Find the plan your visa needs.

You pick your study destination and answer up to three more questions — for example your age, your type of study or how long you’ll stay. The Finder applies the visa and university rules for that country and shows up to three real plans from our database of 48 products, sorted by price, with links to the full plan details and to the provider. For destinations where we don’t compare plans yet, it takes you to our country guide. It’s free and needs no sign-up.

GKV (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) is Germany’s public health insurance. Students under 30 who are enrolled at a German university pay the student rate: €139.28–€151.42/month in 2026 (TK and AOK Bayern €141.16/month, DAK €145.52/month, BARMER €146.29/month). PKV (private Krankenversicherung) plans for international students start at €27.50/month. They are the usual choice for language-course and Studienkolleg students, doctoral candidates without an employment contract and students aged 30 or older. The Finder shows which of the two applies to you.

Usually yes, if you come from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland. For the visa you have to prove you can cover your living costs — €992 per month, or €11,904 per year, according to the German Federal Foreign Office. Most students do this with a blocked account; a scholarship or a formal obligation letter from a sponsor (Verpflichtungserklärung) can be accepted instead. The Finder flags this for non-EU students and links to our blocked account comparison.

OSHC (Overseas Student Health Cover) is compulsory for the Student visa (subclass 500) and has to cover your whole stay. Five providers offer it — ahm, Allianz Care, Bupa, Medibank and nib — and single cover costs AUD 55–60/month (AUD 665–726/year) in 2026. Courses of up to 3 months can be taken on a visitor visa, which doesn’t require OSHC.

Yes, in the typical case: if you move from a language course or the Studienkolleg (privately insured) to a degree programme before you turn 30, enrolment makes you subject to public student insurance and you join a public insurer. It doesn’t work the other way round: if you have yourself exempted from public insurance at enrolment, the exemption lasts for your entire studies and can’t be withdrawn. From age 30, and for doctoral candidates, the student rate no longer applies.

The insurer does. We are an independent comparison portal: we don’t sell or arrange insurance. You buy your plan directly from the provider, and the provider issues the policy and the certificate for your visa and your university. How long that takes depends on the provider, so apply well before your visa appointment or enrolment deadline.