Insurance for hunting lease holders, hunters and shoots in Germany
Anyone who hunts is responsible for every shot, their dog and their high seat, and anyone who leases a hunting ground (Revier) is often responsible for crop damage caused by game as well. Without hunting liability insurance there is no hunting licence in Germany. This page explains what the law requires, which further cover matters for lease holders, hunters and shoots, and what it costs.
Is the statutory minimum for hunting liability enough?
It is enough for the licence, but rarely for a serious injury. A ricochet that hits a walker, or a car crash after a driven hunt, can lead to lifelong pension claims. Combined limits of several million euros are common and cost only a little more. As a lease holder you should also include the hunting ground, fixtures and driven hunts.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
A shot hits a bystander
A ricochet or a miss in poor light: a person is hurt, a car or grazing animal is hit.
02
High seat collapses
A rotten rung, a walker climbs up and falls. The lease holder has to show that the fixtures were checked.
03
Road accident after the hunt
During a driven hunt a group of wild boar runs across the road and a car hits them.
04
Hunting dog causes damage
The dog chases sheep, bites another dog or runs in front of a car.
05
Game damage on farmland
Wild boar churn up a maize field. If the lease holder has taken on liability, the farmer's bill lands with him.
06
Guns and equipment
A break in at the hunting lodge, and optics and rifles worth several thousand euros are gone.
Hunting liability is required for the licence. For lease holders and shoots the hunting ground, fixtures, driven hunts and guests belong in the policy.
For disputes over game damage, lease contracts or with the firearms authority.
What it costs: example prices
Hunting liability for an individual hunter is cheap. It costs more for lease holders with a large ground, several dogs, a lodge and regular driven hunts.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Business liability
Hunter without a lease, 5 million euros combined, one hunting dog
about 60 to 140 euros a year
Business liability
Lease holder with fixtures and two driven hunts a year
about 150 to 400 euros a year
Accident insurance
Hunter with a 100,000 euro disability sum
about 100 to 250 euros a year
Commercial buildings
Hunting lodge with game larder, rebuild value 60,000 euros
about 150 to 400 euros a year
Car insurance
Off road vehicle with partial comprehensive, good no claims class, rural
about 400 to 900 euros a year
For comparison: Good hunting liability costs less a year than a box of quality rifle cartridges.
All prices are guide figures from our own quoting work in 2026,
excluding German insurance premium tax.
Your premium depends on the size of the ground, the number of dogs and hunts, and claims history.
Six things hunting lease holders really go through, all on one driven hunt Saturday. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€26,300
On a forest track the off road vehicle grounds on a rock and the oil sump is damaged.
€1,800 · Paid by: Car insurance
A guest climbs a high seat, a rung breaks and he twists his knee badly.
€6,000 · Paid by: Business liability
A ricochet hits a mushroom picker's car parked at the edge of the forest.
€3,500 · Paid by: Business liability
A beater falls in the undergrowth and breaks his ankle.
€8,000 · Paid by: Accident insurance
The hunting dog follows a boar into a paddock and injures a foal.
€4,500 · Paid by: Dog and horse liability
The farmer reports churned up maize and says your estimate is far too low.
€2,500 · Paid by: Legal expenses insurance
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €26,300
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Choose a combined limit of several million euros instead of the statutory minimum.
As a lease holder, make sure the hunting ground, high seats, feeding sites and driven hunts are named in the policy.
Check how many hunting dogs are covered and whether they are protected outside the hunt.
Read your lease to see whether you took on liability for game damage; under section 29 BJagdG that decides your risk.
Inspect high seats regularly and record the checks in writing.
Store firearms as required by law; theft from unsuitable storage can cause problems with the authority and the insurer.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We read the small print
As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert compares several hunting liability policies and shows you how dogs, guests, fixtures and hunting abroad are treated.
Hunting and private in one place
Hunting liability, lodge, vehicle and your private cover sit together with us, in English or German.
Family run since 1989
Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
Is hunting liability compulsory in Germany?
Yes.
Without proof of hunting liability of at least 500,000 euros for injury and 50,000 euros for
property damage, the hunting licence is refused under section 17 BJagdG.
What does hunting liability cost?
As a guide from our quoting work, about 60 to 140 euros a year for a hunter with a dog.
Lease holders with a ground and driven hunts pay about 150 to 400 euros.
Do I have to pay for game damage as a lease holder?
Under section 29 BJagdG, in a communal hunting district the hunting cooperative pays first.
If the lease holder has taken on this liability in the lease, it falls on him.
Are my beaters and guests insured?
Under section 123 of Social Code VII hunts fall under the agricultural statutory accident insurer.
Whether beaters and guests are covered there depends on the case.
Your liability as organiser of a driven hunt should be covered by your hunting liability policy.
Is my hunting dog covered by hunting liability?
Some policies include a set number of hunting dogs, partly also outside the hunt.
This varies between insurers and is part of the comparison.
Does German hunting liability apply abroad?
Each policy sets its own rules, often with limits on duration or countries.
If you hunt abroad, check beforehand whether the host country requires its own proof.
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