First18 months in Germany after living in USA

Oh that’s a horrible experience you have had !

Vanja: What you describe is certainly true for dealing with German officialdom (especially now, during the Corona period), but NOT with any private business! What you described about your bank, car dealer, doctor, etc. just indicates you selected the wrong ones - you are free to shop around until you find one that fits your needs!
And your comment about German health insurance is completely off: It is compulsory for any resident here to have one and the waiting time to join is Zero (regardless of credit score). Are you maybe talking about (supplementary) international health insurance, outside of the German statutory system?

Like Beppi mentioned, some of these claims don't really add up. Furniture? Go to Ikea or any other such shop, pay and walk out with it. Doctors offices also often have waits in the US and the situation with Covid has changed things drastically. My doctor used to have open office hours, no appointments. Now there is a 2 week wait. All because of Covid. Same for many government offices. Uses to be one walked in took a number and waited. Now they don't, either requiring an appointment or to do things by mail to limit contact.

I own a few business in different countries and I've opened a company in Germany as soon as I received my aufenthalt ( that took 6 months to get)... First I was on tourist visa, then fikzion something and finally aufenthalt.
My accountant tells me I have to get it but my wife can't add me to hers since I'm self employed and I can't get private cause my credit won't allow me. Apparently I'll have to pay penalties.
I got my aufenthalt 2 months ago by mail. But it says it's issued 8 months ago cause that's when I applied LOL. So I've been here more then a maximum amount of time that you can without insurance...
It's all way too complicated. I don't understand anything. It's like they don't want to take your 600€ a month. It blows my mind.

And I have tried Allianz, Hanse Mercur, and right now after all the checks and waits with doctors for tests(about a month for an appointment) I am into my 3rd physical mail writing and going to a post office and sending an actual letter to respond to AOK and waiting for a response.
Considering we live in Covid 19 times isn't it logical and faster to scan stuff and send via email? Or it's better to touch paper and send or give it to other people to touch some more?
Don't understand credit for health insurance either. Isn't it supposed to be health insurance for everyone in Germany? If you don't pay they cancel it and you pay penalties.... Simple

My apologies for furniture. I haven't bought it from IKEA. We went to casa ambiente and it might be due to covid and other stuff... But I spoke to a few other families that have recently moved or ordered furniture and had the same issues. Again not from IKEA.

Pretty confused about your statements about the health insurance. Of course you cannot be on a spouse's insurance since that only works for a public option and if you are not working. Has nothing to do with self-employment as opposed to being an employee.

And that is not what decides if one gets private or public options either. Employees can sometimes have private insurance and self-employed can a public option. I'm self-employed and on a public option. Generally nearly everyone can get a public option unless they have been privately insured, then they have to usually stick to private. But one has to meet qualifications like having a large enough income to get private.

One needs to get advice and apply for insurance which will be both back paid to the time they got registered in Germany and the coverage as well. And say foreign non-residents can get treatment in Germany and if their insurance doesn't pay, then they pay out of pocket. Never heard of any doctor or hospital refusing someone; they actually have to give treatment for any life threatening problem. But f course they don't want people skipping out on their debts.

But I don't understand what "credit" keeps you from getting private insurance, assuming you are actually qualified to get it. Either I am misunderstanding a lot of what you've written and/or you seem to have a jumbled idea of how many aspects of the system works. Granted it is quite complex.

Vanja Bobic wrote:

I don't understand anything.

That night be the cause of many of your problems - in conjunction with a predisposition to complain, rather tan listen. If you work on these, things might improve. (And: Help is available for those who want it!)

Beppi
That sounds like a hard core German thing to say.🤣 Somehow I can't see myself achieving what I have if I didn't listen. But that is a good advice!
I don't understand anything refers to me getting the aufenthalt in September and date of issue says March(date when I applied) !
It would be helpful If you could refer me to someone who can help me pay for health insurance...
Or someone who can explain how it works/how to get it.
For me kredit bonitet means credit score and I keep getting rejected because I don't have one in Germany!
Private insurances say no kredit bonitet.
For Freiwillige Versicherungen decline is from "you have been here for more than 3 months and it's too late".
The whole problem coming from aufenthalt being issued in Sept but has the date as March( date of application for it).
Thank you for your help.

