Insurance broker / Insurance questions / Contents insurance

How are jewellery and valuables covered by contents insurance in Germany?

In short

Valuables (Wertsachen) are covered, but capped. A common overall limit is 20 percent of the sum insured, plus fixed limits outside a safe, often about EUR 20,000 for jewellery and EUR 1,000 to 1,500 for cash. If your jewellery is worth more, raise the limit in your policy or take out separate jewellery insurance.

Request a quote +49 3375 29 12 77

How are jewellery and valuables covered by contents insurance in Germany?

What it costs

Guide figures from published model terms, tariff descriptions and cost examples.

Example	Typical range
Sum insured EUR 50,000, limit 20 percent	up to EUR 10,000 for all valuables together
Sum insured EUR 80,000, jewellery kept openly in the flat	up to EUR 16,000 total, jewellery up to about EUR 20,000, the lower limit applies
Separate jewellery insurance for earrings worth EUR 10,000	about EUR 100 to 200 a year
Cash kept openly in the flat	usually only EUR 1,000 to 1,500 paid

As of September 2026. Limits vary considerably between tariffs, your policy terms decide. The extra charge for a higher valuables limit depends on the tariff and is a guide value from our quoting practice.

Worked example

Couple, 90 square metres, family jewellery and a watch

After a burglary, jewellery worth EUR 18,000 and EUR 2,000 in cash from the chest of drawers are gone. There is no safe.

Sum insured (90 × EUR 650)	EUR 58,500
Limit for all valuables (20 percent)	EUR 11,700
Cash, limit outside a safe	EUR 1,500
Jewellery, up to the overall limit	EUR 10,200
Total loss	EUR 20,000

EUR 11,700 is paid, the couple carries about EUR 8,300 themselves. A higher valuables limit or separate jewellery insurance would have closed the gap.

What counts as a valuable

The term is wider than many expect. It includes cash, documents, savings books and securities, jewellery, gems and pearls, anything made of gold, platinum or silver, stamps and coins, furs, hand-knotted rugs, art and items older than 100 years. Furniture is usually excluded from the antiques rule.

An expensive watch counts just like a gold ring or your grandparents' silver cutlery. They all share the same limit.

Type	Usual limit outside a safe
All valuables together	20 percent of the sum insured
Jewellery, gems, gold, watches	about EUR 20,000
Cash	about EUR 1,000 to 1,500
Documents, savings books, securities	about EUR 2,500 to 3,000
Furs, rugs, art, antiques	within the overall limit

Why a safe matters

The fixed euro limits apply to everything lying openly in your flat, even in a locked drawer. If the jewellery is in a recognised safe (Wertschutzschrank), the insurer pays up to the overall limit.

Recognised usually means a multi-walled steel safe of at least 200 kilograms or one firmly bolted or built into the wall. A cash box or small furniture safe is often not enough. Rented flats can make anchoring tricky, so ask your landlord and your insurer before you buy.

Outside the home the rules change

At home, contents insurance protects your jewellery against burglary, robbery, fire and water. Away from home only the cover outside the home (Außenversicherung) applies, usually limited to part of the sum insured and only for robbery or a break-in to a building.

Losing an item, leaving it behind and simple theft without force are not covered. If you wear a valuable ring every day or travel with jewellery, you need separate jewellery insurance.

What if you came with family jewellery

Many people moving to Germany bring heirlooms or gold that was never valued. If the value is unknown, a claim becomes hard to prove. A written valuation from a German jeweller, with photos, solves that.

If your total valuables are a few thousand euros and your sum insured is EUR 50,000, the overall limit of EUR 10,000 is usually enough. Raising it or buying a safe would then cost more than it brings.

Step by step

List all valuables with their value: jewellery, watches, coins, cash, art.
Compare the total with 20 percent of your sum insured.
Look up the fixed limits outside a safe in your policy terms.
If there is a gap, raise the limit, buy a recognised safe or insure the jewellery separately.
Keep photos, receipts and valuations safely outside the flat.

Checklist

List of valuables with current value
Photos and receipts in the cloud or with relatives
Overall limit known in percent and euros
Safe meets the tariff's requirements
Jewellery worn outside the home insured separately if valuable

Common mistakes

Thinking a locked drawer counts as a safe
Never having heirlooms valued and having no proof after a loss
Setting the sum insured too low, which also lowers the valuables limit
Travelling with jewellery and assuming contents insurance pays if it is lost

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Is jewellery automatically covered by contents insurance?

Yes, as a valuable, but only up to the policy limits. Outside a safe fixed euro amounts apply as well.

Does contents insurance pay if I lose my ring?

No. Losing items and leaving them behind are not covered. Separate jewellery insurance is made for that.

How do I prove what my jewellery is worth?

With receipts, photos, certificates or a jeweller's valuation. For heirlooms a valuation is the safest way.

Which safe is recognised?

Usually a steel safe of at least 200 kilograms or one firmly anchored. The exact class is in your policy terms, and higher values need more.

Is cash at home covered?

Only small amounts, outside a safe usually EUR 1,000 to 1,500. Keep larger sums in the bank or in a safe.

Is jewellery covered while it is being shipped to Germany?

Usually not by contents insurance. Removal or transport insurance applies during the move, so ask your removal company before you ship.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote: Contents insurance

We compare several insurers and come back with a proposal. Free for you; the insurer pays our fee. You can write in English.

1Who is it for?

Personal My company

2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

Please review all my existing policies

3Details

Contents insurance in Germany (Hausratversicherung)

Living space in m² * Excluding cellar, attic and garage Type of home * How is the home used? * Value of jewellery, watches, art and collections * Total value of all bikes and e-bikes Do you want cover for flooding and heavy rain? Contents claims in the last five years, in any country * Anything else we should know For example valuable equipment, a safe, instruments, your planned length of stay

4Your current policy

Current insurer Policy ends on What matters more to you?

5How can we reach you?

Name * Email * Phone Postcode Town Preferred contact Anything else we should know