Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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f nfo: n id In Insider
s spects f ere t a differen on many i io rm tion nformat t: it: tailed in many vis For deta n y in Germ d g.de/en l securit ia icherun of socia ia rsic sozi lve s utsche-s www.de
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Research visit based on an employment contract: If you conduct your research in Germany on the basis of an employment contract you are required to pay xed statutory social security contributions. The employer and the employee each pay half of the contributions (approximately 20% of your gross salary each). Accident insurance contributions are paid entirely by the employer. As soon as you take up your position, your host institution will take the steps necessary to register you for insurance. You will be registered with the Krankenkasse (health insurance provider) of your choice which will then inform the other social security providers. Once registration has been completed you will receive a Versicherungsnummer (insurance number) and a Versicherungsnachweisheft (insurance booklet) from the pension scheme provider. The employer is responsible for paying the contributions and will deduct the sum at source.
Transfer of rights: Citizens of EU Member States, EEA States and Switzerland are covered by an EU regulation on the rights and transferability of social security entitlements within the European Union. The EEC regulations stipulate two basic principles: 1. You are insured in the country you work in 2. You are only subject to the legislation of one Member State
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Disclaimer:
The insurance providers cited in this chapter are known to the Welcome Centre. However, the Welcome Centre can accept no responsibility for the quality or completeness of the information.
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Statutory health insurance providers
The level of contributions to statutory health insurance providers has been standardised. The standard rate is 14.9 % (as of 01.07.2009), of which the employer pays 7% and the employee 7.9%. Contributions for health insurance cover are deducted from your gross salary at source. The benets of statutory health insurance are, for the most part, also standardised. There are differences in customer service, additional benets and optional premiums. You are free to choose your statutory health insurance company. A comparison of the different insurance benets is therefore still worthwhile. If your marital partner or children are accompanying you to Germany it may be possible under certain circumstances to insure them on the same policy at no additional cost (family insurance). In order to benet from this offer, the family members must be registered in Germany as their main residence. By contrast to private insurance companies, statutory insurance providers pay the costs to the doctor or hospital directly. You merely have to present your insurance card before treatment. Travelling abroad in Europe if you are a statutory health insurance user Every statutory health insurance provider is required to issue its members with a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This facilitates your path to treatment during a temporary visit abroad in Europe. Statutory health insurance users are entitled to medical treatment in case of injury or acute illness in the EU Member States as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. This means you have a right to the treatment that is medically necessary during your stay. You are entitled to the same medical treatment in the host country as the residents of that country themselves. The costs are covered by your statutory health insurance provider and will be paid at the same rate as they would if they had been incurred at home; any excess costs must be paid by you, the patient.
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EUliss e Inform s EU Lin ks and ation Europ o ean C n Social S e ommi porta l ssion curity Intern et h
ttp://e c.euro e p a.eu/e ulisse s
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Special Case: EU Citizens
The following information applies to citizens of EU States, as well as citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, who are spending time abroad. In the case of hospital treatment in another Member State, the agreement of the health insurance scheme must be obtained in advance. This may only be refused if you could obtain the same or equally effective treatment at the same general standard of medical knowledge in good time at a hospital in Germany. Extended health insurance cover comes into force if you are covered by statutory health insurance and you and your family are only staying in another country on a temporary basis - on holiday or business. In case of illness you are eligible for services that are necessary medically, including hospital treatment.
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Health insurance during short visits If you are insured privately or are covered by statutory insurance you may make use of the health services in other EU States, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and have the costs reimbursed by your health insurance provider. In cases of out-patient treatment, you can choose whether you wish to be treated in Germany or in another Member State. If you consult a doctor or use other medical services within the European Union you will initially have to pay the costs of the treatment on the spot and then submit the receipts to your insurance provider in your own country. The costs will then be reimbursed at the same level as they would if they had been incurred for treatment at home; any excess costs must be borne by patients themselves.
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Your pension scheme contributions will remain valid in every country in which you have been covered and have paid contributions until you have reached pensionable age according to the laws of the respective country. All social security providers award pensions on the basis of their own national legislation. This could mean that you might receive various different pensions.
Occupational pensions
If you are classied as a public service employee according to your employment contract you will usually be included in the statutory Versorgungsanstalt des Bundes und der Lnder (Pension Institution of the Federal Republic and the Lnder, VBL). VBL provides occupational pensions. The contributions to be paid by employees under the statutory scheme are xed at a certain percentage. If you are employed at a university on a short-term academic contract you can be exempted from the VBLs statutory insurance scheme. However, your employer will have to register you for the VBLs voluntary insurance scheme. In this case, it is only the employer who pays into the scheme, at a reduced premium. You can apply for exemption at the Personnel Department within two months of starting work.
gal gal e it en s re EU citizens v es free le vc SS p vide Advice for CSS) provid st rvice (C w social gnpos Serv aw, social ignpost Ser S Si n e la idence l h itize s The Citizen c ics ik reside opics like res citizens on t citi ns on or ce fo vice for EU a ad o etc. tion etc. ecu t a at security, taxa ights nsri ht zensrights r pa.eu/citi ttp: ec euro http://ec.eu
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Agentur fr Arbeit
www.arbeitsagentur.de
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