How to Find a Family Doctor or Specialist in Germany

You need a family doctor (Hausarzt), and the first few practices you call say they are not taking new patients. That is a very common first month in Germany, especially in cities, and it does not mean you did something wrong.

You do not have to lock yourself to one practice, but having a regular doctor makes sick notes, referrals, and follow-up much easier. If you have children, they usually register with a paediatrician (Kinderarzt) rather than with your adult family doctor. Specialists often want a referral before they give you a timely slot, and English-speaking practices are easier to find in larger cities than in smaller towns.

Bring your insurance card to the desk when you go. If you want the public-versus-private comparison first, read Health Insurance in Germany.

Family doctor, specialists, and referrals

Your family doctor treats common illness, writes prescriptions, issues sick notes, and refers you when needed. For adults they coordinate care; they are not a full gatekeeper. Almost all non-emergency diagnosis happens in contracted office practices (Kassenärzte). Hospitals (Krankenhäuser) are for acute, inpatient, and emergency care.

You can usually book gynaecology, eye care, paediatrics, and an initial psychotherapy consultation without a family-doctor referral. For dermatology, cardiology, orthopaedics, neurology, and most other specialties, a referral is the normal path for a timely slot.

Children. Register with a paediatrician for U-checkups, vaccinations, sick visits, and child sick notes. The adult family doctor is not the child’s default. Having a Baby in Germany covers the yellow checkup booklet (Gelbes Heft). Child Sick Days in Germany covers Form 21.

Check what your insurer requires: voluntary family-doctor schemes such as HZV still expect you to go through your registered family doctor first for most adult specialists, even when you could otherwise book direct.

When it cannot wait

If someone might die, call 112. If it is urgent but not life-threatening and the practice is closed, call 116 117 or go to an on-call practice (Bereitschaftspraxis). Emergency Services in Germany walks through the numbers, what to say, and hospital emergency rooms (Notaufnahme).

Finding a practice that still takes patients

Call several practices and ask if they accept new patients (Neupatienten). Many are full, especially in cities. Once you find one, register there; you can switch later if you need to.

For English, use the language filter on jameda.de, ask people nearby, or check embassy lists. International clinics in major cities often have multilingual staff. Younger doctors often speak English; ask when you call. Outside major cities there are fewer options.

A family-doctor appointment can arrive within a couple of weeks, and same-day slots exist for urgent issues. Specialists often take weeks or months. If the wait is too long and the case is urgent, ask your family doctor for a 12-digit urgency code (Vermittlungscode) on the referral. Enter it at 116117-termine.de or call 116 117. Statutory patients with a valid code are supposed to get a specialist appointment within four weeks (nearby travel is usual but not guaranteed). The same number is also the after-hours on-call line; Emergency Services in Germany walks through that use. Seeing a Doctor in Germany covers how the visit itself works and how to ask for what you need.

Doctolib is widely used and convenient. It is also a commercial booking company: visit reasons and insurance details can sit on third-party servers, including for patients who never booked online if the practice typed them in. Statutory patients often wait longer on the platform than privately insured ones. You can request deletion of your data under GDPR. Use it if it helps, and know what you share.

If you are on public insurance, look for practices with a public-insurance contract (Kassenzulassung). Those practices can bill your insurer. If you are privately insured, you often get faster appointments and a wider choice of doctors. Confirm they have that contract before you register as a public patient.

Insurer schemes and paid faster slots

Some insurers offer voluntary family-doctor-centred care (HZV). You commit to seeing your registered family doctor first before most specialists, usually for at least one year, in return for possible discounts or shorter waits. You can still go directly to a gynaecologist, eye doctor, or paediatrician, and you can always seek emergency care.

Leaving early is hard. You usually have to show a lasting breakdown of the doctor-patient relationship. Consumer groups have warned that the model can create bottlenecks, so only join if you already trust one doctor.

Separate from HZV, some private practices sell a monthly concierge fee for same-day slots. Those sit outside public insurance and are legal only for practices without a statutory contract.

A contracted public-insurance doctor cannot legally charge statutory patients extra for a faster appointment. If a public-insurance practice asks you to pay for an earlier slot, refuse and report it to the regional physicians’ association (Kassenärztliche Vereinigung).

How to register

1. Search for a family doctor (Hausarzt) near home (maps, jameda, your insurer’s directory, or a neighbour).
2. Call and ask if they take new patients (Neupatienten).
3. Book a first appointment (it may take a few weeks).
4. Bring your insurance card, ID, and vaccination record if you have one.
5. Fill in the paperwork on the first visit. That practice becomes your regular family doctor.
6. For a child, search a paediatrician the same way and register them there. Bring the yellow checkup booklet (Gelbes Heft) if you already have it.

Useful links

• jameda.de (doctor search, language filter)
• 116117.de (on-call service and appointment hotline)