Health Check-ups in Germany: Recommended Exams by Age and Gender

You moved to Germany, you pay into a health insurer every month, and yet nobody has ever told you which check-ups you are actually entitled to. Your doctor back home would have sent reminders; here, silence. This guide lays out the statutory preventive exams in Germany by age and gender, explains how to book them, and shows what they really involve once you are in the waiting room.

Why Preventive Care in Germany Feels So Confusing at First

When I arrived, I assumed that preventive care would simply “happen” the way it did at home. I would turn up for a cold, the doctor would glance at my file, and someone would say, “You’re due for your screening.” That is not how it works here. German preventive medicine is excellent and generous, but it is built on the expectation that you, the patient, know your entitlements and ask for them. Once you understand that, the whole system becomes much less mysterious.

Who Decides What Is Covered

The list of preventive exams that statutory insurers pay for is not invented by your individual Krankenkasse or by your doctor. It is set by the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss, usually shortened to G-BA, a joint federal committee of doctors, hospitals and insurers. The G-BA writes guidelines that say which exam is offered, from which age, and how often. Every public insurer has to follow them, which means that whether you are with TK, AOK, Barmer or a small company fund, the core list of check-ups is the same.

That is the first big relief for newcomers: you do not have to compare insurers on this point. If you are still deciding between systems, our overview Health Insurance in Germany: Understanding Public vs Private Coverage explains the bigger differences. For the preventive exams in this article, the rules described are the statutory ones for people with public health insurance.

Why Nobody Reminds You

Here is the cultural part that tripped me up. In many countries, a practice software flags overdue screenings and the receptionist calls you. In Germany, the Hausarzt (family doctor) is often juggling a full waiting room, and the default assumption is that adults manage their own preventive calendar. Some practices are proactive, especially with long-term patients, but many are not. The one notable exception is mammography screening, where an official invitation letter arrives by post, which I explain further down.

So if you have been here two years and never had a check-up, do not feel guilty. Almost every expat I know has had the same experience. The fix is simple: know your ages and intervals, put them in your calendar, and say the right words when you call the practice.

Statutory Versus Private Insurance

Everything in the tables below describes the statutory programme for people in the public system. If you are privately insured, your preventive cover depends on your tariff. Many private tariffs mirror the statutory list or go further, but the details live in your policy documents, not in the G-BA guidelines. Providers such as ottonova publish their tariff conditions, and it is worth reading the section on preventive care (Vorsorge) before you book anything, because private patients usually pay the invoice first and claim it back afterwards.

If you are not yet settled in either system and are relying on a travel medical policy, be aware that this kind of cover is built for unexpected illness and accidents, not for routine screening. A policy like SafetyWing is useful as a bridge in the early weeks, but you should read its terms carefully and assume that a scheduled check-up is not what it is designed to pay for. Our guide Travel Medical Cover for Germany: What It Does and Does Not Replace goes into that difference in more detail.

The Statutory Check-ups by Age: The Complete Calendar

This is the heart of the article. Below are the preventive exams offered to adults with public insurance, with the exact ages and intervals that apply. I have grouped them by life stage, because that is how you will actually experience them.

Master Table of Statutory Preventive Exams

Print this, screenshot it, or copy it into your phone’s calendar. It is the single most useful thing you can take from this guide.

Your Twenties and Early Thirties: 18 to 34

Between 18 and 34, every adult with public insurance is entitled to one general health check-up, the Gesundheits-Check-up. It is a one-off in that age span, so many people never use it simply because they do not know it exists. I would encourage you to take it, especially if you have just moved and have not seen a doctor in a while. It gives you a baseline and, just as importantly, it gets you registered as a patient at a practice before you actually need one.

For women, this life stage also brings the start of cervical cancer screening. From 20 to 34, a cytology smear (the Pap test) is offered every year at the gynaecologist. From 30, a yearly breast palpation is added to that appointment. Most women I know combine these into one annual visit to the Frauenarzt, which keeps things simple.

A typical scenario: Lena, a 27-year-old engineer from Toronto, arrives in Munich, registers with her Krankenkasse and does nothing medical for a year. When she finally books a gynaecologist for an unrelated issue, the doctor asks when her last smear was and offers it on the spot. She did not know she was entitled to it every year. If she had known, she would have booked it as soon as her insurance card arrived.

