Short Answer
Clinics are legally required under European GDPR laws to provide you with a complete copy of your personal "Patientenakte" upon request.
The medical system does not automatically transfer your files to a new practitioner, leaving the physical distribution of your history entirely up to you.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You moved across the country and assumed your new physician would seamlessly pull up your historical data on a shared computer screen. The new clinic had no access to your past records and refused to issue your regular prescriptions without fresh diagnostic baseline data. You lost €180 out of pocket for redundant laboratory diagnostics because you failed to carry your physical medical file with you during the move.
What To Do
- Request a complete digital or paper copy of your "Patientenakte" (patient file) from your doctor two weeks before you move.
- Ask the receptionist for your specific lab values, diagnostic summaries, and any imaging data like X-rays.
- "Ich ziehe um und brauche eine Kopie meiner gesamten Patientenakte." (I am moving and need a copy of my entire patient file.) — Use this phrase to trigger your statutory data access right.
The Truth
Germany’s healthcare data structure is highly fragmented to protect patient privacy. If you do not actively act as the courier for your own medical history, your data effectively ceases to exist the moment you register in a new state.