Insurance for doulas and birth companions in Germany
Perhaps you trained as a doula in the UK, the US or Ireland and now support families in Berlin, Munich or Hamburg. In Germany, obstetric care itself is reserved by section 4 of the Midwifery Act (Hebammengesetz) for midwives and doctors, except in emergencies. Your role is emotional and practical support, and that is where liability questions start: advice understood as medical advice, a fall during an exercise, a dispute after a difficult birth. This page explains which insurance doulas and birth companions in Germany need and what it roughly costs.
Do I really need professional liability insurance as a doula in Germany?
It is not required by law. But you work at a moment when a lot is at stake, and after a hard birth families remember every word. If you are accused of advising against going to hospital, or a massage is said to have caused harm, professional liability cover examines the claim, defends unjustified demands and pays justified ones. Make sure the policy names your work as a doula, including massage, aromatherapy oils or classes if you offer them.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
Advice with consequences
A family claims you encouraged them to stay at home too long or advised against seeing a doctor.
02
Crossing into obstetric care
Monitoring contractions or interpreting findings is the midwife's field. In a dispute, what you did and said is examined closely.
03
Falls and injuries
A woman in labour slips during an exercise, or a partner trips over your bag with birth ball and scarves.
04
Massage and oils
Aromatherapy oils or massage can cause skin reactions or make discomfort worse.
05
Other people's property
Furniture breaks during a home visit, or a birth pool is damaged at a birth centre.
06
Loss of income on call
Around the due date you are on call. If you fall ill or get injured, you earn nothing and may have to refund fees.
If you drive to births, tell your motor insurer about the business use.
What it costs: example prices
Professional liability for doulas is affordable because you carry out no medical procedures. What matters is any extra service, such as massage or classes, and the sum insured.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Professional indemnity
Doula without staff, 3 million euros cover
around 80 to 180 euros a year
Professional indemnity
With antenatal classes and massage, 5 million euros cover
around 150 to 300 euros a year
Accident insurance
Age 35, 100,000 euros base sum with progression
around 120 to 250 euros a year
Business legal expenses
Self-employed doula, contract and criminal legal cover
around 250 to 450 euros a year
Occupational disability
Age 35, 1,200 euros monthly benefit to 67
around 800 to 1,600 euros a year
For comparison: A doula's professional liability cover often costs less a month than two coffees in a café.
Guide values from our quoting experience, as of October 2026,
excluding German insurance premium tax.
Your premium depends on your services and the insurer; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Six things doulas can really face, here all within one on-call period. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€33,200
Driving to a birth at night, you slip on ice in the car park and break your wrist.
€4,000 · Paid by: Accident insurance
At the birth centre the partner trips over your bag and hits his head.
€3,500 · Paid by: Professional indemnity
A massage oil causes a skin reaction and treatment is needed.
€1,500 · Paid by: Professional indemnity
A family from the spring claims you advised against going to hospital and demands compensation.
€20,000 · Paid by: Professional indemnity
A family refuses to pay the agreed cancellation fee and you need a lawyer.
€1,200 · Paid by: Business legal expenses
Your laptop with birth plans and contact details is hacked and the families must be informed.
€3,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €33,200
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Ask the insurer to confirm in writing that your work as a doula and all extras such as massage, oils or classes are covered.
State in your contract with the family that you do not provide obstetric care and that the midwife and doctor carry medical responsibility.
Do not give medical advice; refer questions about contractions, bleeding or medication to the midwife or hospital.
Make a short note after each birth of what you did and recommended; in a dispute years later, every note counts.
Check for run-off cover in case you stop working; claims can come long after the birth.
Protect your income against accident and illness, because there is no instant stand-in while you are on call.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We read the activity wording
As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert compares several insurers and makes sure your work as a doula does not disappear in a description that is too narrow.
We know claims handling
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We know what an insurer wants to see when a family makes a claim.
Advice in English
We explain German policy wording in plain English, and you get the documents explained before you sign.
Brokering since 1989
Our advice costs you nothing, as the insurer pays our commission. You speak to people who know your policy.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
Is professional liability insurance compulsory for doulas in Germany?
No.
Without it, however, you are liable with your own assets if a family claims damages,
and birth centres or hospitals sometimes ask for proof of cover.
How much does doula insurance cost in Germany?
As a guide from our quoting experience, around 80 to 180 euros a year without extras.
With classes and massage, usually 150 to 300 euros.
Am I allowed to help with the birth?
You may accompany, support and be present.
Obstetric care within the meaning of section 4 of the Midwifery Act,
meaning monitoring labour from the onset of contractions,
assisting the birth and monitoring the postnatal period, is reserved for midwives and doctors.
The rule does not apply in emergencies.
Am I covered by the midwife's or hospital's insurance?
No.
Their policies cover their own work.
For your work as a doula you need your own policy.
Who pays if I am injured on the way to a birth?
As a self-employed doula you are not automatically insured with a German statutory accident
insurer (Berufsgenossenschaft).
Private accident insurance pays for permanent injury around the clock, including in your free time.
Can my insurance from home cover me in Germany?
Usually not for long.
Policies from the UK or the US are rarely designed for permanent work in Germany.
A German policy with German wording is the safer basis.
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