Up to what age can you take out term life insurance in Germany?
In short
Each insurer sets its own limit; German law has no age cap. In published tariffs you can take out term life insurance (Risikolebensversicherung) up to a maximum entry age of 70 to 75, and the cover ends at 75 to 85. If you start at 70, you therefore often get only five to 15 years of cover.
Guide values from published tariff examples in Germany.
Example
Typical range
Term life insurance, age 30, non-smoker, EUR 200,000, 30 years
about EUR 9 to 16 a month
Funeral insurance, starting at 60, EUR 7,000
about EUR 35 to 39 a month
Funeral insurance, starting at 70, EUR 7,000 to 8,000
about EUR 54 to 63 a month
Funeral insurance, starting at 80, EUR 7,000
about EUR 135 to 140 a month
Guide values as of October 2026 from published tariff examples.
Premiums for term life insurance after 60 depend heavily on health and are a guide value from
quoting practice in the worked example.
Worked example
Covering a remaining loan at 64
A couple still owes EUR 80,000, to be repaid in eight years. The main earner is 64.
Maximum entry age tariff A
70, so cover is possible
End age with an eight year term
72, below the limit of 75
Sum
EUR 80,000, decreasing with the loan
Health questions
yes, loadings possible
Cover is possible and the term fits below the end age. A decreasing sum keeps the premium more affordable than a level one.
Who sets the age limit
The German Insurance Contract Act (VVG) has no age limit for term life insurance. Each insurer decides in its tariff up to what age you can take out cover and how old the insured person may be at the end.
Two published examples show the range. In one tariff the policy may run at most until 75 and must last at least five years, so 70 is the maximum entry age. In another, the maximum entry age is 75 and the end age 85.
Feature
Tariff A
Tariff B
Take out from
age 18
per tariff
Maximum entry age
70
75
End age
75
85
Term
5 to 45 years
free within the limits
Why it gets expensive later
The premium follows the risk of death, which rises every year. At 30, EUR 200,000 over 30 years often costs only EUR 9 to 16 a month. Starting at 60, the same sum costs many times as much, because the late years are the expensive ones.
Health questions matter too. At 60 or 65 many people have diagnoses such as high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease. Depending on the findings, the insurer adds a loading, excludes causes or declines.
What makes sense at an older age
Term life insurance after 60 only pays off if there is still a real gap: a loan running another ten years, or a partner who could not keep the home without your income. A short term with a decreasing sum matching the loan is often enough.
If it is only about funeral costs, funeral insurance (Sterbegeldversicherung) fits better. It covers small sums, often up to about EUR 10,000, and frequently asks no health questions. In return there is a waiting period, two years in one tariff, except for accidental death.
Start early and extend
If you know the need will last, it is better to take out a long enough term early than to look for a new policy later. Some tariffs offer an extension option without a new health check, in one tariff up to 15 years and until 75 at the latest. You can only use it while its deadline runs.
When taking out cover no longer pays off
If the children are independent, the loan is paid off and your partner has their own pension, there is often nothing left to protect. If you have enough assets to cover the loan and the family's living costs, you do not need term life insurance at an older age either.
Step by step
Work out which gap remains at an older age and for how long.
Compare maximum entry age and end age between insurers.
Choose a term that ends before the end age.
Answer the health questions fully and honestly.
For burial costs only, consider funeral insurance.
Checklist
Gap calculated in euros and years
Maximum entry age of the tariff checked
End age matched with the term
Decreasing sum considered for a loan
Funeral insurance compared as an alternative
Common mistakes
Planning a long term at 70 although the tariff ends at 75
Leaving out diagnoses to avoid a loading
Taking out expensive term life insurance just for funeral costs
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
From what age can you take out term life insurance?
From 18 in published tariffs.
The upper limit varies more than the lower one.
Can I still get term life insurance at 65?
With tariffs that have a maximum entry age of 70 or 75, yes,
but with a short term and health questions.
What is the end age?
The age at which the policy ends at the latest.
If it is 75 and you are 68, at most seven years of cover remain.
Is there cover without health questions at an older age?
Hardly for large sums.
For small sums there is funeral insurance without health questions, but with a waiting period.
