How do I cancel my legal expenses insurance in Germany?
In short
Ordinary notice runs to the end of your policy year, usually three months in advance. The first term is often one year, in older contracts three. After a premium increase without extra cover you have one month from the day the letter reaches you, and after a settled claim usually one month from the insurer's decision. Text form is enough, so an email works. Never cancel before the new contract is signed.
Guide figures from published German tariff examples, so you can see whether switching pays at all.
Example
Typical range
Package of private, work and traffic cover, single
about EUR 240 to 680 a year
Package of private, work and traffic cover, family
about EUR 260 to 820 a year
Same package plus home and tenancy cover, family
about EUR 320 to 850 a year
Traffic cover only, without the rest of the package
about EUR 65 to 180 a year
Usual deductible per case
EUR 150 to 300
Dropping the deductible instead of EUR 150
about EUR 85 more a year
Cost risk of a dispute worth EUR 5,000, first instance lost
about EUR 2,670
Guide values as of September 2026,
from published tariff examples and from cost calculators based on the German lawyers' fee act
(Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz) and the court fees act (Gerichtskostengesetz).
The saving in the worked example is calculated from these ranges and is therefore a guide value
from our quoting practice.
The notice period that applies to you is printed on your policy document.
Worked example
Premium increase in November, contract started on 12 May
The insurer raises a family premium from EUR 420 to EUR 468. The letter arrives on 8 November. Here are the two routes side by side.
Letter reaches you
8 November
Special cancellation possible until
8 December, cover ends 31 December
Ordinary cancellation instead, by
11 February, cover ends only on 11 May
New contract with the same modules
about EUR 320 to 420 a year
Waiting period in the new contract with a seamless start
usually credited, but only for the modules that were already running
The special cancellation gets you out five months earlier and saves roughly EUR 48 to 148 in the first year. Miss 8 December and you pay the higher premium for another five months.
The deadlines in figures
Your policy year (Versicherungsjahr) starts on the day the contract began, not on 1 January. If you signed on 12 May and your notice period is three months, your letter has to be in by 11 February. The exact start date is printed on your policy document (Versicherungsschein), and only that date counts, not the day the first premium left your account.
The insurer may set the length of the notice period within limits: section 11 paragraph 3 of the Insurance Contract Act (Versicherungsvertragsgesetz) allows no less than one and no more than three months, and it must be the same for both sides. For legal expenses insurance three months is the norm. If your contract runs for more than three years, section 11 paragraph 4 of the same act gives you a separate right to cancel at the end of the third or any following year, again with three months' notice.
Reason
Deadline
What to watch
End of the policy year
usually three months in advance
the cut-off follows the contract start date on your policy, not the calendar year
Minimum term of one year
only at the end of the first year
after that the contract renews automatically for one year at a time
Fixed term of three years
only at the end of the third year
a discount granted for the long tie-in can be reclaimed if you leave earlier
Term longer than three years
three months to the end of the third or any following year
a statutory right under section 11 paragraph 4; it is not spelled out in every contract
Premium increase without extra cover
one month from the day the notice reaches you
takes effect no earlier than the increase itself; if the letter omits the notice of your right, the increase is open to challenge
Cover cut while the premium stays
one month from the day the notice reaches you
often overlooked, but treated exactly like an increase
After a settled claim
usually one month after acceptance or refusal
applies to both sides; some policy wordings require two claims within twelve months
The insurer refuses cover wrongly
one month from the refusal
you may cancel and the pending case is still handled
Contract just signed at a distance
14 days to withdraw from the documents
applies to a new contract only, not to an old one
The trap: one month from delivery, not from the increase
The special right to cancel after a premium increase is the sharpest tool you have and also the shortest. The clock starts when the letter reaches you, not on the day the higher premium applies. Because many insurers announce a 1 January increase back in the autumn, the month is usually long gone by the time the larger amount leaves your account.
Two points often save you anyway. First, the insurer must announce the increase at least one month before it takes effect and must point out your right to cancel in that same letter. If the notice is missing, the increase is open to challenge, and you should reject it in writing rather than quietly pay. Second, the special right only applies if the premium rises without more cover in return. If the sum insured goes up or a module is added at the same time, the right falls away. Read the letter line by line before you assume you can leave.
