Skip to content

Insurance broker / Insurance questions

Which insurance policies should I update after getting married?

In short

After getting married in Germany you should update five insurance policies: liability and contents into one joint policy, term life and disability cover with a new beneficiary and the right amount, plus health insurance. Which change is urgent: a top-up under the option to increase cover without health questions, often open only a few months. A joint liability policy costs about EUR 60 to 180 a year.

Which insurance policies should I update after getting married?

What it costs

Guide figures for the policies most often updated after a wedding, from published tariff examples and tests.

ExampleTypical range
Personal liability, couple or familyabout EUR 60 to 180 a year
Personal liability, single, for comparisonabout EUR 40 to 120 a year per person
Term life, age 35, EUR 250,000, 30 yearsabout EUR 20 to 60 a month per person
Family cover in statutory health insuranceEUR 0 up to EUR 565 income a month, EUR 603 with a minijob

As of November 2026.

The upper figure for term life is based on the test finding that expensive tariffs cost almost

three times as much as cheap ones.

Your premium depends on age, health, job and cover; we obtain the exact quote.

Worked example

Couple, both 35, summer wedding, planning children

She has a term life policy from her single days with her mother as beneficiary, and each has their own liability policy. This is how they update.

Term life: beneficiary changed from mother to husbandfree, written notice
Term life: top-up within the deadlinehigher sum without new health questions
Liability: one couple tariff instead of two single policiesabout EUR 60 to 180 a year
Health insurance: both earn more than EUR 565no family cover, nothing to change

The most important change costs nothing: the beneficiary. The second most important has a deadline: the top-up.

Which insurance policies to update after getting married

Marriage changes three things written into your policies: who belongs to your household, who should receive money if you die and how much protection the family needs. Work through them in that order, not by premium.

Policies for the household can be merged. Policies tied to one person stay separate but need new details.

PolicyWhat to updateHow urgent
Term life (Risikolebensversicherung)beneficiary to your spouse, check the sum, use the top-up optionnow, because of the deadline
Disability cover (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung)check the pension, use the top-up optionnow, because of the deadline
Health insurancecheck free family cover if one partner earns littlesoon
Personal liability (Privathaftpflicht)joint tariff, keep one policyat the next renewal
Contents (Hausrat)adjust the sum to the joint flat and giftssoon
Caradd your spouse as a driverbefore they drive
All policiesnew name, new addresswhen convenient

Term life and disability cover: the deadline after the wedding

Many policies include a top-up guarantee (Nachversicherungsgarantie). After events such as marriage, it lets you raise the sum or pension without the insurer asking about your health again. An illness that started after you took out the policy then does not block the increase.

The catch: the window is usually only a few months, often there is an age limit of around 45 or 50, and each event allows only a limited increase. Your deadline is in your policy terms. Miss it, and more cover means new health questions.

Whether you need more depends on your plans. A mortgage or children usually call for more than a single person's sum. If you both earn well and have no debts, you may not need to change anything.

Beneficiary: who receives the money

If your term life policy still names your mother or a former partner, the money goes there. Marriage does not change this automatically. Under section 159 VVG you can normally name or replace the beneficiary without the insurer's consent, unless the right was made irrevocable.

Name your spouse explicitly rather than just writing spouse. That keeps it clear who is meant, even if life changes later.

Health insurance after the wedding

In statutory health insurance your spouse can be covered free of charge (Familienversicherung) if they live in Germany, are not insured in their own right, are not self-employed as their main occupation and their regular income in 2026 is no more than EUR 565 a month, or EUR 603 from a minijob (section 10 SGB V).

Private health insurance has no family cover: each person pays their own premium, and the wedding changes nothing in the contract. If your spouse moves to Germany from abroad, check their health cover from the day they arrive.

Household, liability and contents

Two liability policies in one household usually mean paying twice. Keep the one with better terms and switch it to a couple tariff. There is no special right to cancel because of marriage. The second policy ends at the end of its term, with a notice period between one and three months (section 11 VVG), unless the insurer agrees to end it earlier.

Contents insurance covers everything in your home. Wedding gifts, rings and new furniture raise the value. Check the sum insured and the limit for jewellery and valuables.

When you do not need to change anything

If you already lived together with a joint liability tariff and named each other as beneficiaries, often only the name needs updating. Accident, legal expenses and dental cover usually carry on as before. If you need no higher sum because there are no debts and no children, leave the top-up option unused.

Step by step

  1. Collect both partners' policies and look up the top-up option and its deadline.
  2. Apply for increases in term life and disability cover within the deadline if you need more.
  3. Change beneficiaries in writing to your spouse, by name.
  4. Check free family health cover if one partner earns little.
  5. Merge liability and contents, and end the second policy only after the new one is confirmed.
  6. Tell all insurers your new name and address.

Checklist

  • Deadline for the top-up after marriage known
  • Beneficiary checked in every term life policy
  • Sum fits your loan and family plans
  • Family health cover checked
  • Liability: spouse explicitly covered
  • Contents: gifts and rings included in the sum
  • Spouse added as a driver on the car policy

Common mistakes

  • Letting the top-up deadline pass and facing health questions later
  • Assuming marriage changes the beneficiary automatically
  • Cancelling the old liability policy before the couple tariff is confirmed
  • Expecting a special right to cancel because of marriage

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I have to tell my insurer I got married?

Tell them your new name, any new address and any change that affects cover,

such as switching to a couple tariff.

Other duties to notify are in your policy terms.

How long do I have for the top-up?

Each policy sets its own deadline, usually only a few months after the wedding.

Check your terms and apply early.

Does my spouse automatically get the money from my life insurance?

No.

It goes to the person named as beneficiary.

Change it in writing after the wedding.

Can my spouse join my statutory health insurance for free?

Yes, if they live in Germany, their regular income in 2026 is no more than EUR 565 a month,

or EUR 603 from a minijob,

and they are not self-employed as their main job.

Can I cancel straight after the wedding?

There is no special right to cancel because of marriage.

The duplicate policy ends at the end of its term;

ending it earlier is a goodwill decision by the insurer.

Does this apply to registered partnerships too?

Yes.

Family health cover treats spouses and registered partners the same,

and couple tariffs usually include registered partners.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote

We compare insurers and come back to you, in English.

Free; the insurer pays our fee.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

Free of charge and without obligation. A person will get back to you.

Related questions

Updated

Was this useful?