Guide · Health · Frankfurt

How to Get a Doctor’s Appointment in Frankfurt as a Newcomer

If you are new in Frankfurt, getting a doctor’s appointment can feel confusing at first. You may not know whether to contact a family doctor, a specialist, a hospital, or an emergency service. This guide explains the basic procedure in Germany, with a special focus on Frankfurt am Main. For a quick overview of hotlines, see our Emergency numbers section on the homepage. For everyday tools including booking apps, see Useful apps.

Start with a Hausarzt

In Germany, your first contact for most health problems is usually a Hausarzt, meaning a family doctor or general practitioner. A Hausarzt can help with common illnesses, cough, fever, stomach problems, pain, blood tests, prescriptions, sick notes, vaccinations, and referrals to specialists.

In Frankfurt, search for:

  • Hausarzt Frankfurt
  • Allgemeinmedizin Frankfurt
  • Hausarzt nimmt neue Patienten auf Frankfurt
  • Akuttermin Hausarzt Frankfurt
  • englischsprachiger Arzt Frankfurt

If you have public/statutory health insurance, such as TK, AOK, Barmer, DAK, hkk or another gesetzliche Krankenkasse, look for doctors who accept “gesetzlich Versicherte” or “alle Kassen”. If a listing says “nur privat” or “Selbstzahler”, it usually means only private patients or people paying themselves.

Digital ways to book a doctor’s appointment in Frankfurt

Doctolib

Doctolib is one of the easiest ways to search for doctors in Frankfurt. You can search by specialty, district, language, insurance type, and available appointment times. (We also list it under Useful apps on the homepage.)

Useful searches on Doctolib:

  • Hausarzt Frankfurt
  • Allgemeinmedizin Frankfurt
  • Hautarzt Frankfurt
  • HNO Frankfurt
  • Lungenarzt Frankfurt
  • Orthopäde Frankfurt
  • Zahnarzt Frankfurt

When using Doctolib, check carefully:

  • Does the doctor accept public insurance?
  • Is the appointment for new patients?
  • Is it an in-person appointment or video consultation?
  • Is it a regular appointment or an Akuttermin?
  • Does the practice list English or another language?

116117

116117 is the official medical appointment and on-call service in Germany. It can help with urgent but non-life-threatening medical problems and, in some cases, specialist appointments. You can use the website, the 116117 app, or call the number 116117.

KV Hessen doctor search

Frankfurt is in Hessen, so you can also use the official KV Hessen doctor search to find registered doctors and psychotherapists in Frankfurt and nearby areas.

Other platforms

You can also try Jameda, Doctena, Google Maps, and the websites of your health insurance company. Some insurance companies offer their own appointment-finding service.

How to book step by step

  1. Search online for a Hausarzt near your area in Frankfurt.
  2. Check Doctolib first for available appointments.
  3. If no appointment is available online, call the practice directly.
  4. Ask whether they accept new patients.
  5. If your symptoms are current or uncomfortable, ask for an Akuttermin.
  6. If you need a specialist, ask your Hausarzt whether you need an Überweisung.
  7. If the specialist appointment is urgent, ask whether a Dringlichkeitscode or Vermittlungscode is possible.
  8. If you still cannot find an appointment, use 116117 or call your health insurance company.

Useful German sentences for calling a doctor

  • Guten Tag, mein Name ist [Name]. Ich bin neu in Frankfurt und suche einen Hausarzt. Nehmen Sie neue Patienten auf?
  • Ich habe akute Beschwerden. Gibt es heute oder morgen einen Akuttermin?
  • Ich bin gesetzlich versichert. Akzeptieren Sie gesetzliche Krankenkassen?
  • Sprechen der Arzt oder die Ärztin Englisch?
  • Mein Deutsch ist noch nicht so gut. Können wir bitte langsam sprechen?
  • Können Sie mich bitte auf die Warteliste setzen, falls jemand absagt?

What to do if you cannot find an appointment

This is common in Frankfurt, especially for specialists. Do not stop after one or two calls.

Try these steps:

  • Check Doctolib several times per day, because cancelled appointments can appear suddenly.
  • Call practices early in the morning.
  • Ask directly for Akutsprechstunde or offene Sprechstunde.
  • Search not only in Frankfurt city center, but also nearby areas such as Offenbach, Eschborn, Bad Vilbel, Neu-Isenburg, Oberursel, Bad Homburg, Hanau, or Wiesbaden.
  • Use 116117 online, in the app, or by phone.
  • Call your health insurance company and ask for appointment support.
  • Ask your Hausarzt for an Überweisung with Dringlichkeitscode if a specialist appointment is medically urgent.
  • For urgent but non-life-threatening problems outside normal office hours, contact the ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst via 116117.

Emergency: when to call 112

Call 112 immediately if there is a life-threatening emergency. Full context: Emergency numbers.

Examples:

  • severe chest pain
  • severe breathing difficulty
  • signs of stroke
  • unconsciousness
  • heavy bleeding
  • serious accident
  • severe allergic reaction
  • sudden confusion or collapse
  • danger to life or permanent harm

112 is for real emergencies. Do not wait for a normal appointment if the situation feels dangerous.

Urgent but not life-threatening: call 116117

Call 116117 if you need medical help but it is not a life-threatening emergency, especially when normal doctor’s offices are closed.

Examples:

  • strong pain in the evening or on the weekend
  • high fever
  • infection that cannot wait until Monday
  • urgent symptoms that are uncomfortable but not immediately life-threatening

116117 can guide you to the medical on-call service, a Bereitschaftspraxis, or another suitable option.

Emergency pharmacy in Frankfurt

If you need medicine at night, on Sunday, or on a public holiday, search for:

  • Apothekennotdienst Frankfurt
  • Notapotheke Frankfurt
  • emergency pharmacy Frankfurt

There is always an emergency pharmacy service, but you may need to travel to a pharmacy that is on duty.

Important German vocabulary

Hausarzt
family doctor / GP
Allgemeinmediziner
general practitioner
Facharzt
specialist
Überweisung
referral
Dringlichkeitscode / Vermittlungscode
urgency code
Akuttermin
urgent appointment
Akutsprechstunde
acute consultation hour
offene Sprechstunde
open consultation hour
gesetzlich versichert
publicly insured
privat versichert
privately insured
Selbstzahler
self-paying patient
Notaufnahme
emergency department
ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst
medical on-call service
Apothekennotdienst
emergency pharmacy service

Summary

For most health problems in Frankfurt, start with a Hausarzt. Use Doctolib and other digital platforms to search for appointments, but also call practices directly. If you cannot find an appointment, use 116117, your health insurance appointment service, or search in nearby cities around Frankfurt. For urgent but non-life-threatening problems, call 116117. For life-threatening emergencies, call 112 immediately.

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