Written for people living in Germany
A large share of the people who write to us live in Germany. Hair transplants and rhinoplasty lead; dental packages, bariatric surgery and breast surgery follow. Some of them are of Turkish origin themselves, which makes the disappointment sharper: they expected to be treated as family.
This guide explains how a claim is organised from Germany, with two points that are specific to German patients: the role of your Krankenkasse, and the unusually large number of consular offices available to you.
We work in German. The first conversation and every document you receive from us are in German. The court file is in Turkish, and we translate what matters before you decide.
A composite example, details changed. An electrician from Dortmund had a hair transplant with a clinic recommended by a cousin. He developed a severe infection in the recipient area within a week and was treated at a German hospital. His statutory insurer later wrote to him about the cost of that treatment, citing the rules on complications of elective cosmetic procedures. He had assumed the hospital bill was simply covered. That letter, filed with the rest, became part of his claim against the clinic.
The Krankenkasse question
Two things German patients should know early.
First, under German law your statutory insurer can require you to contribute to the cost of treating complications of elective cosmetic procedures. If your Krankenkasse has written to you about this, keep the letter; what you had to pay is part of the loss we claim from the provider.
Second, where the insurer did pay for your follow-up treatment, it may itself have a claim against the person responsible for the harm. This does not reduce your claim for your own losses, but it is something we discuss with you so that the two do not get in each other's way. Tell us at the first conversation whether you are gesetzlich or privat versichert.
The power of attorney: consulate or Notar
A lawyer acting for you needs a power of attorney. Germany is unusually well served here.
Türkiye maintains consulates general in most large German cities, among them Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen, Stuttgart, Hanover, Nuremberg, Karlsruhe, Mainz and Münster. For most people the nearest one is within an hour, and the document is issued in the form courts expect, in one visit. The alternative is any German Notar, followed by an apostille, which for notarial documents is issued by the competent Landgericht, and a certified translation into Turkish. We send the exact wording for either route.
What your Arztbrief has to say
The most persuasive document in a German file is a dated report from an independent specialist in Germany. German doctors write good reports as a matter of routine; the trick is asking for the right one.
Ask for an Arztbrief or Befundbericht, not an Attest. If you were treated in hospital for a complication, the Entlassungsbrief fixes the date and the diagnosis and belongs in the file. If a specialist proposes corrective surgery, ask for a Kostenvoranschlag; it is the usual way of putting a figure on that part of the claim.
Costs, in writing
Claims involve the lawyer's fee, court fees, expert fees, and translation between German and Turkish. The structure depends on the case and is set out in writing before you commit, together with what happens if the claim does not succeed. German patients often ask whether their Rechtsschutzversicherung will cover a claim abroad; some policies do, within limits, and it is worth a call to your insurer before the first paid step.
How long you have
Limitation periods depend on the legal basis of the claim and can be shorter than people expect. The figure most often relevant in practice is two years, and it can start earlier than you assume. German patients sometimes rely on the three-year period they know from home; it does not apply to a claim brought where the treatment took place. Our guide to limitation periods explains the figures and why none should be relied on without asking.
What changed in 2026
A regulation published in April 2025 made complication insurance mandatory for international patients undergoing surgical and interventional procedures, with enforcement reported from January 2026 (Hürriyet Daily News). If your treatment was recent, tell us the date. Where a policy exists, it is an additional route, with its own, shorter, deadlines.
Questions we hear from Germany
I am a German citizen of Turkish origin. Does that change anything?
Not legally. It sometimes changes the tone of the clinic's correspondence, which we have seen used to keep patients waiting. Keep the messages; they are evidence of what was represented to you.
Can I claim in a German court instead?
In most cases the claim is brought where the treatment took place, against the provider there. A German judgment is difficult to enforce against a clinic abroad. We will say so if your facts are an exception.
My Hausarzt does not want to write anything "against" a foreign clinic.
Ask for findings, not opinions: what they see, what is wrong, what it will take to correct. That is clinical documentation, not an accusation, and most doctors will write it when the request is framed that way.
Next step
Describe what was done, when, and what your doctor in Germany has found, through the case review form in German. Send the records only through the secure link we provide afterwards.