The Big Step at 35

Thirty-five is the age when German preventive care really opens up. Three things change at once for everyone:

1. The Gesundheits-Check-up moves from a one-off to a repeat exam every 3 years.
2. A one-time screening for hepatitis B and hepatitis C is added.
3. Skin cancer screening starts, and is offered every 2 years.

For women, cervical screening also changes at 35. Instead of a yearly Pap smear on its own, you get a combined test, cytology plus an HPV test, every 3 years. Many women are surprised by this and worry that “less often” means “less care”. It does not. The combined test is more informative, which is why the interval is longer. The annual breast palpation that began at 30 continues every year.

When I turned 35, I asked my Hausarzt to bundle the check-up, the hepatitis screening and the skin screening into as few visits as possible. Not every practice can do the skin exam, since it requires a specific qualification, but many family doctors do offer it. If yours does not, a dermatologist (Hautarzt) can, and you do not need a referral for it.

From 45: Men’s Prostate and Genital Exam

From 45, men are entitled to a prostate and genital examination every year. It is usually done by a urologist, though some family doctors offer it too. The statutory exam is a physical examination. If a doctor suggests additional tests on top of it, ask clearly whether those are part of the statutory programme or a self-pay extra, which I cover later in this guide.

For more on this side of things, our guide Men’s Health in Germany: Prostate, Heart Health, and Regular Check-ups explores the practical side of finding a urologist and what the appointment feels like.

From 50: Colorectal Screening and Mammography

Fifty is the second big milestone. From 50, both women and men can choose between two forms of colorectal cancer screening:

• a stool blood test every 2 years, which you take at home and hand back to the practice, or
• a colonoscopy, with up to two colonoscopies 10 years apart.

You do not have to do both; it is a choice. People who dread the bowel preparation often start with the stool test, while others prefer a colonoscopy because one clear result covers them for years. Talk it through with your Hausarzt, who can explain the trade-offs for your situation and refer you to a gastroenterologist if you choose the colonoscopy.

For women, 50 is also when the mammography screening programme begins. It runs every 2 years from 50 to 75. This is the one exam where Germany does send you an invitation: a letter arrives with a suggested appointment at a screening unit near you, based on your registered address. That is another reason to keep your Anmeldung up to date. If the suggested date does not suit you, the letter explains how to change it.

From 65: The Aortic Aneurysm Ultrasound for Men

At 65, men become entitled to a one-off ultrasound scan to check for an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a dangerous widening of the main artery in the belly. It is quick, painless and done once. Your Hausarzt can perform it or refer you to someone who does.

Check-ups by Gender: Side-by-Side Comparison

The age calendar is the most useful way to plan, but many readers think in terms of “What applies to me as a woman?” or “What applies to me as a man?” So here is the same information sorted by gender.

Exams for Women

The gynaecologist is the anchor of women’s preventive care in Germany. Many women here see their Frauenarzt more regularly than their Hausarzt. If you are still looking for one, our guide Women’s Health in Germany: Gynecologists, Maternity Care, and More walks you through how to find a practice that takes new patients.

Exams for Men

Men, in my experience, are the group most likely to skip preventive care entirely, and the German system does nothing to chase you. If you are a man over 45 who has never seen a urologist here, this is your gentle nudge.

What Both Genders Share

It is easy to focus on the gender-specific exams and forget the shared backbone: the general health check-up, the one-time hepatitis screening from 35, the skin cancer screening every 2 years from 35, and the colorectal screening choice from 50. Those four apply to everyone and are often the ones people forget, because they are not attached to a specialist visit you would make anyway.

How to Book and Make the Most of Your Check-ups

Knowing your entitlements is half the battle. The other half is navigating the practical side: phone calls in German, finding a practice that accepts new patients, and understanding what happens in the room.

Step-by-Step: Booking Your First Check-up

1. Find a Hausarzt who is taking new patients. If you do not have one yet, see Finding a Doctor (Hausarzt) in Germany: How to Choose and Register.
2. Call or book online and say clearly that you want a preventive appointment. The magic word is “Vorsorge”, and for the general exam, “Gesundheits-Check-up” or simply “Check-up”.
3. Mention your age, so the practice knows which elements apply to you, for example the hepatitis screening or the skin exam from 35.
4. Ask whether you should come fasting. Many practices take blood at the check-up and prefer you to come in the morning without breakfast.
5. Bring your insurance card (Gesundheitskarte), a list of any medications you take, and any previous lab results or vaccination records you have.
6. After the appointment, note the date in your calendar together with the date the next exam becomes due.

