Public limited company (AG)

ottonova private health insurance. A digital insurer from Munich that works in English from the app to the documents.

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ottonova logo

ottonova from Munich describes itself as Germany's first digital private health insurer and has insured customers since 2017. Its app, application and documents are in English, and customers reach an English-speaking team by chat.

Legal form
Public limited company (AG)
Group
ottonova Holding AG
Our favourites
  • Entry Premium Economy
  • Medium Business Class Pro
  • Max First Class Pro+
  • Expat First Class Expats

Contact

App
App Store (opens in a new tab)Google Play (opens in a new tab)
Online portal
ottonova.de (opens in a new tab)
English support
Chat in the app and web app, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm
Email
helpdesk@ottonova.de

Service in English

App
English
Application
English
Documents
English
Hotline
English

For expats

Is ottonova a good choice for expats?

ottonova is one of two insurers on our list that work in English from the app to the support team. It asks customers to use the chat in its app or web app, where an English-speaking team answers. We recommend three ottonova tariffs, one each for Entry, Medium and Max cover, and its expat tariff First Class Expats. In a free call, we compare ottonova with the rest of the market.

Our favourites

Which ottonova tariffs do we recommend?

  1. Entry

    Premium Economy

    A two-bed room and treatment by the senior consultant in hospital, dental treatment at 100% with dentures and orthodontics at 80%, and a deductible of 10% up to €500 or 50% up to €1,000 a year.

  2. Medium

    Business Class Pro

    No deductible, a two-bed room and treatment by the senior consultant in hospital, and dental treatment at 100%, dentures at 80% and orthodontics at 90%.

  3. Max

    First Class Pro+

    No deductible, a single room and treatment by the senior consultant in hospital, and dental treatment at 100%, dentures at 90% and orthodontics at 100%.

  4. Expat plan

    First Class Expats

    For expats, a single or two-bed room and treatment by the senior consultant in hospital, dental treatment at 100% with dentures and orthodontics at 90%, and a deductible of 10% up to €500 a year.

In English

How well does ottonova work in English?

ottonova offers its app, its application and its documents in English. Customers reach an English-speaking team in the chat of the app or web app, Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm, and ottonova says it also offers English support by phone. The binding contract is in German, and the English documents are translations of it. If anything in the German text is unclear, we explain it to you before you sign and whenever a letter arrives later.

Service in English

App
English
Application
English
Documents
English
Hotline
English

Ownership

Who owns ottonova?

ottonova Krankenversicherung AG is a public limited company. Its only shareholder is ottonova Holding AG, which holds all of its shares. It is therefore not a mutual insurer, which would belong to its policyholders. As in every German private health insurer, whatever its legal form, the law sets a minimum share of the surplus that must go back to policyholders.

History

The story of ottonova

ottonova was founded in Munich on 1 December 2015 by the physician Dr Roman Rittweger, the designer Sebastian Scheerer and the computer scientist Frank Birzle. Their aim, in their own words, was to rethink health insurance as a digital company. In June 2017 the financial supervisor BaFin granted the licence, and ottonova began insuring customers as, by its own account, Germany's first digital private health insurer. A tariff for expats followed in April 2018. Investors backed the company in funding rounds of €50 million in 2019, €40 million in 2021 and €34 million in 2022. ottonova opened an office in Cologne in 2020, bought the insurance portal KVpro at the end of 2021 and started company health insurance in 2022. Since 2024 it has sold full cover to international students through a partnership with Expatrio. ottonova does not publish how many people it insures with full cover; according to BaFin, it insured 52,712 people at the end of 2024, counting full and supplementary cover together. The company had 198 employees in 2025.

FAQ

Questions about ottonova

Ask us anything
How do I contact ottonova as a customer?
ottonova asks its customers to use the chat in the app or web app, which is staffed Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm. You can also write to helpdesk@ottonova.de.
Is my ottonova contract in English?
You receive English documents, but the binding contract is the German version. We explain the German text whenever you need it.
What can I do if my ottonova premium goes up?
You can switch to another ottonova tariff with comparable cover and keep your savings for old age, which German law guarantees. For benefits that the new tariff adds, a surcharge, a waiting period or an exclusion may apply. We check your options with you before you switch.

Is ottonova right for you?

Jonas MarxFounder, licensed insurance broker

In a free 30-minute call on Zoom, we compare ottonova with the rest of the market for your situation.

    Compare ottonova with the market

    Prefer to write first? Email us at info@thegoodbroker.de.

    Sources and status ·
    1. [1]ottonova, imprint (legal name, register, email)
    2. [2]ottonova, about us (founding, founders, milestones)
    3. [3]ottonova, concierge service (chat hours)
    4. [4]ottonova, English expat page ("We offer English-speaking support via phone and chat"; "The contract language will be German only")
    5. [5]ottonova Krankenversicherung AG, Solvency and Financial Condition Report 2025 (licence and start of business 2017, sole shareholder, employees, Expatrio partnership)
    6. [6]BaFin, insurance statistics 2024, health insurers, table "Ausgewählte Kennzahlen" (52,712 insured people at the end of 2024, full and supplementary cover)
    7. [7]§§ 150 and 151 VAG, § 22 KVAV (minimum share of the surplus); § 204 VVG (tariff switch with the same insurer)
    8. [8]Favourite tariffs and expat tariff: TheGoodBroker comparison system, 15 October 2026