Professional indemnity
Required by the professional code and for billing the health insurers; covers injury to mother and child up to millions.
Insurance broker / Business types / Health and care
Insurance for self-employed midwives and birth centres in Germany
Few jobs carry so much responsibility for two people at once. A birth injury can lead to treatment and care costs for a whole lifetime, which is why professional indemnity is compulsory for midwives and expensive if you attend births. This page explains what it costs, what the German health insurers pay back and which other cover you need.
The question almost everyone asks first
How much of my liability premium do the health insurers pay back?
For midwives who attend births, a special supplement from the health insurers (Sicherstellungszuschlag) offsets most of the premium. According to industry reports, it recently covered more than 90 percent under the group contract of the German Midwives Association, provided you attend enough births and apply on time. Without birth attendance there is no supplement, but the premium is far lower.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Birth injury
Lack of oxygen during labour or a complication spotted too late can harm a child permanently. Claims run into millions.
- 02
Postnatal period
A missed infection, jaundice in the newborn or feeding problems with consequences lead to accusations against the midwife.
- 03
Home visits
In someone else's home a changing table tips over or a device damages the furniture. That is a liability claim too.
- 04
Always on the road
Postnatal visits in all weathers and on call at night: the car is both workplace and risk.
- 05
Nights and backs
On-call duty, shifts and physical work often lead to exhaustion and back problems that can end a career.
- 06
Records
In a dispute, what counts is what was written down. Gaps in the birth report are held against the midwife in court.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Car insurance
Motor liability is compulsory for every vehicle; for home visits also consider comprehensive cover and breakdown cover with a replacement car.
Strongly advised
Occupational disability
Protects your income if your back, exhaustion or an infection make bedside work impossible.
Accident insurance
Pays for permanent injury after an accident, including in your free time, where the BGW does not pay.
Business legal expenses
For professional disciplinary cases, disputes with health insurers and criminal proceedings after a birth injury; often very cheap through professional associations.
Depends on the business
Business contents
For practice or course rooms and birth centres: furniture, CTG monitor and course materials against fire, water and burglary.
Electronic equipment
For the CTG, Doppler and laptop that travel on home visits and are easily dropped or stolen.
What it costs: example prices
Professional indemnity depends almost entirely on whether you attend births. Most self-employed midwives insure through the group contracts of their professional associations.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Professional indemnity | Self-employed with birth attendance, group contract of the professional association | around 13,000 to 14,000 euros a year, mostly refunded by the health insurers |
| Professional indemnity | Self-employed without birth attendance, antenatal and postnatal care, courses | around 400 to 1,200 euros a year |
| Business legal expenses | Professional legal expenses cover through the association | around 20 to 50 euros a year |
| Occupational disability | Monthly benefit of 1,500 euros, entry age 30 | around 900 to 1,800 euros a year |
| Car insurance | Small car with comprehensive cover, many home visits | around 450 to 900 euros a year |
For comparison: Liability cover without birth attendance costs about as much a year as ten to twenty postnatal home visits.
Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026. The figures for birth attendance are based on published numbers for the group contract of the German Midwives Association, the rest on association information and our own quoting experience. We obtain the exact quote for you.
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Antenatal and postnatal
For: Self-employed midwife without birth attendance, with home visits and courses
- Professional indemnity
- Business legal expenses
- Car insurance
Together around 900 to 2,100 euros a year
Request this package02
Birth attendance
For: Attached hospital midwife (Beleghebamme) or home births with on-call duty
- Professional indemnity
- Business legal expenses
- Car insurance
- Occupational disability
Together around 15,000 to 17,000 euros a year, most of it refunded
Request this package03
Practice
For: Midwifery practice or birth centre with rooms, equipment and colleagues
- Professional indemnity
- Business legal expenses
- Business contents
- Electronic equipment
- Accident insurance
Together individual, depending on birth attendance and the number of midwives
Request this packageA midwife's worst day
Six things that really happen to midwives, all in one long day on call. Tap through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€2,521,900
-
At a home birth the baby's heart rate drops and the transfer to hospital takes too long. The child suffers permanent harm.
-
On the way to the first postnatal visit you skid on a wet road into the crash barrier.
-
Your baby scales tip over during weighing and break the family's glass table.
-
The CTG monitor falls out of your bag onto the stairs.
-
The public prosecutor opens an investigation into the night. You need a lawyer specialising in medical criminal law.
-
Carrying the birth bag, you twist your ankle on the cellar stairs. Torn ligament, six weeks without home visits.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Apply for the health insurers' supplement on time; without an application you carry the full birth attendance premium yourself.
- When switching between birth attendance and postnatal care, change the tariff in good time so there is neither a gap nor an overpriced premium.
- Pay attention to run-off cover: claims for birth injuries can be made many years later.
- Document every birth fully and promptly; in a dispute that is your most important defence.
- Take out income protection early, while your back and health show no pre-existing conditions.
- Use the low-cost association contracts for legal expenses and personal liability, and let us compare your other policies alongside them.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We put the association contract in context
Your liability cover usually comes through your professional association. As a broker we compare what is missing beyond it: car, income protection, accident and practice.
We know claims from the inside
In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. We know how much a clean claim report matters and we support you through it.
One contact for work and family
Car, health, pension and home contents are handled with you in one place, even if you are on call at night and short of time by day.
Family business since 1989
Free of charge for you, as the insurer pays our commission. You reach people who know your policies.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is professional indemnity compulsory for midwives in Germany?
Yes. The professional codes of the federal states require it, and without proof of cover you cannot bill the health insurers.
What does liability cover with birth attendance cost?
Under the group contract of the German Midwives Association it was around 13,300 euros a year in 2025/26. The health insurers offset most of it through the supplement.
And without birth attendance?
Without birth attendance the cover costs a few hundred euros a year, because severe birth injuries do not need to be insured. The premium stays stable under the current group contract.
How high is the sum insured?
Under the German Midwives Association's group contract, 15 million euros per claim and 25 million euros per midwife per year. Further improvements have been announced for new contracts from July 2027.
Am I insured as an employed midwife in a hospital?
For your hospital work, through the hospital's liability insurance. If you also work on a self-employed basis, you need your own professional indemnity for that.
What insurance do I need besides liability?
Important are motor insurance with breakdown cover, income protection, accident cover and professional legal expenses cover. With your own rooms, contents and electronics insurance come on top.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Midwife
The recommended covers are already ticked. Change what does not fit; we obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. You can write in English.
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