Medical Certificate in Cologne: Online, Same-Day from €34.99
- Certificate types covering every common use case in Germany
- Licensed doctors (Ärzte) reviewing every case via a real video consultation, never a questionnaire alone
- Same-day delivery, usually within 30 minutes on weekdays
- Full refund if the doctor cannot issue your certificate
- 🇩🇪 EUR pricing
- DSGVO & BDSG data protection
- Accepted by employers, Krankenkassen & sports clubs
Yes. You can get a medical certificate in Cologne online today. A licensed doctor reviews your case and issues a same day PDF from €34.99, valid for use with employers, schools and other institutions across Germany.
Last updated: 10 September 2026
Reviewed by Dr. Anjum Ilahi (MBBS, MS) GMC · Cardiology and MRCPI
✓ 400+ customers served in Cologne
Getting a Medical Certificate in Cologne
Cologne is one of North Rhine-Westphalia's largest cities and carries a strong media and broadcasting sector alongside a significant insurance industry, plus a wide base of retail, services and public-sector employment. Sick-leave handling varies as much here as the employer base does: a large insurer with a formal HR process is a very different experience from a small independent business with none.
The University of Cologne is one of Germany's largest universities, and illness affecting exams, coursework or a placement there is generally handled through its own formal process, with its own evidence requirements set by the faculty rather than nationally.
We don't operate a clinic anywhere in Cologne — the assessment happens entirely online, reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Germany. That's deliberate: it means you don't need to be well enough to travel across the city to be seen.
Media and broadcasting
A significant part of Cologne's employer base, alongside a large insurance sector. Sick-leave handling varies by employer, not by industry rule.
Insurance and services
Larger employers here often run a formal absence process with an occupational sick-pay scheme on top of the statutory minimum.
University of Cologne
One of Germany's largest universities. Illness affecting exams or coursework is handled through the institution's own process.
Club and school sport
Sports clubs across Cologne commonly ask for medical clearance before participation, particularly for underage and contact sport.
All Certificate Types Available in Germany
Every certificate type is reviewed by a licensed doctor via a genuine video consultation and assessed against German requirements. Choose the one that matches your situation.
Sick Leave Certificate (AU)
Issued as an Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (AU) for work absence in Germany, after a real video consultation, and transmitted electronically (eAU) to your Krankenkasse and, where required, your employer.
From €34.99Sports Fitness Certificate
For German school sports, Sportverein youth football and handball clearance, and competitions requiring medical fitness confirmation. Valid 12 months.
From €34.99General Fitness Certificate
For German gym membership and personal training sign-up where a health declaration is requested.
From €34.99General Medical Certificate
For insurance claims, visa applications, and other general documentation needs in Germany.
From €34.99How It Works in Cologne
Complete assessment
3-5 minutes. Select your certificate type, confirm Germany as your country, and answer relevant health questions. No payment yet.
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.
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.
Who Asks for a Medical Certificate in Cologne
Cologne employers
A certificate from a doctor registered to assess cases in Germany satisfies the documentation most employers ask for. Under §5 EntgFG, your employer may require it from day 1 or day 4, depending on your contract.
University of Cologne and colleges
Commonly requested as supporting evidence where illness has affected exams, coursework or a placement. Each institution sets its own evidence requirements.
Clubs and gyms
Sports clubs and gyms across the city may ask for medical clearance before participation, particularly for contact sport.
Insurers and other bodies
General medical certificates are sometimes requested for insurance claims or similar administrative purposes, where what matters is that a genuine assessment took place.
Germany Pricing: All Certificate Types
| Certificate Type | Our Price | Typical Private Visit |
|---|---|---|
| Sick Leave Certificate (AU) | €34.99 | €50-€120 |
| Sports Fitness Certificate | €34.99 | €50-€120 |
| General Fitness Certificate | €34.99 | €50-€120 |
| Fit to Fly Certificate | €34.99 | €50-€120 |
| Return to Work Certificate | €34.99 | €50-€120 |
| General Medical Certificate | €34.99 | €50-€120 |
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.
Germany Legal Snapshot: What Applies in Cologne
Sick-leave and certificate rules are set nationally, so what follows applies in Cologne exactly as it does anywhere else in Germany.
In Germany, the standard sick-leave document is the Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (AU): literally the "certificate of incapacity to work." The statutory minimum is that employers can require an AU from day 4 of illness, though many employers use their contractual right to request one from day 1. Since 2023, the AU has been transmitted electronically as the eAU, sent directly between your doctor, your statutory health insurer (Krankenkasse), and your employer. For sport, gym, travel, or general purposes, a separate certificate type applies. See the full list below. In everyday English this is often just called a doctor's note for Germany, even where the official local term differs.
| Local document name | Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (AU): German for "certificate of incapacity to work." Often just called a Krankschreibung in everyday speech. |
|---|---|
| Statutory minimum | An AU can be required by your employer from day 4 of illness |
| Employer-specific rule | Many employers use their contractual right under German law to require an AU from day 1 of absence instead. Check your contract or ask HR which rule applies to you |
| Who can legally issue it | A licensed physician (Arzt), after a genuine clinical assessment carried out in person or by video consultation |
| Electronic transmission (eAU) | In place since 2023: the AU is sent directly between your doctor, your Krankenkasse, and, where applicable, your employer |
| Submission deadline | Inform your employer without delay, and submit the AU per your employer's required timeline (day 1 or day 4, depending on company policy) |
| Governing framework | §5 of the Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (EntgFG, the Continued Remuneration Act) |
| Data protection law | DSGVO, the German name for the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which applies directly, together with the BDSG (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz), Germany's national law supplementing it |
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.
Our Germany Medical Team
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.
Registered practitioners, not a call centre.
Every doctor is independently verified against their national medical council before they see a single patient - including for patients in Cologne.
Dr. Christine G.
Reg. #Dr. Michael K.
Reg. #Dr. Robert B.
Reg. #Dr. Susanne R.
Reg. #Medical Certificates in Cologne: Common Questions
No. The assessment is completed online and reviewed by a doctor registered to assess cases in Germany, so where you are in the country makes no difference to the process or the price. This page exists because people search for their own city.
Our certificate is €34.99 flat, including the doctor's review, the PDF and its verification reference. A typical private in-person consultation in Germany commonly falls in the €50-€120 range. It is not a substitute for care — if you need to be examined or treated, see a doctor in person.
It depends on your contract. §5 EntgFG allows employers to require a certificate from day 4 of illness, but many employers use their own contractual right to ask for one from day 1 instead. Check your employment contract or staff handbook.
It can support an application, but each faculty sets its own evidence requirements and some ask for a specific form or wording. Check what your department actually requires first.
Same day, usually within 30 minutes of the doctor approving your case during business hours. Some cases take longer where the doctor needs more information before deciding.
A certificate anyone can check - in seconds.
Every certificate is issued by a doctor registered with their national medical council, after a real assessment, and carries a reference code that resolves instantly - whether your employer is in Dublin, Berlin or Warsaw.
- ✓Issued only after a genuine clinical review
- ✓Unique reference code, checkable by anyone
- ✓Covers sick leave, fitness-to-work & carer's leave
- ✓Delivered as a signed PDF within the hour