What belongs in a cancellation letter
You do not need a template, you need complete details. Include your name and address, the policy number, the word Kündigung in the subject line, which contract you mean, and the date: either at the earliest possible date or a specific one. For a special cancellation, state the reason and the date of the letter you are responding to, for example the notice of the premium increase dated 8 November.
Two sentences save trouble later: ask for written confirmation with the exact end date, and note that any direct debit mandate ends with the contract. Text form is enough, so an email is valid; still choose a route that proves delivery. Insurers do not have to offer a cancellation button, because section 312k of the Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch) exempts contracts for financial services; if there is one anyway, it gives you a receipt straight away.
New contract first, cancellation second
This is the most important order on this page. Legal expenses insurance is not an electricity tariff: the new insurer does not have to take you, and it will ask about previous claims. If you shop around after cancelling, you negotiate from the weakest position, and every uncovered day is a day on which a new dispute falls under no policy at all.
Then there is the waiting period. Employment, tenancy, contract, tax and social law disputes usually carry three months. If you switch without a gap, most insurers credit the time served with your previous insurer, but only for modules that were already covered there. A single day's gap can restart the clock. So set the new contract to begin on the day after the old one ends, and only cancel once the acceptance is in writing.
When not to cancel
If a dispute is already on the horizon, cancelling is the wrong move. The insurer responsible is the one whose contract period covers the first breach of a legal duty (Verstoß). A case starting now therefore still belongs to the old contract, while the new one will not pay for it even if you report it there later. Switch in the middle of a fight and you end up between two houses.
Saving money also deserves arithmetic rather than reflex. A deductible of EUR 150 instead of none cuts the premium by roughly EUR 85 a year, and most policyholders report no case in ten years. Often the cheaper route is to adjust the contract you have: drop modules you do not need, such as landlord cover without a let flat, and raise the deductible. That costs no waiting period and no questions about past claims. As insurance brokers we look at both before anything is cancelled.
Step by step
Look up the contract start date and the notice period on your policy document and put the cut-off in your calendar.
Check whether a special right is running right now: a premium increase, reduced cover, or a claim that has just been settled.
Collect quotes with exactly the same modules and insist that the time served with your previous insurer is credited.
Get the new contract accepted in writing, starting on the day after the old one ends.
Only then cancel, in text form, quoting the policy number and asking for confirmation of the end date.
Checklist
Contract start date and notice period taken from the policy document
Letter about a premium increase checked for the notice of your right to cancel
New contract confirmed in writing before the cancellation goes out
New contract starts exactly on the day after the old one ends
Credit for the waiting period confirmed in writing for every module already covered
Confirmation of cancellation with the end date received and filed
Common mistakes
Cancelling before the new contract is in place and ending up both uncovered and back at the start of the waiting period
Counting the month after a premium increase from the increase itself rather than from the day the letter arrived
Cancelling to 31 December although the policy year runs from the contract start date
Switching in the middle of a live dispute, although the old insurer stays responsible for that case
Leaving a three year contract early and having to repay the discount granted for the long tie-in
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Exactly how long is the notice period?
For legal expenses insurance usually three months to the end of the policy year.
The law allows anything between one and three months,
and the period has to be the same for both sides.
Can I leave a three year contract early?
By ordinary notice only at the end of the third year.
A special right after a premium increase or a claim still applies earlier.
Expect a discount for the long tie-in to be reclaimed.
When does the month after a premium increase start?
When the letter reaches you, not when the higher premium applies.
You then have one month, and the insurer must point out this right in the same letter.
Can the insurer cancel on me after a claim?
Yes.
Once a claim is settled both sides may cancel, usually within one month of acceptance or refusal.
Some wordings require two claims within twelve months.
Is an email enough to cancel?
Yes, text form is enough.
A cancellation button on the insurer's website is not required for insurance; if one exists,
it gives you a receipt at once.
What happens to a case that is already running?
It is still handled.
The responsible insurer is the one whose contract period covers the first breach of a legal duty,
whatever happens to the contract afterwards.
Do I have to cancel just to drop one module?
No, and that is often the better route.
Dropping modules, raising the deductible or changing the payment interval works without a new
waiting period and without questions about past claims.
Do I get money back if I leave mid year?
After a special cancellation yes, pro rata for the time after the end date.
With ordinary notice the contract runs to the end of the policy year anyway.
