Can stomach and bowel symptoms justify a sick note?

Which details help the doctor assess your symptoms?

The Federal health portal (gesund.bund.de) describes diarrhoea as frequent bowel movements with very soft or liquid stools. Begin by explaining when your symptoms started and how they have changed since that time. Note as accurately as possible how often you needed the toilet and whether you also vomited. Add whether you were able to drink and any changes you noticed during the illness.

Give measured temperatures with their timing, and describe abdominal pain by its location and development. If you cannot provide an exact detail, clearly label what you say as an estimate. Mention earlier episodes of similar symptoms and any examinations that have already taken place. This preparation supports the conversation; a single observation cannot provide a reliable self-diagnosis of your condition.

Keep your notes beside your device so you do not forget important points during the consultation. State your main concern first, then explain how your symptoms have developed up to now. If you feel too weak for a structured conversation, tell the doctor immediately rather than struggling silently. For urgent symptoms, follow the routes to immediate medical care described below in this guide.

What does this mean for your actual working day?

The medical assessment should consider your actual duties and the limitations you are currently experiencing. For statutory insurance doctors, § 2 paragraph 1 Arbeitsunfähigkeits-Richtlinie describes this by referring to the work most recently performed. Mention planned off-site appointments, driving or periods during which you can hardly leave your workstation. Explain which symptoms make precisely those tasks more difficult or interrupt them on a regular basis.

Distinguish your general job title from the actual tasks scheduled for the day in question. Explain workplace features that someone could not infer simply from hearing your occupational title. If several tasks are affected, begin with the limitation that has the greatest impact on you. The doctor can then ask targeted questions instead of relying on general assumptions about your profession.

The guideline has applied since 21 February 2024 in the version amended on 7 December 2023. Its original version is dated 14 November 2013 and concerns care under statutory health insurance. Our service remains a private medical service with its own separate limits and billing arrangements. It does not promise that any particular symptom will automatically result in a three-day certificate.

How should you arrange further medical contact?

Our service allows a maximum of three calendar days including any backdated days, with no extension. Discuss early how to arrange further examination at a local practice if your symptoms continue. Ask specifically what information to bring to a follow-up appointment and which changes to observe. Keep any certificate somewhere accessible so you can state its dates at the next consultation.

For diarrhoea, Federal health portal (gesund.bund.de) lists no improvement after 48 hours among reasons to see a doctor. High fever, blood in the stool and severe pain are also among the reasons listed there. Do not wait through such changes simply because your certificate still covers another day of absence. The certified period cannot replace a new medical assessment when symptoms change or become increasingly burdensome.

A separate list of administrative questions can help alongside your notes about the current medical symptoms. Record whom you notified about your absence and where the certificate should be sent afterwards. This lets you address health questions with the doctor and administrative questions with your employer separately. Avoid accidentally sending your personal symptom notes together with the actual certificate intended for your employer.

When should you seek help without waiting for video care?

According to Federal health portal (gesund.bund.de), dizziness or circulation problems from fluid loss require prompt medical help and reassessment. For unconsciousness or seriously impaired consciousness, follow medical on-call service on 116117 guidance and call 112 immediately for emergency assistance. For urgent, non-life-threatening vomiting and diarrhoea outside normal opening hours, the on-call service on 116117 can help.

What do you need to tell your employer?

Notify your employer without delay that you cannot work and how long you expect the absence to last. This legal duty to notify follows from § 5 paragraph 1 continued remuneration law (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, EFZG), the German continued remuneration law (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, EFZG). Where possible, send your notification before waiting for the video consultation to finish. If unsure, ask which reporting channel to use and who handles sickness notifications at work.

Keep your sickness notification separate from the medical evidence covering the period certified by the doctor. With this service, you receive a PDF for your employer after the doctor establishes incapacity for work. You submit it yourself; there is no electronic transmission to your health insurance fund here. Our terms of service explain this service limit alongside the procedure for the private medical consultation.

Before sending the certificate, check the recipient, your name and the period stated on it. Store your own copy and confirmation of submission somewhere protected for your personal records. If questions arise, you can then find and identify the documents you actually submitted more easily.

What are the limits and fees of this service?

Our service is for adults aged 18 and over whose symptoms can be assessed adequately by video. Generally accepted professional standards must allow your treatment without an in-person medical consultation. The certificate usually starts on the day of your video consultation. After careful medical assessment, the doctor may exceptionally backdate its start by up to three days. The doctor must also be able to establish your incapacity for work during that earlier period. There is no entitlement to backdating. The certificate still covers no more than three calendar days, including any backdated days. This service does not extend an existing certificate by video. Contact us on your first day of illness whenever possible. Further details are set out in our terms of service.

According to our service, a base consultation fee of €10.72 is reserved before the appointment. If a medically necessary visual examination is actually performed, the fee totals €21.44 plus applicable surcharges. The fee remains payable even if the medical assessment does not result in a certificate. Before booking, read the full pricing information carefully, including details of any possible surcharges.

People with statutory health insurance pay themselves; reimbursement by private insurance depends on their policy terms. Our terms of service do not guarantee reimbursement or acceptance of the certificate by your employer. Have your identity document and a device with a camera and microphone ready for the consultation. Check your internet connection and choose somewhere you can speak without being disturbed by others.

Where can you find further answers?

These related guides provide further information about the next steps in reporting your sickness absence:

• How do you get an online sick note in Germany?
• How should you notify your employer about sick leave?
• How can you get a sick note at weekends or on holidays?
• What does a private video consultation for a sick note cost?

Editorial team Krankschreibung per Video, Drylabs GmbH

Updated: 26 October 2026