How do I get out of contracts from a structured sales firm in Germany?
In short
How you get out of contracts from a structured sales firm (Strukturvertrieb) in Germany depends on the contract. New ones can be withdrawn within 14 days, life and pension insurance within 30 days of receiving all documents. Property insurance running over three years can be cancelled at the end of year three. Savings policies can be cancelled at any time, but that often costs money.
Periods and values from the German Insurance Contract Act, as of October 2026.
Example
Typical range
General withdrawal period
14 days from receipt of all documents
Withdrawal period for life and pension insurance
30 days from receipt of all documents
Cancelling a contract with a term over three years
end of year 3, 3 months notice
Spreading of acquisition costs in the surrender value
over at least the first 5 years
Selling instead of cancelling, Stiftung Warentest example
about 1,300 euros more than a surrender value of 22,092 euros
Legal periods are documented.
Whether a buyer takes your policy and what they offer depends on the contract.
Not legal advice.
Worked example
Four contracts after one meeting three weeks ago
What happens to each contract if all documents arrived three weeks ago.
Personal liability
14 days have passed, keep it or cancel for the end of the term
Contents insurance over 5 years
can be cancelled for the end of year 3
Private pension insurance
withdrawal still possible, about 9 of the 30 days left
Endowment life insurance
also 30 days, about 9 days left
Withdraw the two savings policies today in text form. Review liability and contents calmly, they are cheap and easy to replace later.
What a structured sales firm is
In Germany, a Strukturvertrieb is a sales organisation in which advisers recruit further advisers and earn on their sales. A single meeting can end with several contracts at once: liability, contents, a pension policy, sometimes a building savings plan.
Each contract has its own exit. A liability policy is easy to replace, a pension policy with high acquisition costs is not. So do not cancel everything in one letter.
Contract
Way out
Legal basis
Any insurance, just signed
withdrawal within 14 days
section 8 VVG
Life or pension insurance, just signed
withdrawal within 30 days
section 152 VVG
Liability, contents, accident with a term over three years
cancel for end of year three, three months before
section 11 (4) VVG
Life or pension insurance with ongoing premiums
cancel for end of period or make paid up
sections 165, 168 VVG
Basic pension (Rürup)
no cancellation, only paid up
section 168 (3) VVG
Withdrawal: the cleanest exit from new contracts
You do not need a reason. Text form is enough, so an email works. Sending in time is what counts. The period only starts once you have the policy, the terms, the required information and a proper notice of your withdrawal right.
The right ends at the latest twelve months and 14 days after signing, for life insurance 24 months and 30 days. If the notice was missing completely, this limit does not apply.
Savings policies: cancelling often costs most
In pension policies sold this way, acquisition costs are mostly charged in the first years. By law they must be spread over at least five years when the surrender value is calculated, and a deduction for unpaid acquisition costs is void. Even so, the surrender value is usually below what you paid in at first.
Before cancelling, check a paid-up status, a sale to a policy buyer or a withdrawal because the notice was wrong. Once you have cancelled, you cannot take it back without the insurer agreeing.
Badly advised: claim damages, not only exit
Every insurance intermediary must ask about your needs, advise accordingly and document the reasons. If they breach this duty, they are liable for the damage. Someone who sold you a pension policy you clearly could not afford has to answer for it.
Ask for the advice record (Beratungsprotokoll) before cancelling anything. For a legal assessment, the Verbraucherzentrale or a lawyer is the right place.
Who looks after the contracts you keep
A structured sales firm can act as an insurance agent (Versicherungsvertreter) or as a broker. An agent is appointed by an insurer, a broker works for the client. The intermediary register shows how your adviser is listed.
Contracts you want to keep can be taken over by a broker who works for you. NAMMERT arranges insurance through Norman Nammert as an insurance broker. The insurer pays the commission, so the switch is free for you and premium and cover stay the same.
Step by step
List every contract with start date, premium and term.
Note the date the last documents arrived.
Withdraw contracts still within the period, in text form, with proof of sending.
For savings policies request surrender value, paid-up value and the advice record.
Cancel or replace long-term property contracts at the next possible date.
Sign new contracts only once the old ones are sure to end.
Checklist
List of all contracts with dates and premiums
Withdrawal in text form with proof of sending
Advice record requested
Surrender and paid-up values in writing
Adviser checked in the intermediary register
No gap in liability and health cover
Common mistakes
Cancelling all contracts in one letter, including the good ones
Cancelling the pension policy while a withdrawal is still possible
Cancelling personal liability before the new policy starts
Trying to cancel a Rürup pension, which the law rules out
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
How do I get out of contracts from a structured sales firm once the withdrawal period is over?
By cancelling, depending on the contract at the end of the term, at the end of year three or,
for life insurance, at the end of the insurance period.
Check first whether the withdrawal notice was faulty.
Do I have to give a reason?
No.
Text form is enough and sending in time keeps the deadline.
Do I get my money back after a withdrawal?
In principle yes, within 30 days.
If cover had already started and you were correctly informed,
the insurer may keep the premium for that time.
What about building savings or fund plans?
They are not insurance and follow their own withdrawal and cancellation rules.
The Verbraucherzentrale can help.
Who do I send the withdrawal to?
To the insurer named in the notice, not to the adviser.
Does switching to a broker cost anything?
No.
The insurer pays the commission, premium and cover of your contracts stay the same.
