What does a broker mandate (Maklervollmacht) mean and can I revoke it?
In short
What does it mean? A broker mandate (Maklervollmacht) lets your insurance broker in Germany act for you towards insurers: get quotes, change or cancel policies, receive information. You can revoke it at any time in writing, without giving a reason, and it costs 0 euros. The broker contract (Maklervertrag) is separate, so end it too if you want a clean break.
What signing and revoking a broker mandate costs in Germany, and how the broker is paid.
Example
Typical range
Signing a broker mandate
0 euros, the broker is paid through commission (Courtage) included in the premium
Revoking the mandate and ending the broker contract
0 euros, a letter or email is enough
Ongoing commission on liability, contents and buildings insurance (guide value)
about 15 to 25 percent of the annual net premium
Ongoing commission on car insurance (guide value)
about 5 to 10 percent of the annual net premium
Commission rates are published market ranges, not statutory rates,
and the source is itself a broker.
As of October 2026.
Your premium does not change when you revoke.
Worked example
Expat couple in Munich with four policies
Personal liability, contents, car and legal expenses insurance were arranged by a broker. The couple wants to keep the policies but manage them themselves.
Letter to the broker
revocation of the mandate and termination of the broker contract
Copies to the insurers
four short letters with policy numbers
Cost
0 euros
Premiums afterwards
unchanged
All four policies keep running. Mail, changes and claims now go directly to the insurers.
What a broker mandate lets the broker do
In Germany an independent insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler) works for you, not for an insurer. To see your existing contracts, get quotes or make changes, the broker shows the insurer a signed broker mandate. Without it, insurers will not talk to the broker about your policies.
A typical Maklervollmacht covers getting quotes and submitting applications, changing and cancelling policies, receiving the insurers' letters and viewing your documents. For health, disability or life insurance it often includes a release from medical confidentiality (Schweigepflichtentbindung).
Clause in the broker mandate
What it means for you
Get quotes and submit applications
the broker can shop the market for you
Change and cancel policies
the broker may end contracts in your name, so agree on cancellations first
Receive insurer mail
letters go to the broker, ask for copies
Sub-mandate to staff or partners
others in the firm may work with your data
Data processing and medical release
needed for health questions, give it for specific contracts only
Mandate and broker contract are two different things
The broker contract says what the broker should do for you and how the broker is paid. The broker mandate says what the broker may declare to insurers in your name. Revoking the mandate does not automatically end the contract, and ending the contract does not automatically revoke the mandate.
If you want to part ways completely, put both into one letter: revocation of the Maklervollmacht and termination of the Maklervertrag.
How to revoke a broker mandate in Germany
Under section 168 BGB a power of attorney can be revoked even while the underlying relationship continues, unless that relationship says otherwise. The broker contract itself can be ended without notice, because a broker provides services based on special trust (section 627 BGB). A notice period only applies if it was clearly and individually agreed.
Send the revocation to the broker and a copy to each insurer. A simple letter or email with date and signature is enough. German is not required, but a short German sentence avoids delays.
What happens to your insurance policies
Your contracts are with the insurer, not with the broker. Revoking the broker mandate changes nothing about premium, cover or term. The policy simply has no broker attached until you appoint a new one.
One point many people miss: a broker is not the insurer's mailbox. Only tied agents (Versicherungsvertreter) count by law as authorised to receive notices for the insurer (section 69 VVG). After revoking, send claims and cancellations straight to the insurer.
Broker mandates from online comparison sites
If you bought a policy online through a comparison site, you very likely signed a broker mandate as part of the terms, because these sites are licensed insurance intermediaries under section 34d of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO).
You can revoke that broker mandate exactly like any other. Your policy documents show which intermediary is registered on the contract.
Step by step
Gather your documents: which policies run through the broker, and what mandate did you sign?
Decide: revoke the mandate only, end the broker contract only, or both.
Send a short dated and signed letter to the broker and ask for confirmation.
Send a copy to each insurer so future mail comes to you.
If you appoint a new broker, give a new mandate only for the policies you choose.
Checklist
Mandate and broker contract checked separately
Revocation in writing with date and signature
Insurers informed
Medical confidentiality release revoked too, if wanted
No open claim in progress
Common mistakes
Revoking only the mandate and assuming the broker contract has ended too
Cancelling the insurance policies when you only wanted to drop the broker
Sending claims to the old broker after revoking
Signing a blanket mandate for all policies without reading it
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I need a broker mandate at all?
It is not required by law,
but without it the broker can hardly do anything for you,
because insurers will not share your data.
Can I limit the mandate to some policies?
Yes.
You can restrict the broker mandate to specific contracts or lines of insurance and manage the
rest yourself.
Is there a notice period for revoking?
For the mandate usually not.
For the broker contract only if a notice period was validly and individually agreed.
Will my insurance get more expensive if I revoke?
No.
Premium and terms are set in the insurance contract and do not change.
Can I write the revocation in English?
Legally yes.
A short German version helps the insurer's back office process it faster.
