What insurances are common to have in Germany?

Question

Are there any insurances in Germany that are considered important in Germany but which are not required to have as for example a health insurance?

Your title and question don't match. Your title asks about mandatory insurance, your question asks about non-mandatory insurance. Which do you want? — Flimzy, Mar 23 '14 at 18:55
I can't very well suggest an edit if I don't know what you are intending to ask. :) — Flimzy, Mar 23 '14 at 19:39
Anyway, now the question is clear... but now it's also Primarily Opinion-Based. — Flimzy, Mar 23 '14 at 19:40
Well, I disagree... this site is full of objective questions. And this one could be broken into a number of objective questions as well. — Flimzy, Mar 23 '14 at 21:51
In my opinion, it is a common question of many foreigners what insurances a "normal" citizen of a country is supposed to sign in a country of residence. This is advice and of course to some extend opinionated. — Rafael Winterhalter, Mar 24 '14 at 09:24

score 12 · Answer 1 · edited Mar 24 '14 at 17:07

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In Germany, the following insurances are recommended and a big fraction of the population has such insurance:

Haftpflichtversicherung: This insurance will cover damages that you cause to others such as ruining someone's couch by pouring wine over it. It will normally also cover for damages of your kids as long as you or the damaged person can prove that you did not properly watch over them while they were causing the damage. (Otherwise, your kids would be responsible for the damage themselves but would not have to pay for the damage because of their young age, i.e. the damaged person will not be refunded.)
Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung: This insurance pays you a given amount when you get injured such that you are no longer able to work for a longer period / life. This insurance is recommended since the state coverage for people that cannot was reduced to a minimum amount some years ago.
Auslandskrankenversicherung: A public health insurance will only cover the costs of health care to the amount they would cost in Germany. This means that you will have to pay a significant amount yourself when receiving treatment on travels in countries with expensive health care like the United States. This insurance will pay the difference or even the entire amount, as long as you did not travel to another country with the purpose of receiving treatment. Some insurances also exclude a person's home country if one was not born in Germany to avoid fraud and overly expensive customers that are likely to be treated abroad a lot.

Other than that some people have additional insurance for their teeth when insured with a public health insurance. Pflegetagegeldversicherungen which pay a given amount if you need treatment in a care home are also gaining popularity. Finally, it is worth mentioning Unfallversicherungen which pay you a certain amount on accidents that cause damage to your body and will normally also cover, for example, rescue from a mountain or the sea.

edited Mar 24 '14 at 17:07

Gala

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answered Mar 21 '14 at 15:59

Rafael Winterhalter

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How does the third point work in the EU? Doesn't statutory health insurance include an EHIC? – Gala Mar 21 '14 at 19:40
I believe that most EU countries have an agreement. Specific treatments might however still not be covered. – Rafael Winterhalter Mar 21 '14 at 20:51
Haftpflichtversicherung is not worth it for paying a couch as a German colleague told me, for small amounts you won't use it because you will pay much more for the insurance, but if driving your bike and you crash into somebody and it will need hospitalizations (or God forbid worst) then it's worth it because those cost can raise to hundred of thousands or up to a million Euros in some cases. – Radu Maris Mar 25 '14 at 07:50
Depends on the type of your insurance and if you have a Eigenanteil. Many would use it for the couch example if the couch is expensive enough. – Rafael Winterhalter Mar 25 '14 at 07:54
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A Haftpflichtversicherung: might be even mandatory in some rent contracts issued by private flat house owners. – mxfh Mar 29 '14 at 23:20
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Also worth considering: a Hausratsversicherung (contents insurance) which should also insure your bike against theft. If you have to deal with a lot of businesses, you plan to own some property or you are even running your own business a Rechtsschutzversicherung that covers you specific risks for legal expenses may be well worth it's price. – mxfh Mar 29 '14 at 23:28
It is true, this is a common one as well but not equally common. Feel free to edit the entry, though. – Rafael Winterhalter Mar 29 '14 at 23:35
@mxfh If you are knowledgeable on mandatory Haftpflichtversicherung for rents, can you please consider this question? – gerrit Nov 02 '18 at 11:15
@RaduMaris Apparently some Haftpflichtversicherung cost less than €20/year, and if as mxfh says the're required by some landlords, then that's a small price to pay even if the service is almost useless. – gerrit Nov 02 '18 at 11:17
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@gerrit Thanks for the info, too bad I can't improve my previous comment as it's quite misleading. I mean to say it's not worth using it for small amounts of damages, but definitely worth paying for it, especially if you have kids. – Radu Maris Nov 05 '18 at 10:15

What insurances are common to have in Germany?

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