Before you start

Employment contract or proof of income
Meldebescheinigung from your Anmeldung
Steuer-ID
A German bank account for contributions

Step-by-step

1
Understand the two systems before choosing
Statutory insurance charges a percentage of income up to a ceiling, covers dependants at no extra cost, and you can switch between statutory funds freely. Private insurance prices on age and health at entry, charges per person, and can rise substantially with age. The decision shapes decades, not a single year.
OnlineWho: YouFirst month
2
Choose a statutory fund if you are eligible and unsure
Statutory funds differ modestly in contribution rate and in extras, and switching between them is straightforward. If you have any doubt, starting statutory keeps the option open — the reverse move, private back to statutory, generally does not.
OnlineWho: You
3
Get your insurance confirmation for the residence permit
Proof of health cover is required for your residence permit application. Your insurer issues a confirmation once you have enrolled, and the Ausländerbehörde will ask for it.
OnlineWho: You
4
Register with a Hausarzt
Your general practitioner is the entry point to specialist care in practice, and Munich practices frequently have full lists. Register early rather than when you are ill. Practices vary in how much English they use — ask when you enquire.
In personWho: You
5
Learn the out-of-hours system
For urgent but non-emergency problems, 116117 is the national medical on-call number, and it can direct you to an out-of-hours practice. Emergency departments are for emergencies, and using them otherwise is discouraged and slow.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Keep your electronic health card with you
The elektronische Gesundheitskarte is what you present at every appointment. Without it a practice may ask you to pay privately and reclaim, which is tedious.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Employment contract or proof of income
Meldebescheinigung
Steuer-ID
Passport and residence permit
Bank details for contributions

Things most newcomers don’t know

Going private is nearly a one-way door, and the pitch emphasises the wrong years.

Private cover is often cheaper than statutory for a young, healthy, high-earning newcomer, and brokers sell hard on that comparison. But private premiums rise with age rather than falling, each family member is priced separately rather than covered free, and returning to the statutory system later is difficult and becomes near-impossible above a certain age. Decide on the thirty-year view, not the first year's premium.

Source: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit

Statutory cover includes dependants at no extra cost.

A non-working spouse and children are covered under a statutory member's contribution at no additional charge. Under private cover, each is a separate policy with a separate premium. For anyone who has or plans a family, this single difference frequently outweighs the headline premium comparison.

Source: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit

116117 is the number that saves you an emergency department visit.

The national medical on-call service handles urgent but non-life-threatening problems out of hours and directs you to the right service. Germans use it routinely; newcomers default to the emergency department, where they wait a long time and are treated as low priority.

Source: Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung

Finding a GP in Munich takes effort, so do it before you need one.

Many Munich practices have closed lists, and the ones that take new patients fill quickly. Ask colleagues for recommendations, call rather than emailing, and register while you are well. Arriving at a full practice with a fever is a bad way to discover the problem.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Choosing private insurance on the first year's premium without modelling the long run.
Not realising statutory cover includes dependants free while private does not.
Going to an emergency department for something 116117 would have handled.
Waiting until you are ill to look for a GP in a city where practices are full.
Forgetting the insurance confirmation the Ausländerbehörde requires for your permit.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.