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Finding a doctor in Munich, out-of-hours care and mental health help

How to find a family doctor or specialist in Munich with statutory or private insurance, how the 116117 appointment service and the Bavarian on-call practices work, what to do at night and at weekends, and where to get urgent mental health support.

Checked 8 Oct 2026
Applies to
Everyone living in Munich with German health insurance. People who are not yet insured should first read the health insurance guide; in an emergency, call 112 regardless.
Effort
Medium effort
Time needed
An hour of searching and calls for a first appointment; the 116117 service books specialist appointments within a week
Cost
Calling 116117 is free. With statutory insurance, prescription medicines usually cost a co-payment of 10% of the price, at least €5 and at most €10 per pack (2026). Private patients receive bills and claim reimbursement under their policy.
When
Look for a family doctor in your first weeks, before you are ill.
Where
Munich, Germany
On this page
  1. Overview
  2. Before you start
  3. Documents you need
  4. Step by step
  5. Mental health support in Munich
  6. Pharmacies, prescriptions and sick notes
  7. Watch out
  8. Common mistakes
  9. Tips
  10. Frequently asked questions
  11. Official links
  12. In your plan
  13. Sources
  14. Related guides

In Germany your first point of contact is usually a family doctor (Hausarzt), who treats common illnesses, issues sick notes and refers you to specialists. In Munich, as across Bavaria, doctors who treat statutory patients are organised by the Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Bayerns (KVB), which also runs the out-of-hours on-call service and the appointment service reached on 116117.

This guide explains how to find a practice, how to get a specialist appointment through 116117, what to do when practices are closed and where to find help in a mental health crisis. For life-threatening emergencies, always call 112.

Before you start

  • German health insurance (statutory or private) and your insurance card or proof of membership

Documents you need

  • Health insurance card (eGK) or proof of insurance

    required

  • Vaccination record and any medical reports you have

    Bring translations or summaries of important diagnoses if available.

    optional

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Search for a family doctor near you

    Use the national doctor search on 116117, run by the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung, to find contract practices near your Munich address. Call or email several practices and ask whether they accept new patients (Nehmen Sie neue Patienten auf?). Many practices are busy, so start before you need one.

    If you need a doctor who speaks your language, ask the practice directly; you can also ask colleagues, your employer or community groups for recommendations.

  2. Step 2: Ask 116117 if you cannot find a practice

    The appointment service (Terminservicestelle, TSS) of the KVB helps people with statutory insurance find an appointment, on 116117 or online through the eTerminservice. According to the KVB in 2026:

    • It helps you find a family doctor or paediatrician; no referral is needed.
    • For most specialists you need a referral (Überweisung) with a placement code (Vermittlungscode); eye doctors and gynaecologists can be booked without one.
    • The TSS arranges an appointment within one week, and the wait from your first call to the appointment should be no more than five weeks (routine check-ups and minor complaints excluded).
    • It does not book a specific doctor or a preferred time; ask the practice directly if you have a preference.
    • Dentists and orthodontists are not included.

  3. Step 3: Go to your first appointment

    Bring your insurance card, your vaccination record and a list of medications. Ask whether any vaccinations are due and how the practice handles repeat prescriptions and sick notes. Keep the practice's opening hours and phone number in your phone.

  4. Step 4: Know what to do when the practice is closed

    • 116117, the on-call service (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst): for illnesses that cannot wait but are not life-threatening, free of charge around the clock. In Bavaria the on-call service covers evenings and nights from 18:00 on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 13:00 on Wednesday and Friday, and weekends and public holidays from 18:00 the evening before.
    • On-call practices (Bereitschaftspraxen): you can also go in person to an on-call practice during its opening hours. Find the nearest one and its current hours with the on-call practice finder. When you call 116117, medical staff assess your symptoms and tell you where to go; have your insurance card ready.
    • Video consultation: if you are in Bavaria, acutely ill and your own doctor cannot be reached, the KVB offers medical advice by video through DocOnLine.
    • Home visits are possible if you cannot go to a practice; the doctor decides.
    • Dental emergencies are not covered by 116117; use the dental emergency service of the Bavarian dental association (KZVB).
    • Life-threatening emergencies: call 112 immediately.

