According to Section 5, Paragraph 1, No. 9 of the Fifth Book of the German Social Security Code (SGB V), students are required to have statutory health insurance if they are enrolled at state or state-recognized German universities. Therefore, in order to be enrolled at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts (HFBK Hamburg), you must either have statutory health insurance or be exempted from compulsory insurance by a statutory health insurance company.

The insurance status (legally insured or exempt) is communicated to the universities by the statutory health insurance companies via an electronic reporting procedure. Therefore, you must contact a statutory health insurance company as soon as possible after receiving your letter of admission and either take out student insurance there or have yourself exempted so that your insurance status is reported to the HFBK Hamburg. If you do not notify the HFBK Hamburg of your insurance status, you cannot be enrolled and will not receive any semester documents.

For the notification of the insurance status to the HFBK Hamburg, the health insurance companies may need the sender number of the HFBK Hamburg: H0003259.

According to §⁠ ⁠5 para. 1 no. 9 of the Fifth Book of the German Social Security Code (SGB V), students are required to be insured in the statutory health insurance if they are enrolled at state or state-recognized German universities.

The exchange of insurance status (legally insured or exempt) takes place between the HFBK Hamburg and the statutory health insurance companies via an electronic reporting procedure.

If your insurance status changes during your studies at the HFBK Hamburg or if you change your health insurance company, then you do not need to submit paper proofs to us. Please contact your statutory health insurance company directly. Your health insurance company may need the HFBK Hamburg sender number to notify you of your insurance status. This is: H0003259.

Please note that the statutory health insurance companies use the electronic notification procedure to inform the HFBK Hamburg if you have not fulfilled your obligations to the health insurance company (e.g. outstanding contribution payments) and therefore do not have valid health insurance coverage. If you do not take care of the matter immediately, not having health insurance coverage can lead to exmatriculation.

• If you become subject to compulsory student health insurance as a result of your enrollment, you may be exempt from compulsory insurance under certain conditions. The notification of exemption from compulsory insurance can be made by any statutory health insurance company.

• Private health insurance: If you wish to remain privately insured (e.g. via a co-insurance through your parents), you can be exempted from compulsory insurance. This also applies to persons entitled to assistance or persons who enjoy free medical care or military care. In this case, please contact a statutory health insurance company so that a notification of exemption can be sent to the University of Hamburg.

• Over 30 years old: If you are over 30 years old, you are not subject to student insurance coverage based on your enrollment. Therefore, you may be exempt from compulsory insurance based on your age. In this case, please contact a statutory health insurance company so that a notification of exemption can be sent to the University of Hamburg.

• European health insurance: If you have health insurance in another European country, this can replace the insurance in Germany. In this case, please contact a German statutory health insurance company so that a notification of exemption is sent to the HFBK Hamburg.

• Before the exemption is issued, please get detailed advice from the statutory health insurance company about the consequences of the exemption from compulsory insurance, because if you claim the exemption, it is valid for the entire duration of your studies and cannot be revoked.

• Students who have health insurance in a European country are usually exempt from compulsory insurance. Please contact a German statutory health insurance company to have the exemption confirmed.

• Travel health insurance does not provide sufficient coverage for studying in Germany. Therefore, do not take out a travel health insurance for the duration of your study stay, this type of insurance is not sufficient for studying in Germany.

• Please always make sure that your health insurance covers you against all risks of illness, as treatment costs in Germany are high and must be paid privately if the insurance does not cover them. If you have any questions about health insurance coverage in Germany, please contact the Social & International Counseling Center.

• International students who are currently still abroad and cannot obtain valid health insurance until they arrive in Germany can apply for insurance after their arrival in Germany, at the latest by October 15.

• If you already need a health insurance certificate to apply for a visa, you have the option of initially taking out health insurance for the first three months of your stay only. After your arrival in Hamburg, you will then take out health insurance for your studies.

Please note that you must have any form of health insurance that is not a German statutory health insurance checked by a statutory health insurance company. If your health insurance provides sufficient coverage for studying in Germany, any German statutory health insurance fund can report an exemption from the statutory health insurance obligation.