The Dream With an Insurance Clause
Hundreds of thousands of German pensioners — and long-term expats who spent careers in Germany — retire to Spain, Portugal, Austria or further afield. For the privately insured, the move raises a question that deserves answering before the removal van: does PKV travel with you into retirement abroad?
The framework: within the EU/EEA, your PKV contract generally continues — insurers must effectively maintain cover when you move within Europe. Outside Europe, the standard conditions typically end cover after a transition period, and continuation needs an explicit agreement with your insurer.
Moving Within the EU/EEA
Your full tariff keeps working on the reimbursement principle: any doctor, any hospital, invoices submitted to your German insurer as always. Points that decide comfort:
- Reimbursement level abroad: tariffs reimburse per your benefit table; in lower-cost countries (Iberia, much of Southern Europe) this is comfortable — private clinics popular with retirees are usually well within limits
- German care insurance (PPV): continues alongside; care benefits abroad follow special rules — Pflegegeld typically exports within the EU, in-kind benefits less so
- Currency of documents: insurers process foreign invoices routinely; itemised bills and translations for exotic items speed things up
- Premium unchanged: your German premium continues — retirement-phase reliefs (end of the 10% surcharge, Beitragsentlastung components, pension subsidy where applicable) all still apply
Moving Outside Europe
| Step | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Notify your insurer early | Standard conditions end cover after relocation outside the EU; timelines vary by tariff |
| Negotiate continuation | Many insurers offer worldwide continuation agreements, sometimes with premium adjustments |
| Compare local + Anwartschaft | Local insurance plus a dormant German policy is often cheaper in low-cost countries |
| Mind US/Canada costs | Continuation covering North American treatment prices is the expensive exception — clarify explicitly |
Keep the Door Home Open
Health tends to pull retirees back towards German medicine eventually. Two instruments preserve the option: a large Anwartschaft freezes your tariff and ageing reserves while you live under local insurance abroad — return decades later at the premium your reserves justify, without new underwriting. And remember the one-way doors: cancelling PKV outright and returning to Germany at 75 means the age-55 rule blocks GKV and fresh PKV underwriting blocks quality tariffs. The Anwartschaft is cheap insurance against exactly that corner.
The Bottom Line
Within Europe, retire and keep your PKV — it works, premiums and reliefs continue, and Southern European medicine reimburses comfortably. Outside Europe, negotiate before you fly and price the Anwartschaft route. Whatever the destination: never surrender the German contract without securing either continuation or a dormancy agreement first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Compare PKV Tariffs for Your Situation
Our independent advisors help expats and professionals find the right private health insurance — personalised to your age, health, and budget.
Get My Free Quote