Getting an appointment can take patience, especially in big cities. Our guide Doctor’s Appointments in Germany: Making Appointments and Avoiding Long Waits has practical tricks, from online booking platforms to calling right when the phone lines open.

What Happens at the Gesundheits-Check-up

The general check-up is not a dramatic event. Expect a conversation about your medical history and your family’s history, questions about lifestyle such as smoking, alcohol and exercise, a physical examination, and a blood pressure measurement. Depending on your age and risk factors, blood and urine tests may be part of it. From 35, the one-off hepatitis B and C test is usually done with the same blood draw.

Afterwards, the doctor discusses the results with you, sometimes at a short follow-up appointment once the lab values are back. If you find German lab reports intimidating, ask the doctor to walk you through each flagged value before you leave, and ask for a printed copy for your own records. German reports list each marker with a reference range and mark anything outside it, often with an asterisk or an arrow-like symbol in the margin, which looks alarming but frequently means a value is only slightly off. A good doctor will tell you which deviations matter and which are normal variation for someone of your age and history.

Handling the Language Barrier

Medical conversations are stressful in your own language, never mind in German. A few phrases go a long way: “Ich möchte einen Termin zur Vorsorge” (I would like a preventive appointment), “Wann ist die nächste Untersuchung fällig?” (When is the next exam due?), and “Ist das eine Kassenleistung?” (Is this covered by my public insurance?). That last question is the most important one you will ever ask in a German practice.

If your German is not there yet, many doctors in larger cities speak English, and plenty will happily switch if you ask politely. Seeing a Doctor Who Doesn’t Speak English: Tips for Overcoming Language Barriers has more strategies, from bringing a written list of symptoms to using a translation app for the medical history form.

IGeL: The Self-Pay Extras You Will Be Offered

Sooner or later, a practice will hand you a leaflet or ask whether you want an “IGeL” service. IGeL stands for Individuelle Gesundheitsleistungen, meaning individual health services that the statutory insurer does not pay for. Common examples include extra ultrasound scans, additional blood markers, or certain eye pressure measurements.

These are not scams, but they are not part of the statutory programme either. The doctor must tell you in advance that you will pay yourself and should give you a written agreement before the service. Take your time, ask what the benefit is for your specific situation, and do not feel pressured to decide on the spot. You can always go home, read up, and come back.

Privately Insured: How It Differs

If you are in the private system, the flow is a bit different. You usually receive an invoice after the appointment, pay it, and submit it to your insurer. Whether a given preventive exam is reimbursed depends on your tariff. Some private plans cover a broad range of check-ups, others stick close to the statutory list. Before you book, read your policy’s Vorsorge section, or ask your insurer directly. Expat-oriented brokers such as Feather Insurance can explain how preventive care is handled in the plans they place, which is useful when you are still comparing options. For a broader look at that system, see Private Health Insurance in Germany: Benefits, Costs, and Eligibility.

Keeping Your Own Records

Because nobody will remind you, the best habit you can build is keeping your own preventive calendar. I keep a simple note on my phone with each exam, the date I had it, and the date the next one is due. I also keep copies of lab results and screening letters in one folder. That folder has saved me more than once when I changed doctors or moved cities. Our guide Medical Records in Germany: Keeping Track of Your Health Documents explains how to request copies and what the electronic patient record means for you.

A practical tip: many statutory insurers run bonus programmes that reward you for taking part in preventive exams. The rules differ by insurer, so look at your Krankenkasse’s app or website and see whether your check-ups can count toward something. It is a small extra motivation to stay on schedule.

A Year-by-Year Example

To make all of this concrete, imagine Daniel and Priya, a couple who move to Hamburg when he is 44 and she is 36.

