English-language insurance advice

This post was sponsored by Barry King

Germany is a country that loves insurance. If you haven’t figured that out already, then you are about to find out very soon. And combined with the German love of long words and bureaucracy makes for a very confusing insurance system. I had to navigate the hard way by doing it all alone but I highly recommend using an insurance advisor (you can find a recommendation below). It will save you many hours and much stress.

Here is a short introduction to some of the different insurances you will need to consider:

Third-party Private Liability Insurance: very common in Germany to cover all of those minor (and not so minor) mishaps that you and particularly your children have. People are not concerned about sending you a bill for random damage you may have caused. There is no upper limit on personal damages that may be awarded in court due to your negligence so this relatively cheap insurance can be vital.

Legal Assistance Insurance: Germany works different from many countries in that to go to court there is no free legal aid. Therefore in cases of disputes with an employer, landlord or neighbour for example you would need to pay for yourself. Therefore legal insurance is recommended. Not obvious, but it could mean the difference between keeping a job and being unemployed. I have already seen a number of people rely on this insurance to stay in work.

House or contents insurance: Completely normal in most countries, so no one should be surprised about this one. Beware of policies that lock you in for multiple years and also remember that rental furniture won’t be included in many cases in case you have a furnished rental home.

Car insurance: Another obvious one and clearly a legal requirement for anyone behind the wheel

Health insurance: the most expensive of the insurances that you are going to have to get. Depending on how many people in your family, how many people are working, and the income level, the options are going to varying drastically. best get some help on this one as the right solution could save you thousands.

I highly recommend getting in touch with Barry King at the Signal Iduna Group. He isn’t an agent but works with one of the most reputable insurance providers in Germany. If he isn’t able to find you suitable insurance at Signal Iduna, then he will find you the next best thing that suits your needs. I have included his contact below and more info on the linked page.