Questions regarding Blue Card Application

Hi all,

I had a few questions regarding the requirements when applying for a blue card at a German consulate abroad.

1) Housing : *Proof of housing in Germany incl. full address (e.g. rental agreement, hotel reservation or invitation letter in case of private accommodation with name, full address and passport copy of the inviting person)*

Obviously it’s nearly impossible to get a rental agreement signed by a German Vermieter when I’m not in the country and my visa isn’t even guaranteed, even if I have a job offer. I’ve seen people pay for super expensive Wunderflats, but that seems risky as the visa might not even be issued in time for the move-in date.

Can I just book something for the first month on [booking.com](https://booking.com/) and then cancel it (free cancelation on [booking.com](https://booking.com/)) after I get the visa issued by the consulate and then start *really* looking for apartments? My employer has said they are willing to help me find a place, obviously they won’t be able to get me a rental agreement before I even apply for the visa.

2) Health Insurance : *Health insurance coverage is required at the time of entry into Germany. Usually statutory health insurance coverage provided by the university or future employer only goes into effect when you take up residency and enter into employment/begin with your studies.*

*If you enter before, an additional private (travel) health insurance in line with EU standards (covering the entire Schengen area, minimum coverage of 30,000 €) must be purchased for the duration of time until you begin your employment/your studies and are covered through the statutory health insurance. Please ensure that your travel health insurance does not exclude protection if a long term or permanent stay is planned*

a) When my employment starts do I automatically have health insurance or do I have to call a public insurance company from abroad and set up an agreement and get a Bestätigung from them, just to get the national visa to enter the country?

b) What if I want private insurance (young, healthy, job offer above 67K, don’t plan on staying in Germany forever), which I heard is cheaper? Can I get that directly instead, or do I have to get public first and then convert to private later when I’m actually in Germany?

c) What do they mean by “does not exclude protection if a long term or permanent stay is planned”? I thought travel insurance was temporary in nature to bridge the period from when I first arrive in Germany to my first day of work.

I’ll be much obliged for any answers 🙂 Thank you.