Having a German health insurance is, as you probably know (or should know), compulsory for anyone living here. It was a mistake to ignore that for so long - you have exactly three months after arrival to join one (which covers you retroactively from the first day.
I did not know (as the rules are very complex)  that in some cases you lose the chance to join the (mostly cheaper and often better) public option by letting those three months lapse. But, as we say in German, „Unwissenheit schützt vor Strafe nicht“ (ignorance does not protect from negative consequences) - and thus you have to join a private scheme insurer now.
And, althought they might not want a miser who cannot pay the fees, they will have to admit you - at least into the infamous „Basistarif“ at around €750-800/month. Since this is loss-making, they will still try to deter you, against which you should engage an insurance broker or possibly a lawyer.
And about your visa: Of course it is issued from the day you arrived ( or your previous visa expired. That‘s what you applied for, right? That the authorities took long to process it does not mean they won‘t grant your wish (if only retroactively). The very word „Fiktion“ for the temporary permit you received to cover the processing time indicates (in German) that you should during that time imagine you already had the visa.
All this is confusing, but I have yet to see a country where buerocratic procedures aren‘t (certainly not USA or Serbia).
I think it would help if, in future, you go with the flow and follow what others do or advice, rather than try to out-smart the system (which will not work in Germany!).
But for now you must clear up the mess which, from a German formalistic standpoint, you yourself created!

To some degree I agree with you on your opinion. But you can not open a company in germany on temporary visa and no one is willing to take in consideration the income you have in other countries.  So in order to get it you have to prove income and I have opened a company to bring some of my money in. Couldn't do it until I received the aufenthalt. My problem is finding someone who will cover me not the 800€/month fee... The search continues and hopefully it will be sorted out in a few months! Duration of the search probably depends on post offices  and sending documents etc.

I understand (and empathize) that the rules can be difficult to fulfil, and might sometimes appear illogical or senseless. But that does not make them less valid, unfortunately.

Vanja Bobic wrote:

Beppi
That sounds like a hard core German thing to say.🤣 Somehow I can't see myself achieving what I have if I didn't listen. But that is a good advice!
I don't understand anything refers to me getting the aufenthalt in September and date of issue says March(date when I applied) !
It would be helpful If you could refer me to someone who can help me pay for health insurance...
Or someone who can explain how it works/how to get it.
For me kredit bonitet means credit score and I keep getting rejected because I don't have one in Germany!
Private insurances say no kredit bonitet.
For Freiwillige Versicherungen decline is from "you have been here for more than 3 months and it's too late".
The whole problem coming from aufenthalt being issued in Sept but has the date as March( date of application for it).
Thank you for your help.

Yes some official things take time to process but then they are valid backdated to the time of application. Thus one's health care will officially be backdated meaning both one's coverage and premiums due. So if one did actually pay anything out of pocket during this time it should  get refunded to the extent the coverage would have paid.

But one has to pay their own health insurance. Not sure where you get the expectation that someone else should finance your payments? Paying one's own way is how it works. An employer would have to cover half of the health care premium but you mention being self-employed. So you have to pay it all, whether you get a private or public option. And I know that in America one also has to pay their healthcare insurance when self employed. I wonder if any delay in getting this settled is due to the way you say you did it; by arriving on a tourist visa when you actually had the intention to immigrate..

Try and find a financial advisor: finanzberater. S/he will be able to find you an insurance most likely, and you do not pay them, as they get paid by the insurance companies/banks etc. I use them for all our insurances, loans etc.

Hi Beppi, hi TominStuttgart, may be you don't have an experience of other countries and if you have been, I am sure you would see the difference.

I myself came to Germany three years ago from Africa. I tell you I am from the poorest of African nations but for executing something, it is way much better than in Germany. I am not saying I am getting good service but you get things done without having an extended appointment.

Vanja, I clearly agree with you but I know how much you would feel. Trust me that even if you live longer here, some things won't change and you need to adopt to it.

By living in Germany, I don't complain and I more than like to live in Germany than in my home country. Let me also share my experience. To get a doctor appointment, you will not get it in two or three day unless you are lucky. Probably a week or two (nothing related with Corona). I was at my house doctor and got a referral and to get an appointment for a body scan, most of the places are full until next year March. The closest I get (with a very low rating) is in February. Don't get surprised, this is not my first time or second. It is quite normal.

