ENTreatment in Germany for Ukrainians covers two completely different situations behind the same question: a person already living in Germany who does not understand how medicine works here, and a person in Ukraine who wants to come for a specific treatment.
This page takes them separately, because the route, the papers and the money differ. It replaces neither a doctor’s consultation nor legal advice.
If you are already in Germany
Start with a family doctor (Hausarzt): this is the entry point, and most specialists are reached through their referral (Überweisung). With statutory insurance a referral is strictly required only for certain specialists; in an insurer’s family doctor programme, for almost all of them except eye doctors, gynaecologists and paediatricians. This is not bureaucratic friction but the way the system keeps one medical history in one place.
Medical cover depends on your registered status and on which authority handles your case. The procedure at present: people receiving Bürgergeld through the Jobcenter are insured with a statutory fund (Krankenkasse) and use its electronic card; people receiving social assistance through the Sozialamt are treated on the same terms. Until a residence document is issued, the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG) applies, covering mainly acute illness and pain, pregnancy and childbirth. For those who arrived after 1 April 2025, a switch from Bürgergeld to benefits under that act is being prepared — check with the Jobcenter or Sozialamt whether it applies now. The background is in our articles on health insurance in Germany and the German healthcare system.
Three practical questions come up most. A doctor who speaks Russian or Ukrainian can be found with the doctor search at 116117.de, which has a foreign-language filter. Prescriptions are written by the doctor and filled at a pharmacy (Apotheke); with statutory insurance they are electronic, read from your card or from a printed code. In the evening, at night and at weekends, when practices are closed, call the on-call medical service (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) on 116 117: the call is free, and a doctor can come to your home if necessary. If life is at risk, call 112.
If you are coming from Ukraine for treatment
The route is the same as for any foreign self-paying patient: discharge summary and images, translation, a written reply from the department, an invitation letter, a medical visa. A Ukrainian citizen with a biometric passport may, however, enter for treatment without a visa and stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within any 180 days; the invitation then helps if border officers ask about the purpose of the trip. Longer treatment needs a visa obtained before departure — see our page on the medical visa for Germany.
From a Ukrainian hospital, a German doctor needs the discharge summary, laboratory results and images on a disc or as DICOM files, the standard format for medical images. In oncology, add the histology blocks and slides — tissue embedded in paraffin and the sections cut from it: German pathologists review the material themselves, and a second opinion without it is incomplete.
Sometimes travelling is the wrong choice and treatment has to happen locally: the condition is unstable, or an operation cannot wait. Such cases are settled where the patient is.
Money: who pays for what
Anyone travelling from Ukraine pays for treatment: in a German hospital it is a paid service. Before admission the hospital states the expected costs in writing and usually asks for a deposit; what the bill consists of is explained under treatment prices in Germany.
State and charitable assistance programmes exist, but no commercial company allocates them. A treatment organiser cannot get anyone into such a programme, and a promise to «arrange a place» should make you wary.
People often forget to budget for the companion’s flights, accommodation during the outpatient phase, the interpreter and the follow-up visit.
Continuing treatment and going home
Most enquiries are not about an operation but about recovery — after injuries and after a stroke; see rehabilitation in Germany for Ukrainians.
Take home a discharge summary with the diagnosis coded in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), medicines named by active substance rather than by brand, a follow-up plan and the department’s contact details. Brand names differ between countries; without these papers, continuing treatment at home is hard.
For children, bring the vaccination record: in Germany it is compared with the local schedule, and missed vaccinations should be caught up promptly. The Robert Koch Institute publishes the immunisation schedule of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) in English.
Frequently asked questions
Do Ukrainians have to pay for treatment in Germany?
Those coming from Ukraine do: the hospital states the expected costs in writing beforehand and usually asks for a deposit. For residents receiving support through the Jobcenter or Sozialamt, the insurance fund or the authority pays, to an extent that depends on their status. The rules change, so check what applies now.
Where should a Ukrainian living in Germany start treatment?
With a family doctor (Hausarzt) near home. Bring your insurance card or, if you receive support under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, the treatment document from the authority. The doctor examines you and, if needed, writes a prescription or refers you to a specialist. When practices are closed, call 116 117; if life is at risk, call 112.
Can a treatment organiser get a Ukrainian into a state or charity programme?
No. Such programmes are allocated by those who run them — state bodies and charitable foundations — not by commercial companies. An organiser can translate documents, obtain a hospital’s written reply and pass on its estimate, but cannot promise or sell a place in a programme. An offer to arrange one for money is a reason to be wary.
What AlenMed does and what it does not do
AlenMed is a commercial treatment organiser: it translates documents, obtains a written reply from a suitable department, prepares the invitation letter, meets the patient and provides an interpreter. It works with 86 partner hospitals in 38 German cities and 345 doctors, and its office is in Munich. The steps are described under arranging treatment in Germany.
What the company does not do: it does not obtain residence statuses, does not place anyone in state programmes, gives no legal advice and promises no free treatment. These are exactly the things people most often expect from a treatment organiser.
This material is for information only and is not an offer. The treatment plan is decided by a doctor in person; check residence and medical-cover rules with official sources.