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Other Insurance

Beyond mandatory Krankenversicherung and Privathaftpflicht, there are additional insurance types. The most useful are Hausrat (home contents), Rechtsschutz (legal protection), and Auslandskrankenversicherung (travel health). The need for each depends on your situation: valuable possessions, dependents, mortgage, or frequent travel.

Hausratversicherung — Contents Insurance​

Hausratversicherung (home contents insurance) covers your household belongings from fire, burglary with break-in, flooding, and vandalism [1].

Relevant WhenLess Relevant When
Property value over €10,000Property under €5,000
Own residenceRental with minimal furnishings
Expensive electronics, furniture, jewelryBasic furniture and electronics

Cost depends on coverage amount, area, and deductible. Typical range: €50–150 per year for €30,000–50,000 coverage [2].

Rechtsschutzversicherung — Legal Protection​

Rechtsschutzversicherung (legal protection insurance) covers expenses for lawyers, court costs, and expert opinions in disputes [3].

Typical coverage areas:

  • Employment disputes — Arbeitsrecht (disputes with employer)
  • Rental — Mietrecht (disputes with landlord)
  • Traffic — Verkehrsrecht (traffic disputes)
  • Contracts — Vertragsrecht (contract disputes)
Waiting Period

Contract includes Wartezeit (waiting period) — typically 3 months from signing. Cannot insure when dispute already started [4].

Cost depends on coverage scope and deductible (Selbstbeteiligung). Typical range: €150–300 per year [5].

Auslandskrankenversicherung — Travel Health Insurance​

Auslandskrankenversicherung (foreign travel health insurance) covers medical expenses abroad and medical repatriation [6].

For trips within EU, EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) works. It covers emergency care but does not cover repatriation and treatment of chronic conditions [7]. Auslandskrankenversicherung fills these gaps.

Outside the EU, basic German insurance does not apply — Auslandskrankenversicherung is mandatory.

Cost for annual coverage of all trips: €10–20 per year per person [8].

Risikolebensversicherung — Term Life Insurance​

Risikolebensversicherung (term life insurance) pays an agreed amount to your family in case of the insured's death during the contract period [9].

Relevant WhenLess Relevant When
Have mortgageNo dependents
Have children or non-working spouseNo debts
Single breadwinner in familyBoth partners work and financially independent

Cost depends on age, health, coverage amount, and contract term. Typical example: €100–300 per year for €200,000 coverage for healthy 35-year-old non-smoker over 20 years [10].

Insurance with Questionable Cost/Benefit Ratio​

These insurance types have high cost relative to covered risks or duplicate existing coverage [11].

InsuranceProblem
Handyversicherung (phone)Cost €5–10/month with €50–100 deductible. Over 2 years can buy new phone
Glasversicherung (glass, ceramic)Covers broken stovetops, glass tables. Claims are rare, deductible high
Insassenunfallversicherung (passenger accident)Duplicates Kfz-Haftpflicht, which already covers passenger harm
Reisegepäckversicherung (luggage)Often already covered by premium credit cards or Hausratversicherung
Sterbegeldversicherung (funeral)Returns below inflation. Better to keep €5,000–10,000 in liquid savings

Priorities​

  1. Mandatory: Krankenversicherung, Privathaftpflicht
  2. Important: Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung (when income depends on ability to work)
  3. Situational: Hausrat, Rechtsschutz, Risikoleben (depends on property, dependents, debts)
  4. For travel: Auslandskrankenversicherung (especially outside EU)

Sources​

  1. Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (GDV), "Hausratversicherung: Schutz für Hab und Gut", https://www.gdv.de/de/themen/news/hausratversicherung-schutz-fuer-hab-und-gut-24056 (accessed: January 2025)

  2. Stiftung Warentest, "Hausratversicherung: So finden Sie die richtige Police", https://www.test.de/Hausratversicherung-im-Test-1089013-0/ (accessed: January 2025)

  3. Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (GDV), "Rechtsschutzversicherung", https://www.gdv.de/de/themen/versicherungen/rechtsschutzversicherung-4212 (accessed: January 2025)

  4. Bund der Versicherten e.V., "Rechtsschutzversicherung: Wartezeiten beachten", https://www.bundderversicherten.de/Verbrauchertipps/Rechtsschutzversicherung (accessed: January 2025)

  5. Verbraucherzentrale, "Rechtsschutzversicherung: Wann sie sich lohnt", https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/geld-versicherungen/weitere-versicherungen/rechtsschutzversicherung-wann-sie-sich-lohnt-10935 (accessed: January 2025)

  6. Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, "Krankenversicherungsschutz im Ausland", https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/krankenversicherungsschutz-ausland (accessed: January 2025)

  7. Europäische Kommission, "Europäische Krankenversicherungskarte (EHIC)", https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=563&langId=de (accessed: January 2025)

  8. Stiftung Warentest, "Auslandskrankenversicherung im Test", https://www.test.de/Auslandskrankenversicherung-im-Test-4189096-0/ (accessed: January 2025)

  9. Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (GDV), "Risikolebensversicherung", https://www.gdv.de/de/themen/versicherungen/lebensversicherung/risikolebensversicherung-4210 (accessed: January 2025)

  10. Stiftung Warentest, "Risikolebensversicherung: Günstige Policen für junge Familien", https://www.test.de/Risikolebensversicherung-im-Test-4804711-0/ (accessed: January 2025)

  11. Verbraucherzentrale, "Diese Versicherungen können Sie sich sparen", https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/geld-versicherungen/weitere-versicherungen/diese-versicherungen-koennen-sie-sich-sparen-10607 (accessed: January 2025)