How do I cancel my accident insurance in Germany?

What cancelling costs and what a replacement policy costs today, from the law and published German tariff examples.

Most German accident policies run for one year and then renew automatically for another year. The Insurance Contract Act (Versicherungsvertragsgesetz, VVG) allows a notice period of one to three months; the industry's model terms and most contracts use three months before the end of the year. What counts is when your letter reaches the insurer, not the date you send it.

If you agreed a fixed term of more than three years, for example for a discount, you may still cancel at the end of the third year and every year after that, again with three months' notice.

If the insurer raises the premium under an adjustment clause without increasing cover accordingly, you may cancel within one month of receiving the notice. The cancellation takes effect when the increase would. A higher premium because of an agreed automatic increase (Dynamik) or because a child's policy switches to an adult rate is usually already in your contract and often does not trigger this right. Read the letter carefully.

After an accident, many terms give both sides a right to cancel once the insurer has paid or once you have gone to court. The deadline is then one month. Note that the insurer can use this right too.

A new policy will ask about your health again. Anything that has come up since your old policy started, such as a slipped disc or knee surgery, can lead to exclusions or a refusal. In your old contract it no longer matters for acceptance. That is real value you give up by cancelling.

If a claim is open, do not cancel in a hurry. Claims for accidents during the term remain, but combining an open case with a switch rarely makes it easier.

Accident insurance with premium refund (Beitragsrückgewähr) is a mix of insurance and savings plan. If you cancel early, you usually get back much less than you paid in. Check the surrender value first.

Include your name, address, policy number, a sentence that you cancel the contract at the next possible date, and a request for written confirmation of the end date. You do not need a reason for ordinary cancellation. For a special cancellation, name the reason, for example the premium increase and the date of the notice. Writing in English is legally fine, but a short German letter is often processed faster.

Send it so that you can prove receipt: by email with confirmation of receipt, by fax with a transmission report or as a registered letter (Einwurfeinschreiben). If your terms require written form (Schriftform), a signed letter is needed. If no confirmation arrives within two weeks, follow up.

Cancelling makes sense if the policy is old and has a weak limb table (Gliedertaxe), short deadlines or a low basic sum, and you are healthy enough for a new one. If you are leaving Germany for good, check whether the policy still covers you abroad and whether you still need it.

Do not cancel just because another tariff is a few euros cheaper, if you now have previous illnesses, or if a claim is still open. Often it is better to adjust the existing contract, for example raise the basic sum or drop an unnecessary hospital allowance.