Medical Certificate in Germany: Online Doctor's Note, Same-Day, from €34.99

Germany Legal Snapshot: Sick Leave / AU

Note on day-1 vs day-4 rules: German law sets day 4 of illness as the statutory minimum point at which an employer can require an AU. In practice, many employment contracts and company sickness policies validly require an AU from day 1 of absence instead. Confirm which rule applies to you with your employer or HR department before you rely on either timeline.

Germany's approach to telemedicine AUs has tightened in recent years. Guidance from professional and regulatory bodies has made clear that an Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung issued purely on the basis of an online questionnaire, without any real contact between doctor and patient, does not meet the legal bar for a valid certificate of incapacity to work. A genuine video consultation, in which a licensed physician actually assesses the patient, is required for an AU obtained online to be legally valid in Germany; a phone-only or form-only process is not sufficient. This is why our process for German sick leave certificates always includes a live video review with a doctor before an AU can be issued, and it applies equally whether you are a German citizen, a resident, or working in Germany on a visa.

The AU itself is not a new concept: for decades it was issued only on paper, informally known as the "gelber Schein" (yellow slip), with one copy for the employee, one for the Krankenkasse, and one for the employer. The move to the eAU since 2023 has removed most of that paper handling for employees covered by statutory health insurance, since the doctor's practice management system now reports the case directly to the Krankenkasse, which in turn makes the relevant data available to the employer. Employees generally still need to inform their employer that they are unable to work and for roughly how long, even though the certificate itself now moves electronically in the background. Self-employed people and those without statutory health insurance may still encounter paper-based or provider-specific processes, so it is worth confirming with your own Krankenkasse or private insurer how the AU is handled in your specific situation.

A privately obtained AU, issued by a licensed physician after a genuine video consultation, is capable of meeting the same legal requirements as one issued after an in-person visit, provided the underlying assessment is real and not questionnaire-only. Sources: Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (EntgFG), Bundesärztekammer, and statutory health insurer (Krankenkasse) guidance on the eAU process. Last reviewed July 2026. Always confirm current rules before relying on them for a specific case.

1. 1

   Complete assessment

   3-5 minutes. Select your certificate type, confirm Germany as your country, and answer relevant health questions. No payment yet.

2. 2

   Doctor conducts a video consultation

   A licensed physician reviews your case and, for sick leave (AU) certificates, completes a genuine video consultation with you, as required under German law. Reviewed during German business hours (9am-6pm CET/CEST, Monday-Friday). May request more information.

3. 3

   Receive your PDF

   Emailed same day, usually within 30 minutes of approval, with doctor credentials and a verification reference. For AU certificates, your doctor also completes the eAU transmission to your Krankenkasse where required.

Typical private in-person doctor visit costs are general ranges reported for German private consultations and vary by clinic, specialty (a sports medicine or travel-clinic assessment can cost more than a routine GP visit), and location within Germany.

The price difference mainly reflects convenience rather than a lower quality of assessment: a genuine video consultation with a licensed doctor still takes place for AU certificates, and you avoid travel time, waiting-room time, and the need to take unplanned time off to visit a practice in person. For non-AU certificate types, such as a fitness or fit-to-fly certificate, our fixed price also removes the uncertainty of a private clinic's individual consultation fee, which can vary considerably between providers and cities.

Where AU-only providers like TeleClinic and AU-Schein (DrAnsay) tend to specialise narrowly in sick leave, we cover the wider set of situations people in Germany actually run into over a year: a fitness certificate for a new gym membership, a sports clearance for a child joining a Sportverein, a fit-to-fly certificate before a flight, or a return-to-work confirmation after a longer absence, through one account, at fixed prices, without needing to find and vet a different provider for each one.

Every Germany certificate is reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Germany. Physicians practising in Germany are subject to oversight by the Bundesärztekammer (German Medical Association) together with the relevant state medical chamber (Landesärztekammer), and registration details can be independently checked through those bodies. A clinician will only issue a certificate, including an Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (AU), after a genuine video consultation, and only if it is clinically appropriate to do so; if it is not, you receive a full refund.

Nearby countries

• Austria
• Switzerland
• Netherlands