Quick answer
Important
1. First practical steps
Arrange confirmation and prenatal care with a gynaecology practice or midwife. Tell the practice about medicines and existing conditions; only a clinician should advise whether anything changes.
Search for a Hebamme and preferred birth setting early because local capacity can be limited. Ask your insurer which services and courses it covers.
Arrange prenatal care
Book a Frauenarzt or Hebamme appointment.
Check insurance
Confirm your membership and any reimbursement process.
Search for a Hebamme
Ask practices, insurer directories and local midwife networks.
Plan employment notifications
Use the Mutterschutz guide for workplace rights and timing.
2. Prenatal appointments and standard scans
Official patient information describes appointments normally every four weeks initially and every two weeks from the 32nd pregnancy week. Extra monitoring can be appropriate for risks or findings.
Standard care includes three basis ultrasound examinations, generally in the third, sixth and eighth pregnancy month. Not every optional test is a covered standard benefit; request an explanation before agreeing to self-pay testing.
Official source
Official patient information on prenatal appointments, the Mutterpass and standard ultrasound examinations.
Federal Ministry of Health — gesund.bund.de
3. The Mutterpass
The maternity record documents prenatal findings and relevant health information. Bring it to appointments and when seeking pregnancy-related care. It contains sensitive medical data: employers do not need the full record, and you should not send copies to unverified services.
The German words you will see
- Mutterpass
- The medical maternity record issued during prenatal care.
- Hebamme
- A regulated midwife who can provide pregnancy, birth and postnatal care within their scope.
4. Choosing where to give birth
Common settings are a hospital labour ward, a birth centre or a planned home birth with appropriate professional care. Availability and suitability depend on your health, pregnancy and local services.
Tour or contact possible facilities, ask when registration opens, what documents they need, whether your chosen companion can attend and how transfers are handled. A clinician should assess medical suitability.
5. Insurance and costs
GKV generally covers guideline prenatal care, medically necessary treatment and contracted maternity services. PKV cover follows the contract. Optional tests, private rooms or certain courses may be self-paid.
Ask whether a service is a covered benefit, a voluntary insurer extra or an IGeL, and obtain the price in writing before agreeing.
6. Mutterschutz, maternity benefit and Elterngeld are different
Mutterschutz is employment protection around pregnancy and birth. Mutterschaftsgeld is an income-replacement payment for eligible people during the protection period. Elterngeld is a separate parental benefit calculated under its own rules after birth.
Mutterschutz before the birth
6
weeks
You may choose to keep working during these weeks; after the birth you may not.
Last verified 14 August 2026 · Familienportal (opens in a new tab)
Mutterschutz after the birth
8
weeks
Extended to 12 weeks for multiple or premature births, and on request where the child has a disability. This period is a ban on employment, not an option.
Last verified 14 August 2026 · Familienportal (opens in a new tab)
Mutterschaftsgeld from statutory health insurance
13 €
per calendar day, maximum
Where average net pay per calendar day is higher, the employer has to top the difference up, so take-home pay is broadly maintained.
Last verified 14 August 2026 · Familienportal (opens in a new tab)
| Topic | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Mutterschutz | Workplace protection and employment restrictions |
| Mutterschaftsgeld | Payment during the maternity-protection period if eligible |
| Elterngeld | Parental benefit for chosen life months after birth |
7. If you need urgent help
Follow the instructions from your maternity team or chosen birth unit. For urgent non-life-threatening care when practices are closed, contact 116117; call 112 for a life-threatening emergency.
Useful resource
When to use 116117 for urgent, non-life-threatening care and when to call emergency services.
National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians · not a government authority
No symptom diagnosis here
8. Frequently asked questions
As early as practical because availability is limited in many areas.
Usually every four weeks initially and every two weeks from pregnancy week 32; medical circumstances can require a different schedule.
Official guidance provides three basis ultrasound examinations in standard care. Additional scans depend on medical need or may be self-paid.
The record contains private medical information. Employers may need pregnancy and expected-date evidence for employment protections, not the entire clinical record.
No. They are separate systems with different eligibility, timing and calculation rules.
Official information
Rules and amounts change. Always verify current requirements using official sources.
Prenatal care in Germany, opens in a new tab
Federal Ministry of Health — gesund.bund.de
Official patient information on prenatal appointments, the Mutterpass and standard ultrasound examinations.
Maternity benefits (Mutterschaftsleistungen), opens in a new tab
Familienportal
The protection periods, Mutterschaftsgeld from the health insurer, and the employer top-up.
116117 medical on-call service, opens in a new tab
National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians · not a government authority
When to use 116117 for urgent, non-life-threatening care and when to call emergency services.
Related guides
Amounts and legal requirements can change. We verify this information against official sources and show when each figure was last checked, but always confirm important requirements with the responsible authority before you apply.
Einfach Germany is an independent information platform and is not affiliated with the German government.