A sick note (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, or AU) is a medical certificate that a licensed physician may issue on any calendar day in Germany following an in-person examination – including Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. The decisive factor is never the day of the week but medical necessity. Anyone who falls ill on a Friday evening or over the weekend in Berlin and will be unfit for work on Monday has several structured care pathways to obtain a fully valid sick note.
This guide answers the most common questions about getting a sick note in Berlin on the weekend: whether it is legal, who can issue it, what applies to backdated certificates, how the electronic sick note reaches your health insurer, and whether a prescription or referral is possible outside regular practice hours.
Is a Sick Note in Berlin Possible on the Weekend?
Yes – a sick note in Berlin is legally valid on any day of the week, including weekends and public holidays. German medical law does not restrict the issuance of a work-incapacity certificate to weekdays. Validity depends on two conditions only: an in-person medical examination and a physician's finding of medically justified incapacity to work. A certificate issued on a Sunday is just as valid towards your employer as one issued at a GP's practice on a Tuesday.
Issuance follows the work-incapacity guideline of the Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss. The physician assesses whether your specific job is temporarily unreasonable given your current symptoms – whether the examination takes place on a Monday or a public holiday makes no difference. A sick note without a personal medical assessment, however, cannot be issued.
Who Can Issue a Sick Note on the Weekend in Berlin?
Outside regular practice hours, Berlin offers four pathways, three of which can issue a sick note. The statutory on-call medical service, reached via the nationwide number 116 117, covers acute but non-life-threatening conditions; after an examination at an on-call practice or an arranged home visit, a doctor may issue a certificate. Private on-call services such as RAB Arztbesuche likewise issue fully valid certificates – every licensed physician is entitled to do so.
A hospital emergency department can technically issue a certificate following examination, but it is not designed for this: it exists for serious or potentially life-threatening conditions. For ordinary infections, gastrointestinal illness, or acute but stable symptoms it is the wrong route, tying up capacity that critically ill patients need.
A private medical home visit is the fourth option and is especially sensible when mobility is limited, young children are involved, or symptoms are pronounced. With RAB Arztbesuche, the home visit usually takes place within 60 to 90 minutes after a brief phone call, and the sick note is issued on the spot if work incapacity is medically justified.
Does the On-Call Service Issue a Sick Note Automatically?
No – a sick note is not a service on request but a medical decision. The physician evaluates the type and severity of symptoms, the demands of your specific job, and the expected duration of the limitation. Only when an objectively verifiable incapacity to work is confirmed is the AU issued.
This threshold protects both sides: the patient from returning to work too early, and the certificate from being questioned by an employer or health insurer. The Medizinischer Dienst (MD) may review an individual certificate, which is why it must always rest on a genuine health impairment. Calling the on-call service solely for a certificate while feeling fit to work misuses the system and ties up resources.
Backdated Sick Notes – What the Law Allows
A backdated sick note is only narrowly possible: the work-incapacity guideline generally permits certifying the start of incapacity retroactively for at most the day before the examination – and only if the symptoms are clinically plausible at the time of examination. The decisive date remains the day of the medical examination.
In practice this means: anyone who falls ill on Saturday but only sees a doctor on Monday may receive the certificate starting from Monday – the gap for Saturday and Sunday often cannot be closed afterwards. An examination during the weekend itself reliably closes that gap. If your employer requires an unbroken sick note from the first day of illness, you should therefore not wait until Monday.
From When Do I Even Need a Sick Note?
By statute under the Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, the duty to submit a certificate begins on the fourth day of illness, i.e. when the illness lasts longer than three calendar days. Many employers, however, require the certificate from the very first day – this is permitted under the employment contract and set out in the contract or collective agreement. If unsure, check your contract or ask HR.
Independently of this, the duty to notify applies immediately. You must inform your employer without delay – usually before the start of work on the first day of illness – about the incapacity and its expected duration, even if the certificate itself is submitted later.
The Electronic Sick Note (eAU): How It Reaches Your Insurer
Since 1 January 2023, the electronic sick note (eAU) has been mandatory for those with statutory health insurance. The treating physician transmits the certificate digitally and directly to the health insurer; the employer then retrieves the data electronically. Patients no longer have to submit the AU to the insurer themselves.
