ENSomeone looking up dialysis in Germany is almost never asking what dialysis is: they know it better than any article, often from years of sessions three times a week. Their questions are far more practical: can I keep dialysing while in Germany for treatment or a family visit, and will a German centre see my case differently from my unit at home?
This page covers the two forms of dialysis as German centres run them, guest dialysis for travellers, what a unit needs before confirming a slot, and where transplant fits in. It does not decide when dialysis should start or which form suits you; a nephrologist does, after an examination and current results. See also kidney treatment in Germany.
The two forms of dialysis and what decides between them
There are two forms, chosen with a nephrologist after weighing the pros and cons of each. Haemodialysis, the form most readers live with, cleans the blood through a machine outside the body, usually in three sessions a week of several hours in a unit, as the patient information of the German Society of Nephrology (DGfN) describes. Session length and settings follow an individual prescription.
Peritoneal dialysis is done at home by the patient, as manual fluid exchanges in the abdomen during the day or overnight on a machine. It needs a catheter in the abdominal wall, a clean space and training, and gives a different daily rhythm, not a better or worse result.
Vascular access decides how smooth years of haemodialysis are. A fistula, an artery surgically joined to a vein on the arm, lasts longest but needs weeks, sometimes longer, to mature. A graft is used when veins will not do; a central venous catheter is fast but has the highest infection risk. So a nephrologist asks a lot about the existing access before taking a patient over: every session depends on it.
Guest dialysis in Germany while you are travelling
German units routinely take patients staying a few weeks and call it guest dialysis (Gastdialyse or Feriendialyse). It is normal, planned in advance and not an emergency service.
Slots are finite and machine time is reserved for specific days, so requests sent weeks ahead are accommodated far more often than requests on arrival. The unit fixes the days and the shift, and the trip fits those days, not the reverse. The visa period must match them too; see medical visa for Germany.
Readers often miss four things: dialysis days are not free days; the unit needs a local address and phone number; hepatitis B-positive patients cannot share a room with unprotected patients during a session, so they need a separate room or shift that the unit plans in advance; and without documents a patient is treated only as an emergency.
If dialysis has to start or change while you are in Germany
A nephrologist decides on starting or changing dialysis from the whole picture, not one number: remaining kidney function, potassium and acid–base values, fluid overload and, above all, how the patient feels. An example of a specialist card: Prof. Tobias B. Huber, nephrologist, director of the III. Medizinische Klinik at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf.
At a new unit, the first sessions re-establish dry weight (weight without excess fluid), adjust the prescription, review phosphate, blood pressure and anaemia medication, and go through diet and fluid limits with a dietitian.
Honestly, changing units usually means a period of readjustment: readings often look worse before they look better, which is expected, not a sign of a mistake.
What the centre needs before it confirms a place
A German unit asks an international patient for recent dialysis protocols (session length, dialyser, meaning the filter, and dry weight), current blood work, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV serology, the cause of kidney failure, the medication list and access details, all translated.
The exact list differs between units and between insured and self-paying patients; honestly, the unit sends its own list in writing before the trip. Treatment is paid directly to the clinic on its invoice; see cost of dialysis in Germany.
Dialysis, transplant and the questions patients bring
For many patients, dialysis keeps them well while a transplant is considered. A German nephrologist will say openly whether assessment for a kidney transplant in Germany is realistic and what must be clarified first. German transplant law strictly limits living donation, and only the transplant centre decides whether someone from outside the Eurotransplant countries joins the deceased-donor waiting list. No place is promised: the answer rests on facts, not hope.
Worth asking at the consultation: is the current prescription adequate, should the access be revised (repaired or redone), was peritoneal dialysis ever discussed, and what will follow-up look like at home?
Frequently asked questions
Can I continue dialysis while I am in Germany?
Yes, if it is arranged in advance. German units take visitors for guest dialysis: they review your protocols and results, assign days and a shift and confirm the place in writing. Without a booking there is only emergency care, so the unit’s dates come first and travel follows.
Can I get dialysis with hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV?
As a rule, yes, but the unit must know beforehand. With hepatitis B you cannot share a room with unprotected patients during a session, so a separate room or shift is arranged. With hepatitis C the place is marked or set apart; for HIV, German rules require no separate room.
Can a German nephrologist change my dialysis prescription?
Yes, if the examination and current results show it is needed. In the first sessions, dry weight is re-established, the prescription adjusted and medication checked. Discuss decisions through an interpreter and take a written report of every change to your nephrologist at home, so treatment continues without a gap.
How AlenMed arranges dialysis in Germany
An AlenMed coordinator finds a unit with free slots on your dates, sends the protocols and serology it asks for, obtains written confirmation and a cost estimate before the trip and prepares the visa invitation. An interpreter attends the first session, so nothing important is agreed through gestures.
Plan ahead for dialysis days fixed in the travel plan, a route from your accommodation to the unit, who to call outside session hours, and how the unit’s reports reach your nephrologist at home.
This material is for information only and is not an offer. The dialysis regimen and any change to it are decided by a doctor in person.