Short Answer
Certified online medical services can issue legally valid electronic sick notes (eAU) for many common illnesses.
Consultations via video call allow you to receive the necessary documentation without physically visiting a clinic when you are too ill to travel.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You used a popular app to get a sick note for a severe migraine, assuming it was universally accepted since the system is digital. You didn't know that some conservative employment contracts explicitly demand a "physical" examination for certain durations of absence. You lost two days of pay and received a formal warning because your HR department rejected the online certificate as insufficient proof of illness.
What To Do
- Open your employment contract and search for clauses regarding "telemedicine" or "online AU."
- Download an app like TeleClinic or Zava to book a video consultation with a German-licensed doctor.
- "Wird eine Online-Krankschreibung von meiner Firma akzeptiert?" (Is an online sick note accepted by my company?) — Ask your HR department this before you rely on a digital-only service.
The Truth
The system officially recognizes digital consultations, but individual labor agreements can still enforce stricter requirements. Germany is in a transitional phase where the law allows online notes, but old-fashioned corporate policies may still penalize you for using them.