Now I have changed a flat and got everything programmed for Black Friday (just to make my house full). First I have a contract for my internet two weeks ago but got a technician to come into my house to connect just today. I have to stay here for this leaving my job but ok. It took two weeks for the connection and the amazing thing is I also have a contract for a TV from the same provider. Until now it didn't came.
I also was on the market to buy everything at once and have a rented car to collect at the same day. I just had my Washmachine this Saturday which I waited one week to be delivered at warehouse Mediamarket. I have to wait another one more week for my sofa to be delivered and so on, so on... It goes on. Trust me, if I am in my country, I can have everything all on the same day. Don't blame me for selecting things that the shops didn't have in stock but it is the way here that things which you see in display are mostly samples.

I tell you the truth, I way much like Germany and like to live here but waiting time is something which is quite normal. Beppi, TominStuttgart, I know you will come up with something but you are used to it. You need to live in a different country like USA to see the absolute difference. I didn't live in US but from what Vanja said, it is clearly the thing I have seen in Germany.

I wish you all the best of day.

mylast99 wrote:

Hi Beppi, hi TominStuttgart, may be you don't have an experience of other countries and if you have been, I am sure you would see the difference.

I myself came to Germany three years ago from Africa. I tell you I am from the poorest of African nations but for executing something, it is way much better than in Germany. I am not saying I am getting good service but you get things done without having an extended appointment.

Vanja, I clearly agree with you but I know how much you would feel. Trust me that even if you live longer here, some things won't change and you need to adopt to it.

By living in Germany, I don't complain and I more than like to live in Germany than in my home country. Let me also share my experience. To get a doctor appointment, you will not get it in two or three day unless you are lucky. Probably a week or two (nothing related with Corona). I was at my house doctor and got a referral and to get an appointment for a body scan, most of the places are full until next year March. The closest I get (with a very low rating) is in February. Don't get surprised, this is not my first time or second. It is quite normal.

Now I have changed a flat and got everything programmed for Black Friday (just to make my house full). First I have a contract for my internet two weeks ago but got a technician to come into my house to connect just today. I have to stay here for this leaving my job but ok. It took two weeks for the connection and the amazing thing is I also have a contract for a TV from the same provider. Until now it didn't came.
I also was on the market to buy everything at once and have a rented car to collect at the same day. I just had my Washmachine this Saturday which I waited one week to be delivered at warehouse Mediamarket. I have to wait another one more week for my sofa to be delivered and so on, so on... It goes on. Trust me, if I am in my country, I can have everything all on the same day. Don't blame me for selecting things that the shops didn't have in stock but it is the way here that things which you see in display are mostly samples.

I tell you the truth, I way much like Germany and like to live here but waiting time is something which is quite normal. Beppi, TominStuttgart, I know you will come up with something but you are used to it. You need to live in a different country like USA to see the absolute difference. I didn't live in US but from what Vanja said, it is clearly the thing I have seen in Germany.

I wish you all the best of day.

Sorry but this is glaring ignorance. Beppi is German and lived many years in the Far East. Oh, I should live in someplace like the US and haven't traveled you write? I'm originally from America where I lived for 22 years. Then I have traveled extensively in 60 countries and lived in multiple European countries over the last 39 years. Sorry but you are just spewing nonsense.

And I stand by my posts. True that most doctors take a bit of time for an appointment but some have open office hours and no appointments; I know this first hand. Generally specialists take much longer, unless it is considered very urgent. Then they have to fit one in or one can go to a hospital emergency room. Not doubting your personal experiences but one cannot make a generalization out of single incidents.

And I had to get 2 MRI scans earlier this year. I called around and found that some had nothing free before around 8 weeks; another got me in within a week and the other within 2 weeks.  In many countries there are few options. Within 15 minutes walking distance from my home in Stuttgart-West are at least 8 MRI facilities. Not likely so common everywhere in Germany but there are options in the cities; one needs to call around.

And while it occasionally happens that a washing machine or sofa is not in stock somewhere, that one normally has to wait is incorrect. You are judging at  a time of a pandemic while there are world-wide logistic problems. These are NOT normal times.  What is correct is that the hook-up for a telephone or internet if a technician has to come can easily take some weeks. Is this different in other countries? I can't say.

Vanja Bobic wrote:

I own a few business in different countries and I've opened a company in Germany as soon as I received my aufenthalt ( that took 6 months to get)... First I was on tourist visa, then fikzion something and finally aufenthalt.

This is probably the root cause of your problems. One is really supposed to apply for a permit for the purpose of operating a business in Germany from one's country of habitual residence.

Once approved, you'd have received a 90 day D visa, not a tourist visa, and with that you could have converted your entry visa to a residence permit (which was already pre-approved through the visa process) within 90 days, allowing you to join the health care system within the stipulated time frame.