DKV Residentes — insurance for German citizens living in Spain
Technical parameters
Price
Price: calculated individually, based on the modality, the age of the insured person and the place of residence
Family discount: up to 12%
Term: annual contract renewed each year
| Who can take it out | |
| Documents | A link with both countries is required, Germany and Spain: passport or residence permit |
| Age, individual policy | Up to 75 |
| Age, collective policy | Up to 67 |
| Assisted reproduction | Individual policies only, 48-month wait; 2 inseminations and 1 IVF; woman up to 42, man up to 55; DKV network only, with prior authorisation |
| Acupuncture for pain | Covered, on medical prescription |
| Modalities | |
| Modality 20 | Care in Spain: DKV network and 100% reimbursement outside it |
| Modality 22 | Modality 20 plus care in Germany up to 100 days a year, repatriation up to €6,000 and the Best Care service |
| Cover | |
| Outside the DKV network in Spain | 100% reimbursement |
| Treatment in Germany | Up to 100 days a year, 100% reimbursement (modality 22) |
| Hospitalisation | No limit; psychiatric care, 60 days a year |
| Room | Single, with a bed for a companion |
| Dentistry | 100% in network, 80% outside, up to €3,000 a year |
| Medicines | Up to €1,000 a year |
| Care aids | Up to €1,800 |
| Prostheses | No limit in network; cardiac and vascular, up to €12,000 |
| Intraocular lens in cataract surgery | Up to €600 |
| Travel abroad | Up to 180 days, up to €30,000 per claim |
| Psychotherapy | 20 sessions a year |
| Repatriation | Up to €6,000 (modality 22) |
| Waiting periods | |
| Emergency and accident | None |
| Outpatient surgery, groups 0, I, II | 6 months |
| CT, MRI, lithotripsy, interventional diagnostics | 6 months |
| Psychotherapy, podiatric surgery | 6 months |
| Surgery groups III–VIII, hospitalisation, prostheses | 8 months |
| Childbirth and caesarean, except premature | 8 months |
| Dental prostheses, maxillary orthopaedics | 8 months |
| Best Care | 3 months |
| Transplants, HIV and AIDS | 12 months |
| Assisted reproduction | 48 months |
The figures are taken from the general conditions of DKV Residentes. The specific cover and limits are set out in the particular conditions of your policy.
What this policy is
DKV Residentes does not work like an ordinary health insurance policy. With a standard policy you are treated by doctors from the insurer's list. That list exists here too — the entire DKV network — but you are not restricted to it: you may go to any doctor and any clinic in Spain, pay the bill and be reimbursed 100%.
The policy is intended for clients who hold the documents linking them to both Germany and Spain at the same time — a passport or residence permit.
The second distinctive feature is the link with Germany. In the extended modality the policy covers treatment in Germany for up to 100 days a year with the same full reimbursement, as well as repatriation.
Two modalities
Modality 20 — basic. Healthcare in Spain: the DKV network plus 100% reimbursement at doctors and centres outside it.
Modality 22 — basic plus Germany. Everything above and, in addition, treatment in Germany for up to 100 days a year with 100% reimbursement, repatriation in the event of death — transfer to the international airport in Germany nearest the place of burial, up to €6,000 — and the Best Care service.
Best Care guarantees that, when certain serious illnesses are diagnosed, care is arranged at short notice in Germany with a specialist of recognised standing. It includes a payment of €500 in the event of a claim and a further €500 in compensation if the deadlines are not met.
What is covered
General medicine: primary care, paediatrics, nursing and 24-hour medical emergencies.
Specialists: cardiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, traumatology, gynaecology, oncology and all other fields.
Diagnostics: ultrasound, MRI, CT, radiotherapy, lithotripsy, virtual colonoscopy at network centres.
Hospitalisation and surgery: without limit, except psychiatric care, capped at 60 days a year. Single room with a bed for a companion.
Dentistry: 100% reimbursement at network centres and 80% outside the network, up to €3,000 a year.
Medicines: up to €1,000 a year. Auxiliary care aids — wheelchairs, CPAP devices and similar — up to €1,800.
Prostheses: without limit within the DKV network, except cardiac and vascular ones, capped at €12,000 per insured person. Outside the network, up to €12,000. Intraocular lens in cataract surgery, up to €600.
Travel abroad: medical assistance for illness or accident while travelling, up to 180 days and with a limit of €30,000 per claim and per insured person.
Psychotherapy: 20 sessions a year at network centres. The 24-hour DKV doctor line, a psycho-emotional line and video consultations.
New in 2026: lymphatic drainage after oncological treatment, up to 20 sessions a year per insured person; psychological support for neurodevelopmental disorders, covering autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Waiting periods
All cover applies from the first day except for the items below. Emergencies and accidents never carry a waiting period.
Six months: outpatient surgery in groups 0, I and II; CT and MRI scans; musculoskeletal lithotripsy; interventional diagnostics without hospitalisation; psychotherapy sessions; podiatric surgery and biomechanical gait analysis.
Eight months: surgery in groups III to VIII, hospitalisation and surgical prostheses; childbirth of any kind other than premature, and caesarean section; dental prostheses and maxillary orthopaedics; proton therapy for paediatric tumours.
Twelve months: transplants; medical care for HIV and AIDS.
Three months: the Best Care service, except after an accident.
Forty-eight months: assisted reproduction techniques, covered only under the individual modality and only through the DKV network of health services.
Terms of contract
The policy can be taken out up to the age of 75 for the individual modality and up to 67 for the collective one. The price depends on the modality, the age of the insured person and the place of residence. Family discount of up to 12%.
Typical tasks that this policy solves
I almost always propose DKV Residentes to German citizens who have moved to live in Spain but want to keep the option of being treated the way they are used to. For me that is the main point of this policy: the person lives in Spain, yet does not have to choose between Spanish and German medicine.
It suits particularly well those who still have their doctors, specialists or clinics in Germany and want to keep going to them. In Spain there is no rigid tie to the DKV network either: you can use DKV doctors or choose your own and receive 100% reimbursement of costs within the terms of the policy.
But I always ask about documents first. Residentes is not available simply to anyone living in Spain who would like treatment in Germany. The client must have a documented link with both countries, Germany and Spain: this may be a passport or a residence permit of the relevant country. If the necessary documents are missing, we do not consider this product.
Nor would I advise choosing Residentes for the sake of 100% reimbursement alone. If you live permanently in Spain, the DKV network suits you and you are not planning treatment in Germany, there are other health policies that may make more sense on price. I propose Residentes precisely when the link with Germany remains part of a person's life and they genuinely intend to use healthcare in both countries.