Germany to Require Doctor’s Note on First Sick Day as Employee Pressure Reaches New High
Veröffentlicht: 16.07.2026 um 11:11 Uhr, Redaktion boerse-global.de
Nearly 72% of respondents said they felt forced to justify a sick day, while 95% admitted to working while ill. Almost 65% feared professional repercussions from missing time due to illness.
Against this backdrop, the coalition committee of the ruling Union and SPD parties voted on July 2, 2026, to abolish the phone-based sick note and make a medical certificate mandatory starting from the first day of illness. The change reverses decades of practice in Germany, where employees could previously self-certify for up to three days, and a phone note—introduced during the pandemic—allowed up to five days of absence without a visit to a doctor.
By law, a sick note was only required after the fourth day, unless the employer demanded one earlier. That flexibility is now gone.
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Doctors warn of up to 30 million extra visits
Medical professionals are pushing back hard. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) estimates the new rule could trigger up to 30 million additional practice visits per year across Germany. In the state of Baden-Württemberg alone, roughly 3 million extra appointments are expected.
The president of the German Medical Association criticised the plan as overly bureaucratic, urging the government to keep the phone-based option and pursue more effective alternatives. The chairwoman of the Middle Swabia district medical association warned that a surge in acute consultations could crowd out preventive care.
Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) responded that the government takes those concerns seriously. He pointed to digital tools and video consultations as ongoing relief measures but insisted a return to pre-pandemic rules was necessary.
Tariff-based and civil servant exemptions
Not every worker will be equally affected. The pharmacy union Adexa noted that employees covered by collective wage agreements in the sector will still follow their respective contracts. The federal framework tariff for pharmacies requires a doctor’s note only from the third calendar day onward, leaving the new rule meaningless there.
For civil servants, the tightened Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (continued-pay law) does not automatically apply. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, public servants only need to prove incapacity for work when explicitly asked by their authority. Bavaria is examining how to adapt the rule, while the civil servants’ union and the Education and Science Union (GEW) reject the reform outright. In 2023, federal-level civil servants averaged 20.9 sick days per year, compared to 15.3 for tariff-based employees.
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Stricter penalties and doubts about effectiveness
Alongside the sick-note changes, the coalition wants tougher criminal penalties for issuing false medical certificates under Section 278 of the German Criminal Code. The legislative process is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.
Labour lawyers stress that calling in sick is a legitimate state of exception and that employers have no right to demand a specific diagnosis. Experts remain sceptical whether the reform will actually lower sick-leave rates. Union circles warn of a possible opposite effect: when patients must appear in person, doctors may tend to certify longer recovery periods than they would over the phone.
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