Private accident insurance in Germany pays after a tick bite only if the infection is included in your policy and leaves lasting damage. The model terms AUB 2020 include tick-borne encephalitis (TBE, in German FSME), but not Lyme disease. Lyme disease is only covered in extended plans. Does it pay for treatment? No, your health insurance does.
Published annual premiums in Germany for private accident insurance with a basic sum of EUR 100,000 and 350 percent progression. Plans with extended infection cover tend to be in the upper part of the range.
Example
Typical range
Adult, office job
about EUR 60 to 180 a year
Adult, manual trade or physical work
about EUR 120 to 260 a year
Child, classic children's accident insurance
about EUR 50 to 100 a year
Seniors from 60 or 70
about EUR 120 to 460 a year
Premiums as of July 2026 from published tariff examples.
That plans with Lyme cover tend to be in the upper part of the range is a guide value from our
quoting practice.
We obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Lyme disease with a lasting joint problem
A woman, 45, notices a spreading red rash weeks after gardening. Despite treatment, her knee stays stiff. The medical expert sets the degree of disability at 20 percent. The figures are a worked example.
Basic sum
EUR 100,000
Degree of disability
20 percent
Plan on model terms without Lyme cover
EUR 0
Plan with Lyme cover
EUR 20,000
Progression
usually only from 26 percent, so not here
Whether she gets EUR 0 or EUR 20,000 depends on a single sentence in the terms. With TBE, both plans would have paid.
Why a tick bite is not an ordinary accident
An accident is a sudden event from outside that harms your health. A tick bite does come from outside, but the real danger is the infection afterwards. Infections are generally excluded from accident insurance. The model terms of the German insurance association make exceptions: rabies, tetanus, germs that entered through a more than minor injury, and TBE after a tick bite.
Lyme disease is not on that list. Many insurers offer extended cover that names Lyme disease and TBE explicitly. Whether your policy has it is stated in the terms under infections or in a special clause on ticks and insect bites.
Result of the tick bite
Model terms AUB 2020
Plan with extended cover
TBE with lasting damage
covered
covered
Lyme disease with lasting damage
not covered
covered
Redness, antibiotics, full recovery
no disability payment
no disability payment, allowance depending on the plan
What accident insurance pays and what it does not
Accident insurance does not pay doctors' bills. It pays money when the illness leaves permanent damage, for example paralysis after TBE or joint and nerve damage after Lyme disease. Depending on the plan, hospital allowance, rehabilitation costs and, for severe lasting damage, a lifelong accident pension can be added.
If the infection heals without lasting effects, there is no disability payment.
Deadlines and proof
Under the model terms, permanent disability must have occurred within 15 months of the accident, be confirmed by a doctor in writing and be claimed with the insurer. With ticks this is hard, because the bite often goes unnoticed and symptoms appear weeks later. Many plans allow for this and start the deadlines for tick-borne diseases only with the first medical diagnosis.
In court, the dispute is often whether an insured tick bite can be proven at all or whether the illness has nothing to do with an accident. In two cases before the Higher Regional Courts of Koblenz (10 U 228/11) and Nuremberg (8 W 2040/14), the policyholders received nothing. So record when and where the tick bit you, with a photo and the date, and have blood tests done early.
Who should pay close attention
TBE occurs mainly in southern and eastern Germany. Since February 2026, 185 rural and urban districts count as risk areas, and 693 cases were reported in 2025. 98 percent of those who fell ill were not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated. Ticks transmit Lyme disease far more often than TBE.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors, in the garden, in the woods, with a dog or hiking, and for children, choose a plan that names Lyme disease explicitly. Vaccination protects against TBE; against Lyme disease only long clothing, tick repellent and checking your body after being outside help.
Step by step
Remove the tick at once, photograph the spot and note date and place.
See a doctor straight away if you get redness, fever, headache or feel run down.
Inform your accident insurer as soon as an infection is diagnosed.
If problems remain, have the disability confirmed by a doctor in time and claim it in writing.
Check in your terms whether Lyme disease is included and when the deadlines start.
Checklist
TBE after a tick bite included
Lyme disease named explicitly
Deadlines for tick-borne diseases start with the first diagnosis
TBE vaccination if you live in or travel to a risk area
Photo, date and doctor's report on the bite kept
Common mistakes
Assuming every plan covers Lyme disease
Not recording the bite and being unable to prove anything later
Missing the disability deadline because symptoms came on slowly
Expecting accident insurance to pay medical bills
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is a tick bite an accident?
Not in the classic sense, because the harm comes from the infection.
The German model terms still include TBE explicitly, Lyme disease only in extended plans.
Does accident insurance pay for Lyme disease?
Only if your plan names Lyme disease and lasting damage remains.
If you recover fully, there is no disability payment.
Who pays for treatment after a tick bite?
Your health insurance.
Accident insurance only pays money for the consequences, mainly for permanent disability.
Do I have to report a tick bite straight away?
Not a bite without symptoms.
Once an infection is diagnosed,
inform your accident insurer and keep the deadlines in your policy in mind.
Does it matter if I am not vaccinated against TBE?
Not under the model terms.
For your health it does: 98 percent of people with TBE in 2025 were not or not fully vaccinated.
Are children covered for tick bites?
Like adults, only within the terms.
For children a plan that names Lyme disease is especially worth it.
