Are my partner and children covered by my personal liability insurance?
In short
In a family or couple tariff, yes: spouses or registered partners and your own children are covered, children usually until the end of their first education. Unmarried partners often need to be named in the policy and live at the same address. A single tariff covers nobody but you.
What moving from a single to a family tariff costs, based on published tariff examples.
Example
Typical range
Single, cover of EUR 10 to 50 million
about EUR 40 to 120 a year
Couple or family with children
about EUR 60 to 180 a year
Family tariff, example from a tariff calculation
about EUR 78 to 120 a year
Very good family tariffs in a consumer test
from about EUR 48 a year, average around EUR 99
Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples and test results.
Your premium depends on cover and deductible; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Couple moves in together, both have a single tariff
How combining pays off when both were insured separately.
Her single tariff
about EUR 60
His single tariff
about EUR 55
Together so far
about EUR 115
One joint couple or family tariff
about EUR 70 to 90
Savings of around EUR 25 to 45 a year, and a later child is covered without a new policy.
Who belongs in a family tariff
Covered are the people the tariff names. Common are spouses or registered partners, your own children, and stepchildren, adopted and foster children. Many tariffs also include parents who live permanently in your household.
For unmarried couples, many insurers require both to be registered at the same address (Anmeldung) and the partner to be named in the policy. If the name is missing, cover can be disputed in a claim.
Person
Usual status in a family tariff
Spouse or registered partner
covered
Unmarried partner in the household
covered, often only if named in the policy
Child at school, in training or a first degree
covered
Child in a gap between education stages
depends on the tariff, often up to a year
Adult child who has finished education
usually no longer, needs an own policy
Au pair or household help
only in some tariffs
What international couples should check
In the UK or US, liability cover often comes bundled with home or renters insurance. In Germany personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflichtversicherung) is a separate policy, so moving in together does not automatically extend anything.
If you are not married, or your marriage abroad is not yet registered in Germany, make sure your partner is named in the policy. If only one of you is registered at the shared flat, ask the insurer whether that is enough. Policy documents are usually in German, so ask for the exact wording on who counts as covered.
How long children stay covered
What usually counts is not age but the first education: school, apprenticeship, bachelor's and often a master's that follows directly. Gaps such as a voluntary social year or federal volunteer service are included in good tariffs.
Cover through the parents ends with the end of the first education or with marriage. Many insurers let it run on for a while so that an own policy can start without a gap. A child studying abroad usually stays covered as long as the education continues, but check the tariff's rules for longer stays outside Germany.
Damage within the family
If your child knocks over your TV, liability insurance does not pay. It only covers damage to third parties, and covered people are not third parties to each other. Your own things fall under contents insurance, where the damage is covered there.
For personal injury within the same household, the health insurer (Krankenkasse) may not claim its costs back from you unless the harm was intentional, under section 116(6) of the Social Code Book X; car accidents are the exception. Whether your tariff pays other recovery claims, for example from an employer, is set out in its terms.
When you do not need a family tariff
If you live alone without children, the single tariff is cheaper. If your partner already has a good policy, one of the two is enough for now; you can cancel the other at the end of its term once the joint one is in place. Two policies do not pay a claim twice.
Step by step
Check your policy schedule (Versicherungsschein) for single, couple or family tariff.
If you are not married, have your partner added by name.
Check until when children are covered under your tariff.
Spot duplicate policies in the household and cancel one at the end of its term.
When your child finishes education, take out an own policy in time.
Checklist
Partner named in the policy if not married
Children covered until the end of their first education, including gaps
Damage by children too young to be liable (under seven) covered with a high sub-limit
Recourse claims by social insurers for injuries between relatives covered
Follow-on cover for children after their education ends
Common mistakes
Keeping the single tariff after moving in together and assuming your partner is included
Paying for two policies in one household when one would do
Missing the end of your child's education and leaving them suddenly uninsured
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is my boyfriend or girlfriend automatically covered?
Not always.
Many tariffs require a shared address and the name in the policy.
A short call to the insurer clears it up.
Until when are children covered through their parents?
Usually until the end of their first school or vocational education,
as long as they are not married.
The exact end is in the tariff.
Are visiting grandchildren covered?
As a rule not through your policy.
Their parents' liability insurance is responsible for damage they cause.
Does it pay if my child breaks my partner's phone?
No.
Damage between covered people is excluded, because no outside person has been harmed.
What happens after a separation?
The policy stays with the policyholder.
The other partner needs an own one;
many tariffs keep cover running for a while after the separation.
Is a family tariff worth it without children?
For couples usually yes: one joint policy costs less than two single tariffs.
