Moving Away from Germany After Hearing Aid Purchase – Need Advice

Hey everyone,

I’m in a bit of a tricky situation and would really appreciate some advice from this community.

I moved to Germany two years ago, and about a year ago I realized I needed hearing aids. Since Germany offers a decent health insurance subsidy for hearing aids compared to my home country (also in the EU), I decided it made sense to get them here. The subsidy back home only kicks in at a higher level of hearing disability, and since I was planning to stay in Germany long-term, I thought it would be more convenient to do everything here — fittings, follow-ups, etc.

Fast forward to now: I've been going through the fitting process with my audiologist here. It’s taken a while (the process has been pretty slow), but we’re almost at the end. I’ve tried out demo hearing aids, had custom ear molds made, and I think I’ll be making the final purchase this month.

Here is the issue: for personal reasons, I’ve recently decided to leave Germany and move back to my home country. After that, I might move elsewhere.

Now I’m questioning if it’s still a good idea to purchase my hearing aids here. I'm wondering:

• If I move away from Germany, will I still have access to the 5-year warranty benefits that come with German health insurance?
• If something goes wrong with the hearing aids, would I need to show my German health insurance card to get them fixed for free?
• How much of the follow-up care can be done online? I understand that for major issues I could fly back to see my audiologist in person, but I'd like to avoid that if possible.

I know I should discuss this with my audiologist (and I will), but I wanted to get some general advice here first.

Thanks in advance for your help!