PKV Knowledge Base

Expert guides on German private health insurance for English-speaking expats, freelancers, and professionals.

18
Articles
12
Topics
2026
Updated
Expats
PKV for EU Citizens Moving to Germany

How PKV works for EU citizens moving to Germany: freedom of movement, coordinating cover from your home country and the GKV-or-PKV decision.

Expats
Health Insurance for Posted Workers (Entsendung) in Germany

How health insurance works for posted workers (Entsendung) moving to or from Germany — the home-country principle, the A1 certificate, and where PKV fits.

Expats
Health Insurance for Researchers on Stipends and Fellowships

Why stipend-funded researchers are not automatically in statutory insurance, how their cover status is decided, and where private insurance fits for fellows.

Expats
Health Insurance for Au Pairs in Germany

What health insurance au pairs in Germany need — the required health, accident and liability cover, the host family's role, and why full PKV is usually not the route.

Expats
Health Insurance for Seasonal and Hospitality Workers in Germany

How health insurance works for seasonal and hospitality workers in Germany — statutory cover for most, the income-threshold reality, and when PKV makes sense.

Expats
PKV for Digital Nomads Based in Germany

Why globe-trotting nomads registered in Germany usually need real PKV rather than a nomad travel policy, and how worldwide-cover tariffs handle long trips.

Expats
Returning to Germany After Years Abroad: Your Health Insurance Options

How health insurance works when you move back to Germany after years abroad — what determines GKV vs PKV re-entry, and how to avoid an uninsured gap on arrival.

Expats
PKV for Grenzgänger: Health Insurance for Cross-Border Commuters

How private health insurance works for cross-border commuters who live in a neighbouring country and work in Germany — coverage rules, options and pitfalls.

Expats
Health Insurance for Your Residence Permit: What Counts as "Adequate"

Every German residence permit requires adequate health insurance. The criteria Ausländerbehörden apply, what fails, and how to document PKV correctly.

Expats
The Expat's Glossary: 25 German Insurance Terms Decoded

Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze, Alterungsrückstellung, Beihilfe: 25 German insurance terms every expat encounters, decoded in plain English.

Expats
Moving to Germany at 40+: Is PKV Still the Right Call?

Arriving in Germany mid-career? At 40+ the PKV calculation tightens: entry age, no built reserves, retirement horizon. When private still wins.

Expats
The Freelance Visa and Health Insurance: What Germany Actually Requires

Health insurance can make or break a German freelance visa application. What immigration offices accept as adequate cover and how PKV fits in.