How do I insure an adopted or foster child in Germany?
In short
How do I insure an adopted or foster child in Germany? With statutory health insurance the child is usually covered free of charge, foster children just like adopted ones. If you are privately insured, register a child adopted as a minor within two months, with no waiting period. Family liability cover of about EUR 60 to 180 a year includes step, adopted and foster children under the model terms.
Published premiums for cover around an adopted or foster child, German market.
Example
Typical range
Family liability, cover EUR 10 to 50 million
about EUR 60 to 180 a year
Child accident insurance, base sum EUR 100,000 with progression
about EUR 50 to 100 a year
Child disability insurance, range of tested tariffs
about EUR 107 to 421 a year
Term life for a parent, 30, non smoker, EUR 200,000, 25 years
about EUR 8 to 15 a month
Statutory family cover for the child
EUR 0
Figures from published tariff examples, October 2026.
Your premium depends on age, health and scope; we obtain the exact quote.
Worked example
Couple takes in a four year old foster child, one partner statutory, one private
This is how they adjust their contracts.
Health cover via the statutory insured partner
EUR 0, family cover
Family liability instead of couple policy
about EUR 0 to 40 extra a year
Child accident insurance
about EUR 50 to 100 a year
Term life with the foster child added as beneficiary
no extra premium
For about EUR 50 to 140 a year the foster child is covered; the key step is changing the beneficiary.
Adopted or foster child: what is the same and what is not
An adopted child becomes your child in law. A foster child lives with you but remains the child of its parents. For health and liability insurance this makes little difference, for inheritance and life insurance beneficiaries it makes a big one.
The table shows which contracts to adjust for an adopted or foster child in Germany and where they differ.
Cover
Adopted child
Foster child
Statutory health insurance
family cover, already during placement
family cover
Private health insurance
register within two months, no waiting period
no special legal rule, health check possible
Family liability
included
included
Orphan's pension
like a biological child
if taken into the household
Inheritance, beneficiary
inherits like a biological child
only by will, name in the policy
Health insurance for an adopted or foster child
In German statutory health insurance, foster children count as the member's children and are covered free of charge. A child living with you for adoption, once the parents have consented, already counts as your child and no longer as the child of the birth parents. Register the child with your fund (Krankenkasse).
If you are privately insured, adopting a minor counts like a birth. The insurer must accept the child if you register within two months, without waiting periods and up to the level of your own cover. For higher risks it may add a surcharge of up to one full premium. This rule does not apply to foster children, where a health check is possible.
Liability and accident cover
The German model terms for personal liability (Privathaftpflicht) expressly include step, adopted and foster children. Still check that you have a family policy; a single policy does not cover a child. Also check whether damage caused by children under seven is paid, since the child itself is not liable.
Child accident or child disability insurance asks health questions. With an adopted or foster child, earlier medical history is often not fully known. Answer only what you know and have open points noted.
Child benefit, parental allowance and orphan's pension
Child benefit (Kindergeld) is also paid for foster children if there is a lasting family-like bond and the child was not taken in for money. Parental allowance (Elterngeld) is also available to anyone who takes a child into the household with a view to adoption.
If a foster parent dies, a foster child taken into the household counts for the orphan's pension. That does not replace your own cover but affects how much term life insurance you need.
Term life: name the foster child
An adopted child inherits like a biological child. A foster child only inherits if your will says so. If the beneficiary of your term life policy is simply your children or your heirs, a foster child can be left out. Name the child explicitly.
For the sum insured the usual rule applies to an adopted or foster child too: enough to cover maintenance until the end of education.
What you do not need
A separate liability policy for the child is unnecessary while it is in your family policy. Life insurance on the child's life is not needed either.
Norman Nammert works as an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler) and checks whether your contracts include the adopted or foster child correctly. The insurer pays the commission, so the check is free for you.
Step by step
Register the child with the health fund for family cover.
If privately insured, register a child adopted as a minor within two months.
Check that your liability policy is a family policy.
Apply for child accident or disability cover with honest health answers.
Name the child as beneficiary of your term life policy.
Apply for child benefit and parental allowance.
Checklist
Child's health cover settled
Family policy for liability
Damage by children under seven included
Accident or disability cover checked
Beneficiary named
Will considered for a foster child
Common mistakes
Missing the two month deadline in private health insurance
Staying on a single liability policy
Naming only your children as beneficiaries when a foster child belongs to the family
Guessing unknown medical history on an application
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is a foster child covered by my statutory fund?
Yes, foster children count as the member's children and get free family cover.
When is an adopted child covered?
Already during the adoption placement, once the parents have consented.
Must my private insurer accept an adopted child?
Yes, if the child is a minor and registered within two months.
A surcharge of at most one full premium is allowed.
Is a foster child covered by my liability insurance?
Under the model terms of a family policy, yes, as are step and adopted children.
Does a foster child inherit?
Not automatically.
Name the child in your will and as beneficiary of your life insurance.
