UKV – Union Krankenversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
UKV
UKV is a travel insurance for the Germany market with online purchase and 24/7 assistance.
Direct payment
As a rule the insured advances the medical costs and is reimbursed afterwards; in exceptional cases the insurer settles bills directly with providers, and via the 'UKV Urlaubs-Retter' network of service partners insureds can be treated cashless without advancing costs.
Geographic scope
Worldwide, excluding Germany
Cover applies only abroad during a temporary stay outside Germany; the Federal Republic of Germany is not considered 'abroad' under the policy.
Starting price
€12
Indicative — pricing assumptions not stated
Unique selling points
- No deductible on medical expenses incurred abroad.
- 100% cost reimbursement for outpatient and inpatient treatment, including alternative practitioners, osteopaths and chiropractors — benefits many competitors restrict or exclude.
- Five 'Medical Protect plus' services included free of charge, such as a digital doctor video consultation and the cashless 'UKV Urlaubs-Retter' treatment network.
- The AKD-16 annual tariff covers an unlimited number of trips per year (each up to 56 days) starting from an annual premium of 11.50 EUR.
- 24/7, almost worldwide emergency call service that arranges direct cost coverage with hospitals so travelers don't need to pay upfront.
Coverage limits
Medical treatment costs
Covered
100% reimbursement of costs for medically necessary outpatient and inpatient treatment, medicines, remedies and aids abroad, with no stated aggregate sum insured. Applies to both the AKD-16 (annual) and AKE-16 (single-trip) tariffs.
Emergency medical treatment
Covered
Emergency consultations and treatment by doctors abroad are reimbursed at 100% as part of the general medical-treatment benefit; no separate sum insured is stated.
Inpatient/hospital treatment
Covered
100% reimbursement for inpatient treatment, accommodation and meals in a hospital of the insured's choice; if another payer (e.g. reciprocal health scheme) covers part of the costs, an additional hospital daily allowance of up to 30 EUR/day applies, and insureds may alternatively opt for a flat 30 EUR/day allowance instead of cost reimbursement.
Outpatient treatment
Covered
100% reimbursement for outpatient consultations/treatments with doctors, dentists, alternative practitioners, osteopaths and chiropractors, plus prescribed medicines, remedies and aids first required abroad.
Emergency dental treatment
Covered
Covers pain-relieving dental treatment, simple dental fillings, provisional dentures and repairs of prostheses; new dentures, crowns and inlays are excluded. No separate euro cap is stated — cover is scope-limited rather than sum-limited.
Emergency medical transport
Covered
Covers ambulance, emergency or rescue-helicopter transport to the nearest suitable hospital or emergency doctor after an accident or in an emergency, including medically necessary transfers. If the transport is not carried out by a rescue service (e.g. by taxi), the benefit is capped at a total of 30 EUR per insured event.
Medically necessary repatriation
Covered
Covers a medically sensible and reasonable repatriation to the permanent place of residence (or nearest suitable hospital), including costs for an accompanying person if medically sensible. Typical trigger: hospital stay expected to exceed 14 days, or treatment costs abroad would exceed transport costs. If organized without the insurer/emergency call service, benefit is limited to the cost the insurer's own organization would have incurred.
Repatriation of remains / burial abroad
Covered
On the death of the insured person, costs of burial at the place of death or of transfer of the remains to the last permanent place of residence are reimbursed; no euro cap is stated.
Search, rescue and recovery costs
€2,500 – €10,000
Covers search, rescue or recovery costs from public- or private-law rescue services after an accident, provided inpatient treatment follows immediately. The AKD-16 (annual) tariff limits this benefit to 2,500 EUR per insured person and event, while the current AKE-16 (single-trip) tariff limits it to 10,000 EUR per insured person and event.
COVID-19 treatment
No limit stated
No source reviewed makes a specific statement about COVID-19 treatment; such illnesses would presumably fall under the general medical-treatment benefit, but this is not explicitly confirmed.
Pre-existing conditions
Excluded
Treatment is excluded if, at the start of the trip, it was already certain due to a previously diagnosed illness that it would be needed if the trip proceeded as planned — unless the trip was undertaken due to the death of a spouse/registered partner or a first-degree relative. Unexpected deterioration of a chronic condition is, by contrast, covered.
