Is your camera gear insured when you travel? Only partly. German contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) pays away from home mainly for robbery or a break-in, for example into a locked hotel room, often only up to 10 percent of the sum insured. Drops, water damage and simple theft from your bag are not covered. For that you need camera or electronics insurance, priced on the value of your gear.
Publicly quoted prices and limits for camera, contents and luggage cover in Germany, 2026.
Example
Typical range
Contents insurance away from home (Außenversicherung)
10 to 20 percent of the sum insured, up to about EUR 10,000
Luggage insurance, annual policy, one person, sum EUR 3,000
about EUR 55 a year
Business electronics insurance, rule of thumb
about 0.5 to 1.5 percent of replacement value a year
Private camera insurance, gear worth EUR 4,000 with theft
about EUR 120 to 250 a year
As of October 2026, from publicly quoted tariff information.
The premium for EUR 4,000 of gear and the amounts in the worked example are a guide value from our
quoting practice.
Your premium depends on value, theft cover and deductible; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Mirrorless camera with two lenses on a city trip
This is how cover looks if your camera gear is worth EUR 4,000 and your contents insurance has a sum insured of EUR 60,000.
Camera and two lenses
EUR 4,000 new value
Contents away from home at 10 percent
up to EUR 6,000, but only for robbery or break-in
Camera falls off the tripod, repair
about EUR 900, contents insurance pays nothing
Camera insurance with theft, EUR 100 deductible
about EUR 120 to 250 a year
Without camera insurance you pay the EUR 900 repair yourself. With a policy you pay the EUR 100 deductible.
What contents insurance pays for your camera on the road
In Germany, contents insurance protects your camera mainly inside your flat: against burglary, fire and water from burst pipes. Away from home only the so called external cover (Außenversicherung) applies, and it is narrow. It usually pays for robbery, when someone takes the camera bag by force, or for a break-in into a locked hotel room.
If you leave the camera on a chair in a café and it disappears, that counts as simple theft, which contents insurance normally does not cover. A fall from the tripod or salt water on the beach are not covered either, because contents insurance does not pay for accidental damage to the device.
What happens to the camera
Contents at home
Contents away
Camera insurance
Burglary at home
yes
not relevant
usually yes
Break-in into a locked hotel room
not relevant
usually yes, limited
usually yes
Robbery in the street
not relevant
usually yes, limited
usually yes
Simple theft in a café
no
no
only with theft add-on
Drop, breakage, sand, water
no
no
yes
When camera insurance is worth it
Separate camera insurance pays off if your gear is worth more than you could easily replace and you shoot a lot outdoors: on trips, at sports events, near water or in busy cities. That is where the typical damage happens that no other policy pays for.
Make sure the camera body, lenses and accessories are insured together. The premium depends on the value of the whole kit. In many camera policies theft is only an optional add-on; without it the policy pays only for damage to the equipment.
When you do not need camera insurance
For a compact camera worth about EUR 300, or a phone you mainly take pictures with, a separate camera policy rarely makes sense. A premium of EUR 60 a year adds up to half the purchase price within five years, when the camera is worth little anyway.
If you use your camera almost only at home, contents insurance against burglary and fire is usually enough. Just check that the sum insured covers your photo equipment.
Shooting professionally in Germany
If you earn money with your camera, as a photographer, videographer or content creator, the gear counts as business equipment. Private camera policies often exclude commercial use. You then need electronics insurance for businesses (Elektronikversicherung) that covers cameras, lenses, lighting and sound worldwide and at client locations.
For business electronics, insurers often charge a small percentage of the replacement value per year. Mobile photo equipment is priced higher than a desktop computer, because it is dropped and stolen more often.
Luggage insurance and credit cards
Travel luggage insurance (Reisegepäckversicherung) also pays for a camera in your suitcase, but often sets separate limits for photo and electronic equipment and requires that the camera was supervised or locked away. For expensive camera gear that is rarely enough.
Some credit cards include luggage or purchase protection. Whether it covers your camera on the road depends on the card terms, so check the limits and deadlines before relying on it.
What to look for in a camera policy
Four points matter most: replacement at new value rather than current value, worldwide cover, theft included and whether used cameras can be insured. Many policies require the camera to be undamaged when you take out cover and ask for the receipt.
A minimum term of twelve months and a deductible that lowers the premium are common. Norman Nammert arranges cover as an insurance broker; the commission is paid by the insurer, so the comparison is free for you.
Step by step
Add up the value of all your gear: body, lenses, flash, drone, accessories.
Check your contents policy for the external cover limit and what it covers.
Decide whether you could pay for a drop or simple theft yourself.
Clarify whether you use the camera for paid work, even occasionally.
Compare camera policies with new value, theft and worldwide cover.
Checklist
Receipts for camera and lenses stored digitally
External cover of your contents insurance checked
Theft included in the camera policy
Worldwide cover if you travel outside the EU
Commercial use included if you earn money with photos
Serial numbers noted for a police report
Common mistakes
Assuming contents insurance pays for any theft on the road
Insuring only the camera body and forgetting expensive lenses
Taking a private policy although you shoot paid assignments
Leaving the camera in the car, which hardly any policy covers
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is my camera insured in a hotel room?
Through contents insurance usually yes, if someone breaks into the locked room.
If it disappears from an unlocked room, that is simple theft and normally not covered.
Does contents insurance pay if I drop my camera?
No.
Damage from drops or handling errors is only covered by camera or electronics insurance.
Can I insure a used camera?
Some policies accept used cameras if they are undamaged when cover starts.
Others only accept devices up to a certain age.
Is my camera covered in the car?
Usually not, or only if the car was locked and the camera out of sight.
Policy terms set tight limits here.
Do I need a commercial policy as a hobby photographer?
No, as long as you do not earn money with your photos.
Once you sell pictures or take paid jobs, check your policy.
Is my drone covered by camera insurance?
Usually not.
Drones have their own hull and liability policies because they can also damage other people's
