How do I organise my insurance documents properly?
In short
How do I organise my insurance documents properly? Use one folder, paper or digital, per policy: the policy schedule (Versicherungsschein), the terms, the latest premium invoice and all letters. Keep everything while the contract runs and for at least three years after the end of the year, the usual limitation period for claims in Germany (§§ 195, 199 BGB).
Order costs little money but some time. The periods come from the BGB and the VVG.
Example
Typical range
Writing the overview for 8 to 10 policies
about 1 to 2 hours, 0 euros
Ring binder with dividers for paper documents
about 5 to 15 euros
Keeping papers after the contract ends
at least 3 years from the end of the year
Replacement policy schedule
you pay the cost the insurer sets; copies under § 3 (4) VVG likewise
Time and material costs are guide values from day to day practice.
Periods under §§ 195 and 199 BGB and §§ 3 and 15 VVG, as of October 2026.
Worked example
Contents policy cancelled in 2026, damage from 2025
Water damage from autumn 2025 is only noticed after the policy has been cancelled. How long do you need the papers?
Claim arose and known
2025
Limitation starts
31 December 2025
Limitation ends without a claim report
31 December 2028
With a claim report
paused until the decision in text form
The papers for the cancelled policy stay in the folder until at least the end of 2028, longer if a claim is still open.
What goes into each policy folder
Four things belong together for every policy: the current policy schedule with all endorsements (Nachträge), the policy terms (Versicherungsbedingungen), the latest premium invoice and all correspondence, especially cancellations, changes and claims.
For health, disability and life insurance, also keep the application with your answers to the health questions. If you ever claim, the insurer will look closely at exactly what you said back then.
A one page overview of your insurance documents
More useful than any folder is a single page listing all policies: type, insurer, policy number, premium, payment interval, expiry and notice date, claims hotline. With this list you can report a claim straight away, even if the folders are out of reach.
Keep a copy of the overview somewhere else too, for example with someone you trust. After a fire, the damage and the paperwork are otherwise in the same house.
Column
Why you need it
Policy number
report claims and cancel without back and forth
Premium and interval
keep costs in view, spot duplicates
Expiry and notice date
never miss the deadline to switch
Claims hotline
report at once in an emergency
Contact or broker
know who looks after the policy
How long to keep insurance documents in Germany
Claims under an insurance contract normally become time barred after three years (§ 195 BGB, German Civil Code). The period starts at the end of the year in which the claim arose and you knew about it (§ 199 BGB). If you have reported a claim, the limitation is paused until the insurer's decision reaches you in text form (§ 15 VVG).
That gives a simple rule: keep the documents while the contract runs and then for at least three full calendar years. Keep papers on life and pension policies until the last payout.
Paper or digital
Both work as long as they are complete. Many insurers now send documents only through an online portal. Download the policy schedule and terms and store them yourself: a portal may be locked after you cancel, exactly when you still need to prove an old claim.
If the policy schedule is lost, you can ask for a new one (§ 3 (3) VVG); you pay for it (§ 3 (5) VVG). You can also ask for copies of your own statements about the contract (§ 3 (4) VVG).
Step by step
Collect every policy, including those in portals and e-mails.
Create one folder per policy.
File the schedule, terms, latest invoice and letters.
Write the overview with number, premium, notice date and claims hotline.
Store a copy of the overview in a second place.
Move cancelled policies to a separate folder with a destruction date.
Checklist
Current policy schedule with endorsements
Terms in the version that applies
Application with health or risk questions
Latest premium invoice
Letters on changes and claims
Overview kept in two places
Common mistakes
Leaving documents only in a portal that is locked after cancellation
Throwing away the application with the health questions
Destroying cancelled policies at once although a claim is still open
Keeping list and folders in one place only
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I have to keep old policy schedules?
Always the current one.
Older versions only if you want to know which terms applied when a loss happened.
Can I keep insurance documents digitally only?
Yes, if the files are complete, readable and backed up.
Insurers send the schedule in text form anyway and on paper only if you ask (§ 3 (1) VVG).
How long should I keep premium invoices?
The latest is enough for an overview.
For your tax return you need the premiums of the year you are filing.
What if my policy schedule is lost?
Ask the insurer for a new one.
You are entitled to it under § 3 VVG and pay the cost.
Can a broker help me get organised?
A broker keeps the policies he looks after in his own overview and can give you a list from it.
