Where to go
| Situation | Go to |
|---|---|
| Life-threatening (chest pain, stroke signs, severe bleeding, breathing problems) | 112 or hospital emergency room (Notaufnahme) |
| Urgent but not life-threatening, evenings/weekends | 116 117 — out-of-hours practice (Bereitschaftspraxis), often next to the hospital |
| Normal illness, prescriptions, referrals, sick notes | Hausarzt (GP / family doctor) |
| Children | Kinderarzt (paediatrician) — children are usually seen by paediatricians, not GPs |
| Teeth | Zahnarzt; out-of-hours dental service via your city's zahnärztlicher Notdienst |
| Mental health | Psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde — book via 116 117 or directly with a psychotherapist; no referral needed |
| Women's health | Frauenarzt / Gynäkologe — direct access |
| Medicines at night | Pharmacy on night duty (Notdienstapotheke), listed on every pharmacy door and at aponet.de |
Getting appointments
- With GKV you can see specialists without a referral (Überweisung), but many specialists give appointments faster with a GP referral marked "dringend" (urgent) — and the referral lets the Terminservicestelle (116 117 or 116117.de) find you an appointment within 4 weeks.
- Booking platforms: Doctolib, Jameda, and the doctor's own website. Calling right when the practice opens (often 8:00) works better than emailing.
- Look for "English-speaking doctor" filters on these platforms or on your consulate's list of doctors.
- Bring your eGK card at least once each quarter. Without it, the practice may bill you privately.
Sick notes (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, AU)
- Tell your employer on the first day, before work starts.
- You need a doctor's sick note from the 4th calendar day of illness — your employer may ask for it from day 1 (check your contract).
- The doctor sends the AU electronically to your Krankenkasse (eAU). Your employer retrieves it, and you no longer submit paper.
- Known patients with mild illness can get an AU by phone for up to 5 days.
Phrases at the doctor's
"Ich bin gesetzlich versichert." (I have statutory insurance) · "Ich habe seit drei Tagen Fieber." (fever for three days) · "Es tut hier weh." (it hurts here) · "Ich brauche eine Krankschreibung / ein Rezept / eine Überweisung." (sick note / prescription / referral) · "Bin ich ansteckend?" (am I contagious?) — more in Chapter 38.