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✈️ Travel, insurance and everyday life with chronic illness

Travel health insurance, taking medicines with you and taking out new insurance raise their own questions in chronic illness – here is an overview of what applies and where there is uncertainty.

Travel health insurance European Health Insurance Card Pre-existing condition Risk surcharge Travelling with medicines

In brief

Within the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), printed on the back of the health insurance card, covers medically necessary treatment during a temporary stay – under the conditions of statutory health insurance there, which may differ from German benefits. For travel outside this area or for broader cover (e.g. repatriation), private travel health insurance is also advisable. When taking out new private insurance (travel health, trip cancellation, occupational disability or life insurance), pre-existing conditions must be stated truthfully in the health questions.

Step by step

  1. Clarify insurance cover before you travelCheck whether the EHIC is enough for your destination or whether additional private travel health insurance makes sense – especially if you will need planned treatment during the trip.
  2. Organise taking your medicinesHave a multilingual medical certificate issued for medicines you need permanently, especially for narcotics or if you need injections (e.g. insulin), and find out about the import rules of the country you are travelling to.
  3. Clarify medical fitness to travelFor unstable or serious chronic illnesses, it is worth talking to your treating practice about fitness to travel and an emergency plan before longer trips.
  4. Answer health questions truthfully when taking out insuranceFalse or incomplete statements about pre-existing conditions can lead to loss of insurance cover in a later insured event (breach of the pre-contractual duty of disclosure, § 19 VVG).
  5. Check alternatives if refused or charged a risk surchargeIf a contract is refused because of the pre-existing condition or offered only with a risk surcharge, it is worth comparing several providers and getting independent insurance advice.

Deadlines

no general deadline
There is no statutory deadline for taking out travel or other insurance; what matters is answering the health questions in good time and truthfully before the contract is concluded§ 19 VVG (pre-contractual duty of disclosure)
Watch out – common mistakes
  • Which specific benefits are covered in other EU countries via the EHIC depends on the law of the country of stay and may differ considerably from German benefits – repatriation in case of illness is as a rule not covered by the EHIC.
  • The exact conditions under which private insurers may charge risk surcharges for pre-existing conditions or reject contracts are up to the individual provider and cannot be quantified across the board here – if in doubt, compare several offers and get independent advice.
  • Certain medicines (especially narcotics) are subject to their own rules when imported into other countries; find out before travelling from the embassy of the destination country or the Bundesopiumstelle.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

European Health Insurance Card

The EHIC is based on EU coordination law (Regulation (EC) No 883/2004) and gives people with statutory health insurance, during a temporary stay in another EU/EEA state or Switzerland, access to medically necessary treatment under the conditions and tariffs of the country of stay. It does not replace travel health insurance with repatriation cover.

Pre-contractual duty of disclosure

When concluding private insurance contracts, the health questions in the application must be answered truthfully and completely (§ 19 Versicherungsvertragsgesetz, VVG). Breach of this duty of disclosure can, depending on the degree of fault, lead to withdrawal, termination, adjustment of the contract or, in extreme cases, to the insurer being released from its obligation to pay.

Travelling with medicines

Different rules apply to taking prescription medicines abroad depending on the destination country and active substance; for narcotics (e.g. certain strong painkillers), a medical certificate on the form provided for this purpose by the Bundesopiumstelle at the Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM) is advisable.

Who is responsible
  • Statutory health insurer (EHIC)
  • Private insurers (travel health and other insurance)
  • Bundesopiumstelle at the BfArM (certificate for narcotics)
Further reading
Patient rights and second opinionAdvice and contact points

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Travel, insurance and everyday life with chronic illness“?
Travel health insurance, taking medicines with you and taking out new insurance raise their own questions in chronic illness – here is an overview of what applies and where there is uncertainty.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
no general deadline: There is no statutory deadline for taking out travel or other insurance; what matters is answering the health questions in good time and truthfully before the contract is concluded (§ 19 VVG (pre-contractual duty of disclosure))
What should I do first?
  • Clarify insurance cover before you travel: Check whether the EHIC is enough for your destination or whether additional private travel health insurance makes sense – especially if you will need planned treatment during the trip.
  • Organise taking your medicines: Have a multilingual medical certificate issued for medicines you need permanently, especially for narcotics or if you need injections (e.g. insulin), and find out about the import rules of the country you are travelling to.
  • Clarify medical fitness to travel: For unstable or serious chronic illnesses, it is worth talking to your treating practice about fitness to travel and an emergency plan before longer trips.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • Which specific benefits are covered in other EU countries via the EHIC depends on the law of the country of stay and may differ considerably from German benefits – repatriation in case of illness is as a rule not covered by the EHIC.
  • The exact conditions under which private insurers may charge risk surcharges for pre-existing conditions or reject contracts are up to the individual provider and cannot be quantified across the board here – if in doubt, compare several offers and get independent advice.
  • Certain medicines (especially narcotics) are subject to their own rules when imported into other countries; find out before travelling from the embassy of the destination country or the Bundesopiumstelle.
Evidence
  • Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 on the coordination of social security systems (eur-lex.europa.eu)
  • § 19 VVG (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, Bundesopiumstelle, retrieved September 2026 (bfarm.de)
As of

As of: September 2026. · Sources and method

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