What You Can Expect from Bookimed
We have been arranging treatment abroad since 2014. This page sets out what we do for you, what we check, what we do not, and what happens to your money if something changes. We would rather you knew the limits in advance than found them at the airport.
Bookimed holds the Global Healthcare Accreditation Medical Travel Facilitator Certification, awarded in March 2026 — an independent assessment of how we work with patients, not of the clinics we list.
Key Takeaways
- You pay the clinic, not us — we do not add a markup to the clinic's price.
- One coordinator stays with you from your first message through your return home.
- We check what clinics tell us; we don't audit clinical standards ourselves — verify accreditations directly with the issuing body.
- Our clinic ranking reflects what has actually happened with other patients — it is not a medical recommendation.
- A Bookimed deposit is refundable if you ask at least 10 calendar days before your scheduled visit.
1. What Does Bookimed Do for You?
Bookimed assigns you one coordinator who handles your case from your first message until after you're home, prepares your documents, and can arrange a second opinion or referral cashback along the way.
Who Is My Coordinator?
One person handles your request from the first message to after you are home: gathering your documents, getting them translated for the clinic, dealing with the clinic on your behalf, and being there if something goes wrong on the trip.
Who Prepares My Documents for the Clinic?
You send us your medical records in whatever language they are in. In most cases we arrange the translation at no cost to you — the exceptions are set out in Travel Requirements.
Can I Get a Second Opinion?
You can ask us to arrange an expert opinion to confirm a diagnosis or review your options before you commit to anything.
What Do I Get If I Refer Someone?
Patients who introduce a friend or relative to Bookimed receive 2% of their treatment invoice back — and so does the person they introduced. The program applies to procedures of $1,500 or more, the new patient must register through your referral link and not already have a Bookimed account, and the cashback is transferred to your bank account after treatment has been paid for at the clinic. Full conditions are in our Referral program.
Do You Follow Up After Treatment?
Your coordinator contacts you once you are home — not the other way around. They check how recovery is going, pass your questions to the clinic, and help arrange a follow-up consultation if you need one.
What Happens If the Clinic Changes My Date?
Clinics sometimes have to postpone. When that happens, your coordinator tells you the same day with the reason, comes back with the clinic's available dates, and looks for another doctor or another clinic if none of them work.
Who Do I Escalate To If Something Goes Wrong?
If you are unhappy with your care, tell your coordinator. If a clinical error is involved, we stay in touch with you and take it up with the clinic. We cannot decide the outcome of a medical dispute — that is between you, the clinic, and where necessary the authorities of the country you were treated in — but you are not left to do it alone.
2. What Does Bookimed Check About Clinics?
Bookimed checks what clinics report but doesn't independently verify accreditations or audit clinical standards — ranking and reviews reflect actual patient history, not a medical endorsement.
This is the part patients most often assume, so it is worth being exact.
What Information Do Clinics Provide?
Clinics provide their accreditations, licenses, and their specialists' qualifications, and are responsible for keeping that information accurate. Accreditations are displayed with the name of the accrediting body, so you can check them at the source.
What Does Bookimed Not Verify?
We are not an accreditation body. We do not audit clinical standards, inspect facilities, or verify each doctor's credentials ourselves. If accreditation matters to your decision — and for surgery it should — verify it directly with the organization that issued it.
What Does the Bookimed Ranking Mean?
The order clinics appear in on Bookimed is built mainly from what has actually happened with other patients: how many we have sent to that clinic for that treatment, how recently, how the clinic responds, and what patients said afterward. It is not a medical recommendation and not a quality certificate. How it works is in our Clinic Ranking Policy.
Who Can Leave a Review?
Only patients who booked through us and attended the clinic can leave a review. We publish critical reviews as readily as positive ones, and a clinic cannot delete, hide, or move a review about itself. A low rating does not push a review down the page. The full rules are in our Review & Comment Policy.
3. What Do I Pay, and to Whom?
You pay the clinic, not Bookimed; deposit terms vary by clinic, and a Bookimed deposit is refundable if requested at least 10 days before your visit.
Who Do I Pay — Bookimed or the Clinic?
Bookimed does not add a markup to the clinic's price. We earn a commission from the clinics we work with.
Is the Price in My Offer Final?
The price in your offer covers what your offer lists. Materials, additional procedures, pre-procedure tests, and extra nights are commonly charged separately, and a final invoice can be higher than an estimate. Ask your coordinator for a written breakdown of what is and is not included before you pay anything — and ask what happens if more material is needed than estimated.
Who Sets the Deposit Terms?
Whether a deposit is required at all, how much it is, and what happens if you cancel varies between clinics. There are three possibilities:
- Some clinics hold your appointment on copies of your passport and tickets, with no prepayment.
- Some ask for a deposit of $200 or €200 paid to Bookimed on the clinic's behalf, which is then deducted from what you pay the clinic.
- Some ask for a deposit of their own, typically 5% to 50% of the total, paid directly to them.
Your coordinator will tell you which applies to your booking.
Can I Get My Bookimed Deposit Refunded?
A Bookimed deposit is refundable if you request it at least 10 calendar days before your scheduled visit, by writing to bills@bookimed.com. Approved refunds are processed within 30 banking days to the payment method you used. Refunds of a clinic's own deposit are decided by the clinic, on the terms it sets. Full details: Payment and Deposit Terms.
Can I Pay in Installments?
Payment in installments is available through Afterpay at participating clinics. Four payments over six weeks are interest-free; monthly plans over 6 or 12 months carry interest. Terms are set by Afterpay, not by us — see Afterpay.
4. What Happens to My Medical Records and Data?
Your records and data are handled under the Privacy Notice — stored in Germany, never sold, and you can access, correct, or delete them by writing to care@bookimed.com.
Your medical records and personal data are handled as described in our Privacy Notice. In short: data is stored on servers in Germany; we do not sell it; we do not use it for third-party advertising; and you can access, correct, or delete it by writing to care@bookimed.com.
You can ask to remain anonymous in any review you leave.
5. What Doesn't Bookimed Cover?
Bookimed doesn't cover travel costs, entry refusals, medical outcomes, or visa applications.
- Travel costs. Flights, hotels, and transfers are yours, including the cost of changing them. If a clinic moves your date, rebooking is normally at your own expense — which is the main reason to keep travel bookings changeable until your date is confirmed in writing.
- Getting home if you are refused entry. Border decisions are made by governments and cannot be reversed by us or the clinic.
- Medical outcomes. No treatment result can be guaranteed, by us or by any clinic. Recovery and results vary between patients.
- Visa applications. We can ask a clinic for the invitation letter a consulate may require, and tell you what the clinic needs to issue it. We do not submit applications or advise on your immigration circumstances.
6. Who Do I Contact With Questions?
Contact your coordinator first, or care@bookimed.com for general questions and bills@bookimed.com for deposits and refunds.
Your coordinator first. Otherwise: care@bookimed.com. Deposits and refunds: bills@bookimed.com.