Questions about the electronic health care card

• One reason for an error message when reading the electronic healthcare card may be that you do not have your current healthcare card. Therefore, always use the healthcare card that we last sent you. Your old card is no longer valid from the time you receive a new card.
• If your doctor tells you that an error message such as ‘invalid’ has occurred with your healthcare card, please contact your personal consultant. We will immediately send you an insurance certificate by fax to the doctor’s office or hospital. You will also receive a new electronic healthcare card later if necessary.
• An error message may also appear if the card is statically charged. The card then discharges in the reader and leads to a crash or restart. In this case, the card is still fully functional. The card can normally be read again when it is reinserted into the reader.

New since November 2020:

On the front is a point with waves radiating up to the right and down to the left. This symbol indicates that the card supports NFC technology.
The CE symbol is on the back. This shows that the card complies with the current EU directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).

Since February 2019:

On the back of your electronic healthcare card is a crossed out bin. It indicates that the card is to be treated as an electronic device and thus cannot be disposed of with general household waste. Please send your old cards back to us. We will dispose of them in a way that protects your personal data and the environment.

Yes, because the data can only be read within a very short range and only after entering the CAN number. The CAN number is the six-digit number at the top of the SBK healthcare card.

We are happy to provide you or your doctor with a replacement certificate that you can use as proof of insurance. Simply contact your personal consultant or call the SBK Customer Hotline on 0800 072 572 572 50.

Since 01.01.2024, we are obliged to check the recipient's registration address with the residents' registration office before sending the SBK health care card or the associated PIN. If this check is not successful, we will send you an address confirmation letter. Please sign the address confirmation form and return it to us so that we can send the SBK health care card or the corresponding PIN for production.

What is the legal basis for comparing the address with the residents' registration office?

These are: §291 para. 6 SGB V, §217f para. 4b SGB V and the guideline to §217f para. 4b SGB V.

The SBK health care card can be issued if the following conditions are met:

• There is a current insurance policy.
• The insurance number has been released by the previous health insurance company.
• A current photo is available.
• The address has been confirmed by the residents' registration office or alternatively by you.

When your child is born, we send you a temporary electronic health care card, together with a babygro. The permanent electronic health care card with chip will be sent to you automatically after about five weeks, as soon as we have received your child’s lifetime health insurance number from the pension insurance provider.

Children change quickly, which is why a photo is not required for the health care card until your child reaches the age of 15. 

Your child will receive a letter with a request to send us a photo when they turn 15, so that we can issue them a new electronic health care card. You can upload this photo easily to the Meine SBK. A one-time registration is required in order to use your personal online self-service branch, Meine SBK. Please note that your child’s insurance number must be used for the registration in order for the photo to be assigned correctly. 

The previous card remains valid until the new card has been issued, even after your child has turned 15.

The following data, among other things, is stored on the healthcare card: first name, surname, date of birth, gender, address, insurance number, insurance status (for example, member or co-insured relative), duration of validity and the health insurer code (institution ID). 

In future we plan to also store other health-related information, such as emergency information, if you as the patient agree to this.

You are very well protected: the electronic health care card is subject to the especially strict rules governing social security data. Furthermore, all data in future voluntary applications is protected with a PIN. 

Health-related data can only be accessed by medical personnel, as the card reader required for this is only available to those holding a medical professional pass. All health-related data is strictly stored in encrypted form, so no third parties, such as employers, can access it.

The healthcare card is classified as electrical equipment in accordance with Directive 2012/19/EU - WEEE 2. You can recognize this by the crossed-out garbage can on the back of your card. Disposal is therefore intended via the recycling center. Before you hand in the card for disposal at the recycling center, please make sure that your data on the card is made illegible by cutting it up. Alternatively, you can also return the old card to us. We will then ensure that it is disposed of in an environmentally friendly and data protection-compliant manner.