs the fund's confirmation of membership (Mitgliedsbescheinigung), not the right to decide. Source ↗
When you start a job, you declare your choice to the Krankenkasse you picked — it may not refuse you, and it may not talk you out of joining with false or incomplete advice. Tell your employer which fund you chose right away: if you haven't named one within two weeks of starting, the employer registers you with your previous fund — or, if you have never been insured in Germany, with a fund the employer picks and tells you about in text form. The fund then confirms your membership to the employer electronically; there is no paper for you to chase. Source ↗
Rules v2026-07-15.1 · verified 2026-07-15
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Rules last verified: 2026-07-15.