Consolidated balance sheets (Parenthetical) - EUR (€) € in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Consolidated balance sheets
Allowance for doubtful accounts	€ 115,796	€ 474,891

The amount of an allowance account used to record uncollectible trade receivables.

No definition available.

Name:	fms_AllowanceAccountForTradeReceivables
Namespace Prefix:	fms_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant