Can I get term life insurance in Germany with a pre-existing condition?
In short
Usually yes. Well-controlled high blood pressure, diabetes or a treated mild depression often only lead to a surcharge (Risikozuschlag), in our experience mostly 25 to 100 percent on the premium. After cancer many German insurers only accept you 5 to 10 years after treatment without relapse. As each insurer judges differently, an anonymous pre-check with several shows who will take you and at what price.
Published premium examples for healthy applicants and guide values for surcharges.
Example
Typical range
Age 25, healthy non-smoker, 200,000 euros, 30 years
about 6 to 7 euros a month
Age 25, healthy non-smoker, 500,000 euros, 30 years
about 15 euros a month
Same policy, 200,000 euros, 50 percent surcharge
about 10 euros a month
Same policy, 200,000 euros, 100 percent surcharge
about 13 euros a month
Healthy premiums from a published insurer example, as of July 2026.
The surcharges of 25 to 100 percent are a guide value from our quoting practice,
not published figures.
Waiting times after cancer and question periods from an insurer's guide.
Your result depends on diagnosis, course and insurer; we obtain the exact quote.
Worked example
Father of two, 25, type 1 diabetes since his teens, well controlled
He needs 200,000 euros for 30 years and has an anonymous pre-check done with several insurers.
Premium without the condition
about 6.50 euros a month
Insurer A: 50 percent surcharge
about 9.70 euros a month
Insurer B: 100 percent surcharge
about 13 euros a month
Insurer C
refusal
The pre-check finds the lowest surcharge and keeps a refusal off his record. Over 30 years he saves about 1,200 euros compared with insurer B. Example surcharges.
Four possible answers from the insurer
When you apply for German term life insurance (Risikolebensversicherung) with a pre-existing condition, the insurer either accepts on standard terms, adds a surcharge, postpones the decision (Zurückstellung) or refuses. Excluding a single illness, common in disability cover, is rare in term life insurance.
The reason is simple: only death counts. An insurer can hardly say it will not pay if you die of a heart attack. It has to price the higher risk in or decline altogether.
Condition
Common decision
What helps
Hay fever, mild eczema
standard or small surcharge
exact diagnosis
High blood pressure, well controlled
surcharge
recent readings from your doctor
Diabetes type 1 or 2
individual review, often surcharge
HbA1c values of recent years
Mild depression, treatment finished
accepted with or without surcharge
report confirming end of therapy
Heart attack or stroke
surcharge, postponement or refusal
follow-up findings
Cancer
postponement, often accepted after 5 to 10 years
date treatment ended, follow-up reports
Why the choice of insurer matters
Each German insurer has its own underwriting guidelines for pre-existing conditions. The same diabetes can mean a 30 percent surcharge with one insurer, 100 percent with the next and a refusal with a third.
So never send just one application. A refusal often has to be disclosed in later applications and works like a red flag. The better route is an anonymous pre-check (anonyme Risikovoranfrage), where insurers assess your medical findings without your name.
What you are asked and what you are not
Health questions for term life insurance in Germany usually cover the last 5 years of doctor visits and the last 10 years of hospital stays. Older illnesses that have healed only need to be stated if the form asks for them.
Answer exactly what is asked. If you leave out a pre-existing condition, the insurer can withdraw for up to 5 years after signing, or 10 years if you acted intentionally or fraudulently. Your family would then get nothing.
Cancer and the right to be forgotten
After cancer, many insurers postpone the application until 5 to 10 years have passed without relapse, depending on the type and stage. Term life insurance is then often possible again, usually with a surcharge at first.
Spain, for example, no longer requires disclosure of cancer five years after treatment without relapse. Germany has no such law for term life insurance yet. The Bundestag asked the government for one in April 2026, and several federal states submitted a motion to the Federal Council (Bundesrat) in September 2026.
Getting the surcharge removed later
A surcharge does not have to last the whole term. If your blood pressure has been stable for years, you lost weight or there has been no relapse, you can ask the insurer to review and remove it. Many insurers do so on the basis of new medical reports.
Alternatively take out a new policy on better terms later and cancel the old one only once the new one has been accepted.
When another route is better
If every insurer refuses or the surcharge is unaffordable, alternatives are a small funeral policy (Sterbegeldversicherung) without health questions, the bank's payment protection cover for a loan, or savings set aside.
You do not need term life insurance at all if nobody depends on your income and no loan is open. Then the effort with medical reports and pre-checks is not worth it.
Step by step
Collect doctors' letters, dated diagnoses and recent test results.
Read the health questions of several insurers.
Have an anonymous pre-check done with several insurers.
Compare offers including the surcharge, not just the base premium.
Apply with the best insurer and answer every question fully.
After a few stable years, ask for the surcharge to be removed.
Checklist
All diagnoses within the period asked about known
Findings and end of treatment documented
No earlier refusal caused by a hasty application
Surcharge and total premium compared
Health questions answered precisely and fully
Reminder set to have the surcharge reviewed
Common mistakes
Leaving out a condition to avoid a surcharge
Giving up after one refusal
Applying straight away with the first insurer
Paying the surcharge for years after your health improved
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I have to state illnesses that have healed?
Only if the form asks.
Most forms cover the last 5 to 10 years.
Can I get term life insurance after cancer?
Often yes,
but usually only 5 to 10 years after treatment without relapse and at first with a surcharge.
What does postponement mean?
The insurer does not decide now and asks you to apply again after a set time,
for example after an operation or once therapy has ended.
What about mental health conditions?
Mild depression with finished treatment is often insurable.
With severe or ongoing illness many insurers refuse or ask for high surcharges.
Does a medical history from abroad count?
Yes.
German health questions cover treatment anywhere in the world.
Have foreign reports ready, ideally in German or English.
Is there a right to be forgotten after cancer in Germany?
Not for term life insurance yet.
The Bundestag called for a rule in April 2026,
and several federal states have tabled a motion in the Federal Council.
