Checkliste - Insurance

What insurance do you need after arriving in Germany:

Health insurance

• Everyone must have health insurance!
• There's special free medical care for refugees.
• Ask the initial reception centre or the city/municipality exactly what you need to do if you need medical help.

Private liability insurance

• if you damage a car while cycling or
• if you drop a friend's smartphone and it breaks, you have to pay for the damage. Even if you were just inattentive for a moment and didn't mean to damage anything.

That can be very expensive. That's why everyone needs private liability insurance.

The private liability insurance pays,

• if an item is damaged ➨ the cost of repair
• if something is broken and can't be repaired ➨ the replacement value
• if someone is injured ➨ medical and hospital costs
• if you have children ➨ children are insured under their parents' private liability insurance. Parents must look after their children and make sure they don't cause any harm. So, your insurance should also pay for damage caused by small children under the age of 7.
• if you have pets ➨ Pets can also cause damage. If small pets such as birds or cats break something, private liability pays. For large pets such as dogs, you should take out a separate insurance policy called pet owner's liability.
• when you move into your own place ➨ Private liability should also pay if damage occurs in the rented apartment. The insurance should pay if you lose the key.
• when you buy a car ➨You must take out motor vehicle liability insurance. A traffic accident can be very expensive. If you're at fault in a car accident, the insurance company will pay for the damage.
  But be careful: If you were at fault for the accident, no one will pay for the damage to your car. There's other insurance for that.
• if you work somewhere or help on a regular basis ➨ Even if you get paid little or no money for your work: Ask if your private liability insurance will pay if you damage something at work. And if you have an accident yourself and you're injured? There is a statutory accident insurance for this, which is free of charge for you: Find out beforehand!

Contracts for private liability insurance can be very different!

☑ Get independent and neutral advice! E.g. at the consumer advice centre

☑ The sum insured should be at least 10 million euros. The sum insured is the maximum amount the insurance company will pay after a claim.

☑ The insurance cover should be worldwide.