Mental health support in Munich

  • Krisendienst Psychiatrie Oberbayern: 0800 655 3000, free, every day around the clock, for people in a psychological crisis and for relatives and friends. Counselling by phone is possible in more than 120 languages with interpreters, and in German Sign Language. Where necessary, a mobile team can come to you. It covers the City and district of Munich.
  • Psychotherapy with statutory insurance: you can book a first consultation (psychotherapeutische Sprechstunde) through 116117 without a referral. Acute treatment or trial sessions are arranged through the TSS when the therapist has recorded the need on the referral form.
  • In an acute emergency, call 112.

Pharmacies, prescriptions and sick notes

For e-prescriptions, co-payments and finding a pharmacy on night or weekend duty, see pharmacies and prescriptions. For sick notes and when your employer needs one, see employment rights.

Watch out

In a life-threatening emergency, such as chest pain, stroke symptoms or severe bleeding, call 112 immediately.

The 116117 appointment service cannot guarantee a specific doctor or time.

For problems that are not life-threatening, use 116117 and the on-call practices rather than a hospital emergency department.

Common mistakes

  • Waiting until you are ill before looking for a family doctor.
  • Asking 116117 for a specialist appointment without a referral and placement code where one is required.
  • Calling 116117 for a dental emergency.

Tips

  • Save 112, 116117 and 0800 655 3000 in your phone on your first day.
  • Keep a short summary of your medical history and medications, translated if possible.
  • Ask your family doctor for referrals rather than searching for specialists yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

How do I find a doctor who speaks English?

Ask practices directly when you call, and ask colleagues or community groups for recommendations. The 116117 appointment service can arrange an appointment but cannot choose a doctor by language.

How much do prescriptions cost?

With statutory insurance, the co-payment for a prescription medicine is 10% of the price, at least €5 and at most €10 per pack, and never more than the medicine itself costs (2026). See health insurance for what statutory and private insurance cover.

What do I do at the weekend if my child has a high fever?

Call 116117 or go to an on-call practice; the on-call practice finder shows paediatric practices and opening hours. If the situation seems life-threatening, call 112.

In your plan

  • Find a family doctor before you need one
  • Know where to find mental health support
  • Have a dental check-up and keep your bonus booklet
  • Join a German health insurer
  • Save the emergency, on-call and crisis numbers

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 6 Apr 2027.

  1. Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Bayerns (KVB)Official source
    Terminservicestelle (TSS) in Bayern unter Tel. 116117 (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Referral and placement code rules, one week to arrange, maximum five weeks wait, no choice of doctor, no dentists, psychotherapy consultation without referral.

  2. Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Bayerns (KVB)Official source
    KVB-Bereitschaftspraxis im Elisenhof / Bereitschaftsdienst (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    On-call times, 116117 free around the clock, DocOnLine, no dentists via 116117.

  3. Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Bayerns (KVB)Official source
    Patienten – Ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst in Bayern unter 116117 (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Ways to reach the on-call service, DocOnLine conditions, home visits, 112 for life-threatening situations.

  4. Kassenärztliche Vereinigung Bayerns (KVB)Official source
    Bereitschaftspraxen in München (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    Links to the on-call practice finder.

  5. Bundesministerium für GesundheitOfficial source
    Zuzahlung und Erstattung von Arzneimitteln (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  6. Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV)Official source
    Arztsuche 116117 (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026
  7. Krisendienste BayernOfficial source
    Krisendienst Psychiatrie Oberbayern (Opens {{site}} in a new tab)
    Accessed 8 Oct 2026

    0800 655 3000, 24/7, free, more than 120 languages, mobile teams, City and district of Munich.

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