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Austria: What are the rules for crossing into Germany?

Germany on Sunday closed its border with Austria due to the coronavirus mutation cluster in Tyrol. What are the rules?

Published: 15 February 2021 17:51 CET
Austria: What are the rules for crossing into Germany?
Cars line up at the German border with Austria. Photo: ODD ANDERSEN / AFP

Germany partially closed its borders with the Czech Republic and Austria's Tyrol on Sunday over a troubling surge in coronavirus mutations. 

A thousand police officers have been mobilised to ensure strict border checks, which recall the early days of the pandemic when EU countries hastily closed their frontiers. 

What are the rules? 

Under the new rules, only Germans or non-German residents are allowed to enter Germany. 

Anyone who enters must provide a recent negative coronavirus test which is less than 72 hours old. The evidence of the test must be in either German or English. 

Anyone entering Germany – including citizens and residents – must fill out the following form. 

The rules are in place until February 21st, but are expected to be extended until at least the start of March. 

Are there any exceptions? 

Some exceptions to the rules exist allowed. 

Cross-border workers and essential workers in ‘systemically relevant’ sectors, i.e. health and transport, are allowed to enter. 

All workers will need to provide evidence of an employment contract. 

They will however need to provide evidence of a negative coronavirus test. 

There are also some exceptions for urgent humanitarian reasons. 

People transiting through Germany will also be allowed to enter and will not have to provide evidence of a test. 

The rules do not apply to the Austrian regions of Jungholz in Tyrol and the Kleinwalsertal municipality Mittelberg in Vorarlberg

How are the border controls being enforced? 

German rail company Deutsche Bahn has suspended services to and from the affected areas.

At Frankfurt airport, the country's largest, federal police were on Sunday checking passengers arriving from Vienna and Prague.

Why are the borders being closed?

The restrictions are aimed at slowing the spread of new, more contagious variants that first emerged in Britain and South Africa, and have created new virus hotspots along the Czech border and in Austria's Tyrol region.

In addition to concerns over the coronavirus mutation, each Austrian state is currently above the threshold of 50 cases per 100,000 residents. 

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government recently decided to extend Germany's partial lockdown until March 7 because of the risks posed by the variants, even if daily infection numbers have fallen over the past weeks.

 

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HEALTH

How much can you expect to pay for private healthcare in Vienna?

In recent years, the number of public doctors in Vienna has fallen. As a result, many people have turned to private care. But how much can you expect to pay?

Published: 21 May 2024 10:38 CEST
How much can you expect to pay for private healthcare in Vienna?

In Austria, private healthcare works alongside the public healthcare system. If you want private care, you typically need to sign up for private healthcare insurance or pay out of pocket initially and later seek reimbursement.

The cost of private healthcare in Vienna can vary depending on factors such as the type of treatment, the provider, and insurance coverage. In general, private healthcare services tend to be significantly more expensive than the services provided by the public system.

Private healthcare insurance 

The monthly cost for private healthcare insurance in Vienna averages around €30 for children and between €45 and €100 for adults.

The cost is determined by your age, health status, and anticipated healthcare needs. When you apply for private insurance, your health and medical history are usually examined.

Signing up for private healthcare insurance at an early age often means lower costs. Existing health insurance contracts are adjusted annually for inflation only, without further adjustments.

UNIQA, Wiener Städtische, Generali Health Insurance, Mercury, Allianz Health Insurance, and the Danube are among the largest and best-known providers of private healthcare insurance in Vienna.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What is a Wahlartzt in Austria?

How does it work?

Every policy is different, but most private insurance work with the public companies, especially since most workers in Austria are insured with one of the public companies via their work or employment – with the majority of them insured by ÖGK.

When you go to an elective doctor in Austria, you will pay out of pocket for your appointment. Later, you’ll need to ask for reimbursement from your compulsory public insurance company. Once you receive confirmation of the reimbursement,  you’ll send all documents (including doctor fees and the public reimbursement) to your private insurance, which will pay the difference between what you paid at the doctor and what you got back from your public insurance.

This is typically done online and could even be partially automated, with doctors sending their fees and payment notes directly to public insurance.

Pay out-of-pocket

If you do not want to sign up for private healthcare insurance, you can stay with your public one, pay out of pocket if you need private services, and later receive a partial reimbursement. 

In general, a visit to a private practitioner costs between €80 and €120, and a visit to a specialist (orthopaedist, dermatologist, cardiologist) between €150 and €200 in the Austrian capital.

The amount of money you can get back if you go to a private doctor varies depending on several factors, including your health insurance company and the specific services provided by the doctor.

For example, with the most common public insurance, Österreichische Gesundheitskasse, ÖGK, around 80 percent of the amount that ÖGK would have spent if the doctor was linked to the public system is reimbursed. It is important to note that this does not correspond to 80 percent of your medical bill but to 80 percent of what ÖGK would have paid for your treatment at a public doctor, which is significantly lower than the amount listed on your bill.

Fewer public doctors in Vienna

In Vienna, there has recently been a decrease in the number of public doctors and an increase in the number of private ones.

Experts believe the reasons are stressful working conditions and limited numbers of contracts for doctors with public healthcare insurance. Public doctors are said not to take enough time for each patient, as the number of patients determines the profit. 

Over the past six years, the increase in private doctors has been particularly notable for doctors specialising in dermatology (rising from 58 percent to 71 percent) and urology (increasing from 55 percent to 62 percent).

READ NEXT: Healthcare in Austria: Why are there fewer ‘public’ doctors?

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