Making a doctor's appointment in Germany

The traditional way is to phone the practice during telephone hours, often early in the morning between eight and eleven.

• Some practices allow booking through their website or through platforms such as Doctolib and Jameda, which are easier if you do not speak German well because they are written and show the free slots.
• If you cannot find an early appointment, call the appointment service on 116117, which offers you an appointment with a doctor in your area and in some cases guarantees an appointment with a specialist within four weeks with an urgent referral.

Give your name and say whether you are a new or existing patient, and state the reason for the visit in a simple sentence: Ich habe Fieber or Ich brauche eine Untersuchung.

• Say if it is urgent, since many practices keep quick appointments for acute cases.
• Confirm the date and time by repeating them and write them down.
• Ask whether you need to bring anything special, such as earlier test results, scans or a referral.
• If you do not understand, say Können Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?
• and do not hesitate to ask for a repeat.

Arrive ten minutes before the appointment and present your insurance card at reception, where it is read by a card reader.

• You are sometimes asked to fill in a medical history form (Anamnesebogen), so bring a list of your medicines, allergies and earlier illnesses in German or English.
• You will sit in the waiting room and may wait up to half an hour despite the appointment.
• During the examination describe your symptoms precisely: when they began, where you feel the pain and what eases it. Ask about anything you did not understand before you leave.

If you cannot attend, cancel at least twenty-four hours ahead, because practices give the slot to another patient.

• Some practices charge a fee for not turning up without cancelling, especially for private patients.
• There is no fee for the visit itself for statutory patients.
• But additional tests that insurance does not cover, such as some optional preventive checks (IGeL), are paid out of your pocket, so ask about the cost before agreeing and take time to decide.

Children have a paediatrician (Kinderarzt) and regular preventive checks called U1 to U9, which are recorded in the yellow examination booklet that also contains the vaccination schedule, so keep the booklet.

• You visit the dentist twice a year for a check, and the checks are recorded in a bonus booklet (Bonusheft) that raises the insurance coverage for dental care.
• If your German is weak, look for a practice where doctors speak Arabic or English, ask a friend to come with you, or use the phone interpreting service that some practices and hospitals provide.

Which number do you call to get a doctor's appointment?