• Priya books her Gesundheits-Check-up with the hepatitis B and C screening in her first months, sees a gynaecologist for the combined cytology and HPV test plus a breast palpation, and has her skin checked by a dermatologist. Her next check-up and next combined cervical test are both due 3 years later, the skin screening after 2 years, and the breast palpation every year.
• Daniel does the same check-up, hepatitis screening and skin exam. The following year, at 45, he adds his first prostate and genital exam with a urologist, which then becomes a yearly appointment.
• When Daniel turns 50, he chooses the stool blood test every 2 years, and later switches to a colonoscopy after talking it through with his doctor.
• When Priya turns 50, the mammography invitation arrives by post, and she also starts colorectal screening.

Nothing in this example is unusual. It is simply the statutory programme followed on time, which is all it takes.

What If You Missed an Exam or Arrived Mid-Interval

A question I hear constantly from newcomers: “I had a smear back home eight months ago. Do I have to wait, or start again?” The honest answer is that the German intervals are entitlements, not obligations, and your doctor will look at your history to decide what makes sense. Bring whatever records you have from home, even if they are in English. A doctor who can see your last results can plan your next exam sensibly instead of guessing.

If you have simply missed an exam, for example you are 41 and have never had the check-up from 35, there is no penalty and no catch-up paperwork. You just book it. The interval starts counting from the exam you actually have. The same logic applies to the skin cancer screening and the gynaecological exams: the clock starts when you show up.

What you should not do is assume that a check-up abroad automatically “counts” for your German record. Your insurer only knows about exams billed in Germany. That matters for things like bonus programmes, and it matters for your doctor’s overview, so tell them what you had and when.

When a Screening Finds Something

Screening is designed to catch problems early, which means that sometimes it does catch something, or at least something that needs a second look. A suspicious mole, an unclear smear result, a positive stool blood test: none of these is a diagnosis. They are reasons for a follow-up.

In Germany, follow-up tests after an abnormal screening result are part of medical care, not prevention, and your doctor will refer you on as needed. If you get a referral (Überweisung) to a specialist, the practice will usually explain what to do, but the booking is often yours to make. Our guide Specialists and Referrals: How to See a Specialist Doctor in Germany explains how that works and how to speed things up when the first available appointment feels far away.

I remember the week after my own skin screening flagged a mole for removal. The dermatologist explained it in rapid German, I nodded along, and only at home did I realise I had no idea whether it was urgent. The lesson: always ask, before you leave, “Wie dringend ist das?” (How urgent is this?) and “Was ist der nächste Schritt?” (What is the next step?). Doctors here respect direct questions.

Common Mistakes Expats Make With Preventive Care

Over the years, I have watched friends and readers stumble over the same handful of problems. Here are the ones worth avoiding:

1. Waiting for a reminder that never comes. Apart from mammography, you have to initiate almost everything yourself.
2. Booking a “normal” appointment instead of a preventive one. If you do not say “Vorsorge” or “Check-up”, the practice may schedule a short sick-visit slot that is not long enough for the full exam.
3. Assuming the gynaecologist or urologist will also do the general check-up. They usually do not; that is the Hausarzt’s job.
4. Agreeing to self-pay extras without understanding them. Always ask whether something is covered before it happens.
5. Letting the address registration lapse. The mammography invitation goes to your registered address, so a move without updating your Anmeldung can mean a missed letter.
6. Not keeping copies. When you change cities, your new doctor starts from zero unless you bring your history.

None of these mistakes is serious on its own, but together they explain why so many expats go years without the exams they are paying for through their contributions.

Vaccinations and Dental Visits Alongside Your Check-ups

Preventive care is broader than screening. While you are at your check-up, ask your doctor to look at your vaccination record and tell you whether anything needs updating. If you did not bring your records from home, now is the moment to start a German Impfpass. Our overview Vaccinations in Germany: Recommended Shots for Adults and Children explains what adults are typically advised to keep up to date.

Dental check-ups are a separate track, handled by your dentist rather than your doctor. Ask your dentist about the stamp booklet (Bonusheft) on your first visit, because regular documented check-ups can matter later if you need dental work. For the full picture, see Dental Care in Germany: Finding Dentists and Understanding Costs.

Disclaimer

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Laws, prices and regulations vary by location and change over time. Consult a qualified professional for guidance on your specific situation.

✅ Before You Go: Germany Essentials Checklist

Did you sort out the basics? Make sure you're ready for your new life in Germany.

Moving Abroad 5 Free Quotes from Movers

Money Transfer Best Rates with Wise

Getting Around Trains, Buses & Flights on Omio