European Health Insurance Card and overseas health insurance certificate

You can use your SBK healthcare card in most European countries. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is located on the back of your card.

At doctors' surgeries, dentists' surgeries or hospitals, the European Health Insurance Card entitles you to all medically necessary treatment that cannot wait until you return to Germany. The scope of benefits is based on the legal provisions of the country you are visiting – as if you were insured in that country.

It may happen that your European Health Insurance Card is not accepted at a doctor's surgery or hospital within the EU. In this case, you will receive a private invoice, which you will have to pay yourself.

You can submit this private invoice to us. We will then check whether we can contribute to the costs. The quickest way to do this is while you are still on holiday: simply upload your invoice and treatment documents to the Meine SBK app. Alternatively, you can send your documents, including your bank details, by post: you will find our address and a prepaid envelope here.

Reimbursing invoices

Important for you: Unfortunately, in many cases, reimbursement is not possible or only possible in part. Outside the EU, reimbursement is usually not possible at all. Often, additional payments must be made, which may be significantly higher than in the UK. In France, for example, you must pay 20% of the total costs for your hospital stay yourself. We are not permitted to reimburse these costs.

We therefore recommend that you take out additional cover with our international travel insurance. With our partner ERGO, you benefit from worldwide insurance cover at exclusive conditions for SBK members. Quick and easy to take out online. Find out more now.

For travel to the following countries, you will need an international health insurance certificate if you require medical services. The European Health Insurance Card is not valid in these countries:

If you need medical services, exchange your international health insurance certificate for a treatment certificate on site. You can find out how this works and where to go in the information sheet from the German Liaison Office Abroad (DVKA). With the respective international health insurance certificate, you will only receive necessary emergency care for medical services in a recognised institution. Additional international travel health insurance may therefore be advisable.

You can print out international health insurance certificates yourself in Meine SBK before you travel.

Get International health insurance certificate

We recommend that you take out international health insurance for trips abroad. This guarantees that you will be reimbursed for all immediately necessary medical services by your private international travel insurance. With SBK, you benefit from comprehensive supplementary international travel insurance at exclusive conditions.

When travelling to countries outside Europe that do not have a social security agreement, you are not entitled to benefits under the German statutory health insurance scheme, and therefore also not under the SBK. The European Health Insurance Card is therefore not valid in countries outside Europe. For trips to these countries, we always recommend that you take out  international health insurance, for example with our cooperation partner ERGO Krankenversicherung AG.

You can reach us from abroad Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (CET) on +49 89 444 570 90 at the applicable local telephone rates. We can assist you by telephone or email in finding German- or English-speaking doctors or hospitals in your area and, if necessary, we can also obtain a second opinion from a German doctor for you. We would be happy to refer you to the medical experts at the SBK Health Telephone.

In emergencies within the EU, please use the standard emergency number 112.

Take advantage of our SBK Overseas Consulting: our experts will be happy to advise you and provide you with information about the specific requirements that apply to your destination country.