Optionstarif: option tariff in German private health insurance
Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reviewed by Jonas Marx
An Optionstarif (option tariff) lets someone in the GKV secure their current health status for a later switch to private health insurance. Once eligible, for example through a salary above the JAEG or self-employment, you can move into the insurer’s full cover without new health questions.
Key facts
- For people in the GKV who expect to become eligible for private health insurance later
- Health questions once, when you take out the option; later changes in your health do not count when you switch
- Does not replace the access rules: employees still need a salary above the JAEG (€77,400 in 2026)
- The premium for full cover is set when you switch, at the age you have reached by then
- Conditions differ by insurer: maximum entry age, how long the option runs and when you can use it
- Option rights also exist inside the PKV, for upgrades at set life events without new health questions
What is an Optionstarif?
An Optionstarif (option tariff) is an add-on policy that secures your right to private health insurance later, without new health questions. You answer the health questions once, when you take it out. If your health changes afterwards, that does not count when you use the option to switch into the insurer's full cover.
It is aimed at people in the GKV (statutory health insurance) who expect to become eligible for private health insurance: employees whose salary is heading for the income threshold, future self-employed people and those starting a civil service career.
What does an Optionstarif secure?
It secures your health status, not your access to private health insurance. Employees can switch once their salary is above the JAEG (€77,400 in 2026); self-employed people and civil servants can choose at any time. Surcharges or exclusions agreed when you took out the option carry over into full cover.
The premium for full cover is set at the age you have reached when you switch, so using the option as soon as you are eligible means a lower starting premium.
How do you use the option?
You use the option by applying in writing to the insurer within a limited window after you become eligible, so apply as soon as your GKV obligation ends. The other conditions depend on the tariff: the maximum age at which you can take the option out, how long it runs, and the moments at which you can use it, such as starting a job, marriage or the birth of a child. Some insurers also require a supplementary policy with them. We check these conditions with you before you sign.
Are there option rights inside private health insurance?
Yes. Some PKV tariffs include an option to upgrade to a higher tariff at set moments, for example marriage, the birth of a child or starting a career, without new health questions. Some expat tariffs for temporary residents include an option to switch into regular full cover, which builds Altersrückstellung (ageing provisions) from then on; whether a given expat tariff has this option depends on the tariff, and we check it for you.
An Anwartschaftsversicherung (dormant cover) works differently: it keeps an existing private contract on hold, for example during a stay abroad.
Related terms
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