Winter sports cover
No limit stated
No source reviewed makes a specific statement about winter sports; the policy covers accidents/illness during typical vacation activities generally, but winter sports are not separately addressed.
Adventure/high-risk activity cover (e.g. diving)
Covered
Explicitly includes hyperbaric-chamber treatment for diving accidents ('Druckkammerbehandlung bei Tauchunfällen'); no general high-risk-sport exclusion is stated for typical vacation activities.
Pregnancy complications
Covered
Medically necessary treatment of pregnancy complications, including premature births, emergency terminations of pregnancy and miscarriages, is defined as an insured event and covered at 100%.
Personal liability abroad
Excluded
This is a travel health (medical expenses) product only; personal liability cover is not part of the benefits described in any reviewed source.
Legal assistance abroad
Excluded
No legal-assistance benefit is described in any reviewed source; the product covers medical costs, transport and assistance services only.
24/7 emergency assistance service
Covered
A 24-hour emergency call service, reachable almost worldwide seven days a week, provides doctor/hospital referrals, organizes repatriation, gives medical advice before and during trips, and arranges direct cost coverage. Included 'Medical Protect plus' services also add Travel-Info destination advice, a digital doctor video consultation, a cashless outpatient treatment network ('UKV Urlaubs-Retter'), an inpatient-stay assistant and a repatriation assistant.
Key conditions
Assistance call deadline
Before hospital treatment or a repatriation, the insured must promptly contact UKV's 24-hour emergency call service so that cost coverage can be organized; the service should be informed immediately if hospitalization or a return transport becomes necessary.
Unauthorized treatment
If a repatriation is not organized by the insurer or its emergency call service, the benefit is limited to the costs that would have been incurred had the insurer or the call service organized it themselves.
Purchase while abroad
The insurance contract must be concluded before the trip begins. For the AKD-16 annual tariff, contracts concluded after a trip has already started only take effect once a new trip begins; for the AKE-16 single-trip tariff, treatment on trips that began before the contract's effective date is excluded entirely.
Chronic conditions
An unexpected worsening of a chronic condition during the trip is covered as a normal insured event; however, treatment that was already foreseeable at departure because of a previously diagnosed illness is excluded.
Pregnancy
Costs for ordinary pregnancy, childbirth and related after-effects are excluded; only medically necessary treatment of pregnancy complications, premature births, emergency terminations and miscarriages is covered as an insured event.
Pre-existing condition exclusions
Treatment is excluded where it was already certain at departure, due to a previously diagnosed illness, that it would be needed if the trip proceeded as planned — unless the trip was made because of the death of a spouse/registered partner or a first-degree relative.
Coverage duration limit
The AKD-16 annual (durable) tariff covers each individual foreign trip for up to 56 days and renews automatically each year unless cancelled a month before expiry. The AKE-16 single-trip tariff covers one specific, dated trip for up to 365 days in total.
Where to buy
Policy specifics
Medical repatriation
Included medical repatriation to home country if medically necessary and reasonable
SourceCost advance or reimbursement
Typically insureds advance costs and seek reimbursement; in exception cases, insurer may pay directly
SourceTrip duration limits by tariff
AKD: up to 56 days per trip within one year; AKE: up to 365 days single trip
SourceTravel warning protection limit
Coverage terminates 7 days after official travel warning for war/civil unrest issued by German Foreign Office
SourceSearch & rescue cost limit differs by tariff
AKD-16 limits search/rescue/recovery costs to 2,500 EUR per person and event; the current AKE-16 tariff limits the same benefit to 10,000 EUR per person and event.
SourceSource no longer reachableFree provider choice
Insured persons may choose any licensed physician, dentist, or alternative practitioner abroad
SourceContract must be concluded before trip
Insurance contract must be completed before departure; no coverage for contracts concluded during travel
SourceActive vacation coverage
Covers accidents and illnesses during active vacation including sports; no exclusion for normal recreational activities
SourceAutomatic annual renewal (AKD only)
AKD annual policy automatically renews yearly unless cancelled 1 month before expiry
Source