For your own records you still receive a paper printout. Privately insured patients are exempt from the eAU requirement and continue to submit the certificate on paper. If a weekend certificate needs to extend beyond a few days, the GP typically takes over the follow-up certificate on Monday or Tuesday – the on-call service often issues only two to three days at a time.
Can You Get a Prescription or Referral on the Weekend?
Yes – as part of the examination, the physician may also prescribe medication on the weekend. This includes symptomatic treatments, fever reducers, painkillers, and antibiotics if a bacterial infection is diagnosed. In Germany, antibiotics are never prescribed automatically or on request, but only on a clinically justified indication. You fill the prescription at an emergency-rotation pharmacy, which provides medication around the clock.
Repeat prescriptions for long-term medication (such as blood-pressure or thyroid tablets) are a grey area: the on-call service usually prescribes only a small pack to last until Monday, asking you to arrange the rest through your GP. Medication governed by the narcotics law (Betäubungsmittelgesetz) is excluded. The on-call physician can also issue referrals that are acutely useful – for example to an eye or ENT specialist for the following day.
ENT Complaints and Special Cases on the Weekend
Severe earache, sudden hearing loss, pronounced vertigo, or a sore throat with difficulty swallowing often arise when ENT specialist practices are closed. Dedicated ENT on-call services exist in Berlin but are not comprehensive and frequently involve waiting times. A private on-call service can assess and treat many of these complaints – such as a suspected bacterial middle-ear infection or acute sinusitis – during a home visit.
The limits are clear: the on-call medical service provides outpatient care for acute, stable conditions – examining, diagnosing, prescribing medication, issuing sick notes and referrals. Imaging such as CT or MRI, surgical procedures, or intensive care are not part of this; if further investigation or hospital admission is needed, the physician initiates it.
When to Call Emergency Services (112) Instead
The on-call medical service is not responsible for life-threatening emergencies. In cases of breathing difficulty, severe chest pain, loss of consciousness, serious injuries, heavy bleeding, or neurological symptoms such as sudden paralysis or speech disturbance, you must call emergency number 112 without delay – here every minute counts, and waiting for a home visit would be unsafe.
Berlin's care system is clearly tiered: 112 is reserved exclusively for life-threatening emergencies, 116 117 for acute but stable conditions outside practice hours. GP practices cover routine care, and supplementary medical home visits offer an additional option. Choosing the right level shortens waiting times and relieves emergency departments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Weekend Sick Notes in Berlin
Does a sick note issued on Saturday also cover Monday?
Yes. A sick note issued on a Saturday or Sunday is valid from the date noted on it and covers all the days of illness listed – including Monday and beyond, if the physician determines a longer incapacity. It must be submitted to the employer on time, usually no later than the first working day after the contractual waiting days expire.
Can I be backdated for the whole weekend?
Usually not. Backdating is generally limited to the day before the examination, and only with clinically plausible symptoms. Someone who falls ill on Friday but only sees a doctor on Sunday often cannot have Friday covered – a prompt weekend examination closes the gap.
Is a sick note from the emergency room valid?
Yes, a properly issued AU from the emergency department is legally valid. However, the emergency room is not intended for this purpose and should be reserved for serious or life-threatening cases; for a sick note alone, the on-call service or a home visit is the right route.
What does a sick note via a private home visit cost?
Billing follows the German scale of fees for physicians (GOÄ); weekend and night surcharges are regulated by law and customary. Privately insured patients are usually fully reimbursed. Self-payers and those with statutory insurance plus outpatient supplementary cover can also use the service; many supplementary plans cover private home visits in full or in part.
Do children get a certificate on the weekend?
Yes. Medical certificates as well as school or daycare notes can be issued for children after a medical assessment. For young children in particular, a home visit is sensible because it avoids stress and travel and allows a calm examination in familiar surroundings.
How quickly does a doctor from RAB Arztbesuche arrive?
After a brief phone call, the home visit usually takes place within 60 to 90 minutes. RAB Arztbesuche is reachable daily between 6 a.m. and midnight at 030 550 77 870; appointments can alternatively be booked online.
Can I get a prescription on the weekend?
Yes. A weekend prescription is available via the statutory on-call service (116 117), an emergency department or a private house call. Where clinically indicated we issue the prescription on site, and it can be filled at any Berlin emergency pharmacy. Repeat and long-term prescriptions are possible with appropriate documentation.