Updated 8/02/2024

Country overview

In Germany there are no restrictions on entry, stay and residence for people living with HIV.
Antiretroviral treatment can be brought in for personal use.

Labor migrants

If you are officially employed, you must have health insurance. In this case, all HIV services, including ART, are free. The monthly payment for health insurance is 15% of your salary, half of it is covered by your employer. Thus, you are charged only 7.5% of your salary for health insurance.

Private insurance does not cover treatment for chronic illnesses and HIV is one of them. If you are a freelancer, the only way to get insurance that covers ART is to sign up with the organization as an employee.

With a prescription from a doctor you can get treatment for free at pharmacies. Still, you will have to pay a package tax. It ranges from 5 to 10 euro and depends on the size of the package.

Refugees

Health insurance for refugees and for all people receiving benefits is paid for by social services, as long as you are not working. The insurance covers all medications prescribed by doctors.

When you get a prescription from your doctor, look for an X in the upper left corner that says "exemption from payment". This mark lets you to recieve ART for free at the pharmacy.

Access to treatment

HIV medical services are decentralized in Germany. Each of the 16 federal states has its own rules and laws for medical care. Data on health status are not stored anywhere. Residence permit or certificate of refugee status and health insurance are the documents you need in order to receive medical care.

For HIV-related care, you should go to a listed clinic or see an infectious disease doctor recommended by your local AIDS-Hilfe. All medical services can be obtained from specialized private clinics or infectious disease practices, and treatment can be obtained from general pharmacies. All you need to do is to find an infectious disease clinic or practice nearest to your place of residence and make an appointment in advance. The doctor which provides you HIV-related care may also give you a referral to another subspecialist.

You can find the addresses of the clinics at: www.kompass.hiv

You can also contact your regional AIDS-Hilfe, where they will recommend infectious disease doctors of private practices.

It is possible to buy ART in pharmacies, but few people can afford it due to the high cost of treatment. The price of a monthly scheme starts at 1,000 Euro.

Contact one of AIDS-Hilfe's regional offices.