Electronic health insurance card
Your personal ID for medical services. The e-health card displays or stores all necessary information about your health insurance and emergency data – so that you can be treated easily and safely. At the doctor’s practice or hospital, the e-health card is scanned and all necessary medical services are billed directly to Barmer.
The electronic health insurance card
Everybody who has public health insurance in Germany receives such a card: The electronic health insurance card. This card is personalized. It includes your name and your health insurance provider – for example Barmer.
It’s easy. When you apply for Barmer membership, a personal contact partner will support you to set up everything you need. There are a few different ways to submit your photo for the e-health card, and we’ll let you know the best option depending on where you are in the world when you apply. You can also call our English Service Hotline, and we’ll send you a special upload code.
After you register your permanent address. Your new electronic health insurance card should arrive a few weeks after Barmer receives confiormation of your permanent address. If you don’t have an address, we can give you a temporary certificate to show the doctor, which works just like the e-health card.
Call our English Service Hotline. Our customer service advisors can send you a temporary certificate to show the doctor or even speak directly with the practice to ensure your treatment. If necessary, we’ll also send you a new e-health card. You can also apply for a new card easily and quickly via the Barmer App.
Travelling within the EU
Your personal ID for emergency medical services in Europe. Your EHIC is located on the back of your Barmer e-health card. It will assist you in most EU countries to receive emergency medical treatment. The EHIC works the same way as the e-health card – show your card to the doctor and the costs are billed directly to Barmer. But some doctors will ask you to pay upfront, and if this happens, you’ll have to settle the costs directly with the doctor and then send Barmer the invoice for reimbursement.
Important: Barmer can only cover costs if the medical services you receive are also included in the public healthcare system of that country. And we only reimburse the amount that the same treatment would cost in Germany. Medical repatriation as well as search and rescue services are not covered by the EHIC. To protect your financial security, it’s important to take out an additional travel health insurance when travelling outside Germany.
It depends on your nationality. EU nationals can use their EHIC within the EU and some other EEA countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). However, in most cases, non-EU nationals cannot use their EHIC in Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein – in this case, an additional travel health insurance is essential when travelling to these countries.
Yes, very affordable. Additional travel health insurance costs around 20 euro a year, which can provide you with all the additional cover you need in the case of an accident or illness. If you’re a legal resident of Germany, you have the same right to affordable travel insurance as a German citizen.
Contact our partner HUK Coburg Health Insurance. Although there are many companies in Germany that offer affordable and reliable travel health insurance, we recommend our partner HUK Coburg Health Insurance. Barmer members enjoy exclusive rates and conditions for foreign travel health insurance and other additional insurances, too.
