DKV Deutsche Krankenversicherung AG
DKV
DKV is a travel insurance for the Germany market with online purchase and 24/7 assistance.
Direct payment
If DKV's emergency call service is contacted before hospital admission, DKV arranges settlement directly with the hospital so the insured does not need to pay upfront; otherwise, original invoices must be submitted to DKV in Cologne for reimbursement.
Geographic scope
Worldwide (excluding Germany and the insured person's country of permanent residence)
Cover applies only during temporary stays abroad; Germany and any country where the insured person has a permanent residence do not count as 'abroad'. Under Tariff RD/RDN, selected benefits also apply for the first 10 weeks of a trip within Germany.
Starting price
€9
Indicative — pricing assumptions not stated
Unique selling points
- Round-the-clock (24/7) emergency call service for medical advice, hospital search and claims support while abroad.
- No deductible (Selbstbeteiligung) applies to claims under the annual travel medical policies.
- Under Tariff RD/FamilyMed RDN, search, rescue and recovery costs are covered up to 20,000 EUR, well above many competitors' minimums.
- Cover continues even if the German Foreign Office issues a travel warning for the destination while the insured is already there, until they can safely leave.
- DKV's ReiseMed RD tariff was rated 'sehr gut' (0.7) by Stiftung Warentest's Finanztest in a comparison of annual travel medical policies.
Coverage limits
Medical expenses abroad
Covered
Medically necessary outpatient and inpatient treatment costs for illness or accident abroad are reimbursed at 100%; no fixed maximum sum insured is stated in either tariff.
Emergency medical treatment
Covered
Emergency treatment following an accident or acute illness abroad, including transport to the nearest available doctor or hospital, is reimbursed at 100%.
Inpatient hospital treatment
Covered
Inpatient treatment costs including nursing, accommodation and board are reimbursed at 100%; under Tariff ARE, the insured may instead choose a hospital daily allowance of 25 EUR per day.
Outpatient treatment
Covered
Costs for outpatient doctor's fees, prescribed medicines, dressings, aids and physiotherapy first required due to an accident or illness abroad are reimbursed at 100%.
Emergency dental treatment
€250
Under Tariff ARE, pain-relief dental treatment and fillings with plastic material are reimbursed at 100%; provisional crowns/dentures due to an accident and repairs to existing dentures are reimbursed at 50%, up to a combined maximum of 250 EUR. All other dental work is excluded. Under Tariff RD/RDN, only provisional dental treatment is covered; the fabrication of new permanent dentures is excluded.
Local medical transport
Covered
Transport by recognised ambulance/rescue services to the nearest appropriate doctor or hospital for first treatment after an accident or emergency is reimbursed at 100%.
Medically necessary repatriation transport
Covered
A medically necessary and medically ordered return transport to the insured's permanent residence (or a hospital there) is covered. Under Tariff ARE, extra transport costs are reimbursed at 100% only with prior approval from DKV's emergency call service, otherwise at 80%; costs are also covered without proof of necessity if inpatient treatment abroad is expected to last more than 14 days. Under Tariff RD/RDN, the 'medically sensible and justifiable' return transport is covered without a stated approval-based percentage split.
Repatriation of remains / burial abroad
€10,000
If the insured dies abroad, DKV reimburses the direct costs of returning the body to the last permanent residence. Under Tariff ARE, burial costs abroad (chosen instead of repatriation) are reimbursed up to 10,000 EUR. Under Tariff RD/RDN, burial abroad is reimbursed up to the amount the repatriation would have cost, with no separate fixed EUR ceiling stated.
Search, rescue and recovery costs
€20,000
Only in ReiseMed Tarif RD / FamilyMed Tarif RDN
Under Tariff RD/FamilyMed RDN, search, rescue and recovery costs are covered up to a maximum of 20,000 EUR. This benefit is not mentioned in the Tariff ARE terms.
Pre-existing conditions
Excluded
Illnesses for which it was foreseeable at the start of the trip that treatment would be needed during the planned trip are excluded from cover, as are treatments that were the sole or a partial reason for the trip.
Pregnancy complications
Conditional
Only unforeseeable, acute pregnancy complications are covered. Under Tariff ARE this includes premature births before the end of the 32nd week of pregnancy and miscarriages; under Tariff RD/FamilyMed RDN it extends to premature births before the end of the 36th week, plus miscarriages and medically necessary termination of pregnancy. Known pregnancies at trip start, elective abortion, normal delivery and postpartum illness are excluded.
24/7 emergency call service
Covered
DKV provides a round-the-clock emergency call service for advice and support in claims handling, including help finding a suitable hospital and organising repatriation.
Key conditions
Assistance call deadline
For inpatient hospital treatment, DKV's emergency call service must be contacted immediately before or upon hospital admission; the service must also be contacted before arranging any repatriation transport to avoid reduced reimbursement.
Unauthorized treatment
Under Tariff ARE, extra repatriation transport costs are reimbursed at 100% only with prior approval from DKV's emergency call service; without prior approval, reimbursement is reduced to 80% of the proven extra costs.
Purchase while abroad
The policy must be applied for and concluded before departure from Germany while the applicant is still in the country; it cannot be purchased once travel abroad has already begun.
Chronic conditions
Illnesses that were foreseeably going to require treatment during the trip, as already known before departure, are excluded from cover under both tariffs.
Pregnancy
Only unforeseeable, acute pregnancy complications are covered; the gestational-week cut-off for premature births differs by tariff (32 weeks under ARE, 36 weeks under RD/RDN). Known pregnancies, elective termination and normal delivery are excluded.
Pre-existing condition exclusions
Treatments that were the sole or a partial reason for the trip, or that were already foreseeable as necessary at the time of departure, are not covered.
Coverage duration limit
Cover per single trip is limited to six weeks under Tariff ARE and to ten weeks under Tariff RD/FamilyMed RDN; cover ends at the latest at expiry of that period, unless the insured is medically unfit to travel, in which case cover continues until fitness to travel is restored.
Where to buy
Policy specifics
Medical emergency treatment abroad
Coverage for medically necessary treatment of acute illnesses and accidents during foreign travel
SourceRepatriation/Return transport
Coverage for medically necessary return transport to Germany or home country
SourceMaximum trip duration per travel
Annual policies limit coverage to 6-10 weeks per single trip depending on tariff
SourceExclusion of planned medical treatment
No coverage for treatments that were a reason for taking the trip or that were already planned
SourceAnnual contract with automatic renewal
All DKV travel medical insurance policies are annual contracts that automatically renew unless cancelled
SourcePrior approval requirement for repatriation
For certain tariffs, emergency transport prior approval significantly impacts reimbursement percentage
SourceInsurable persons must have German residence
Only persons whose permanent residence is in Germany can be insured
Source