Does pet health insurance in Germany have waiting periods?
In short
Yes, and the differences are what matter. Illness usually has a general waiting period (Wartezeit) of 30 days. Named diagnoses such as hips, elbows, cruciate ligament, kneecap, teeth and hereditary conditions often carry 6 to 18 months. After an accident almost every tariff pays from day one. Signing up once your pet already limps buys you nothing for that problem.
Guide figures from published tariff overviews and from the official German vet fee schedule (Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte).
Example
Typical range
Young dog up to 2 years, surgery cover (OP-Schutz)
about EUR 8 to 25 a month
Young dog up to 2 years, full cover (Vollschutz)
about EUR 20 to 70 a month
Dog aged 8 or over, where still accepted
from about EUR 50 a month
Cat, surgery cover only
about EUR 10 to 30 a month
Cat, health cover including outpatient treatment
about EUR 25 to 60 a month
Cruciate ligament surgery on a dog, diagnosis, operation and aftercare
about EUR 2,500 to 4,500
Joint procedure on hip or elbow, surgical fee at one to three times the base rate
about EUR 274 to 1,390 net, before anaesthetic, clinic and aftercare
Dental clearance under anaesthetic
about EUR 300 to 2,000
Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted tariff overviews and the official fee
schedule.
Waiting periods and premiums differ widely between tariffs.
The total for a joint operation including anaesthetic,
clinic and aftercare is a guide value from our quoting practice.
We obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Labrador, cover from 1 March, cruciate ligament tear in July
A common case: the general waiting period is long gone, the special one for the knee is not.
Start of cover
1 March
General waiting period of 30 days ends
31 March
Special waiting period for cruciate ligament and kneecap
6 to 18 months, so it ends in September at the earliest and in the worst tariff only in September of the following year
Bill for the operation in July
about EUR 2,500 to 4,500
Payout if no accident can be shown
EUR 0
With a documented accident the same tariff pays from day one. So it is not only the length of the waiting period that decides, but also how your tariff defines an accident.
The general waiting period: usually 30 days
The waiting period runs from the start of the contract to the first day the insurer pays for illness. You pay the premium during it. The reason is plain: the insurer wants evidence that the animal was healthy when you signed, not that you signed because you had noticed something.
The wording makes a small difference. With 30 days and a start on 1 January the tariff pays from 31 January, with one month only from 1 February. A few tariffs use three months. Ask for the exact wording if a vet appointment is already due.
Special waiting periods for named diagnoses
The expensive diagnoses carry the longest periods. Joints, teeth and hereditary conditions develop slowly, so the insurer asks for a longer run-up. The list sits in the policy conditions (Versicherungsbedingungen), usually spelled out by diagnosis.
Do not confuse this with an exclusion. Once the special waiting period has passed, the diagnosis is covered; an exclusion (Ausschluss) lasts for the life of the contract. During the waiting period you pay that bill yourself, everything else stays insured.
Case
Usual waiting period
What applies during that time
Accident, injury, poison bait
none, cover from day one
treatment and surgery are paid
Preventive care such as vaccination and worming
usually none
budget is usable at once if the tariff has one
Illness in general
30 days, one to three months depending on tariff
you pay the premium and the bill
Umbilical hernia, entropion
about 6 months
no payout for that diagnosis, everything else stays covered
Hip dysplasia (HD), elbow dysplasia (ED)
6 to 18 months
no payout, follow-up treatment included
Kneecap luxation, cruciate ligament without an accident
6 to 18 months
no payout, while an accident is covered at once
Dental treatment and dental clearance
6 to 12 months
scaling, extractions and anaesthetic are on you
Hereditary and breed-typical conditions
up to 18 months, permanently excluded in some tariffs
check the list before you sign
The accident exception is the important one
Almost every tariff pays for surgery after an accident from day one, and the same usually goes for poison bait or a swallowed object. That is the part of the cover that works immediately, and for many owners it is the main reason to buy.
The limit lies in the definition. If the cruciate ligament tears while playing, with no outside force involved, many policies treat it as wear and tear rather than an accident, so the long waiting period applies. Read how your tariff defines an accident, not just that accidents are covered at once.
What is different if you are new to Germany
Pet health insurance here is voluntary and completely separate from dog liability insurance (Tierhalterhaftpflicht), which covers damage your dog does to other people and is compulsory in several federal states. One policy does not include the other.
Vets bill by an official fee schedule, the Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte, which allows one to three times the base rate and more in out-of-hours emergencies. Policy conditions and claim letters are normally in German, and the German wording is what decides a claim, so ask us when a clause is unclear.
When the waiting period is waived
There are three routes. On a seamless switch some insurers credit the time already served under the old contract, provided no treatment was running. A few accept a vet check shortly before you apply instead of a waiting period. And young animals are sometimes taken on with no waiting period at all: puppies up to about 120 days and kittens up to about six months, with a health certificate.
Do not rely on any of these without it in writing. The credit is never automatic, and a gap of even a few days between contracts restarts every period. Cancel the old policy only once the new one has confirmed the credit.
Why insuring a young healthy animal makes everything easier
With a young animal the waiting period runs out during the quiet years. There is no pre-existing condition to exclude, the premium is at its lowest, and the insurer will actually take the animal: many only accept new dogs and cats up to an age of roughly five to nine years.
Put the other way round, which you rarely read: if your pet already limps, if an X-ray shows a finding, or if surgery is planned, a new policy buys you nothing for that problem. The waiting period applies and the exclusion for pre-existing conditions usually follows. A fixed savings pot is then the honest answer, or cover for everything that is not yet known.
Step by step
Find the list of special waiting periods in the policy conditions and note the months per diagnosis.
Check that accidents, poison bait and swallowed objects are covered from day one.
When switching, get the credit for time served under the old contract confirmed in writing.
For a puppy or kitten, ask whether a vet health certificate replaces the waiting period.
Start the contract while the animal is healthy and put the end of each waiting period in your calendar.
Checklist
General waiting period of no more than 30 days
Accidents, poison bait and swallowed objects with no waiting period
Special waiting periods of 6 months rather than 18
No permanent exclusion list for breed-typical conditions if your breed is on it
Credit for the previous insurer confirmed in writing
Prevention budget usable at once if the tariff includes one
Common mistakes
Buying only once the pet limps or a diagnosis is already in the file
Reading the 30 days and missing the 18 months for joints and teeth
Leaving a gap of a few days when switching and restarting every period
Booking a planned procedure before the waiting period has run out
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
How long is the waiting period?
For illness usually 30 days, one to three months depending on the tariff.
For joints, teeth and hereditary conditions often 6 to 18 months.
Does the insurer pay nothing at all during that time?
After an accident almost every tariff pays at once,
and vaccinations from a prevention budget are often included.
Illness is on you.
Are there tariffs with no waiting period?
A few insurers do without it, some only after a vet examination before you apply,
or for very young animals with a health certificate.
Is time served credited when I switch?
Some insurers credit it if no treatment was running under the old contract.
Get it in writing before you cancel.
Why is the period for hips so long?
Because hip and elbow dysplasia develop slowly.
The insurer wants to rule out that the problem was already there when you signed.
Does a cruciate ligament tear count as an accident?
Not always.
If it tears while playing with no outside force, many policies call it wear and tear,
so the special waiting period applies.
Can I backdate cover to get around it?
No.
A retroactive start is not possible,
and a condition that is already known stays excluded as a pre-existing condition.
Does this apply to cats too?
Yes, with the same periods.
Some tariffs take kittens up to about six months with no waiting period.
