# Insurance for photographers and videographers in Germany

> The camera falls off the tripod, a wedding guest trips over the flash cable, the memory card with the whole ceremony on it turns out to be blank. Three incidents, three different insurance policies. This page shows which ones you need and what they cost.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-photographer.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Is my camera covered by my home contents or business contents insurance?

Only at home or in the studio, and only against fire, water, storm and burglary. If the camera is dropped at a shoot, stolen from the car or splashed with salt water on the beach, only a dedicated photo or electronics policy with cover away from the premises will pay. Depending on the excess it costs about 1.6 to 3.3 per cent of the replacement value a year.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No general legal requirement; for drone work, owner's liability insurance under the German Aviation Act (Luftverkehrsgesetz) is mandatory
- **Biggest risk:** Loss of or damage to equipment on location, and lost footage from one off occasions
- **Basic cover from:** about €100 a year for public liability, plus roughly 2 to 3 per cent of the kit's value for camera insurance
- **Statutory accident insurer:** usually the BG ETEM, the relevant Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurer); compulsory from the first employee
- **Often forgotten:** Financial loss: if the wedding photos are lost, standard public liability pays nothing
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 74.20 Fotografie und Fotolabors

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Drops and breakage:** A tripod knocked over, a lens that slips out of the bag. A professional lens easily costs two or three thousand euros.
- **Theft on the road:** Camera bags in the car, at events, in hotels: photo kit is light, expensive and quick to sell on.
- **Lost footage:** One faulty card or a slip during backup and the ceremony cannot be repeated. The couple want their fee back and often more.
- **Cables and lighting:** Guests trip over cables, flash stands topple onto people or furniture. Injury and property damage happen in the studio and in clients' homes.
- **Image rights:** Pictures published without consent, people in the background, artworks in the frame: personality rights and copyright lead to warning letters.
- **Drone:** Aerial shots are in demand, but flying without owner's liability insurance is illegal in Germany. A crash onto a car or a person is expensive.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 3, Fire and water 4, Theft 4, Cyber 2, Downtime 3, Health 2

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers injury and property damage at shoots, weddings and in the studio, for example when a guest falls over a cable. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Strongly advised): Photo and electronics insurance replaces camera, lenses and lighting after breakage, theft and water damage, worldwide and at replacement value. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Professional indemnity** (Strongly advised): Covers financial losses such as lost wedding footage, missed appointments or breaches of personality rights. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Drone insurance** (Strongly advised): If you offer aerial photography you need commercial drone liability insurance; German law requires it. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-drone-insurance.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): Covers studio fittings, backdrops, furniture and prints in your own studio. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Car insurance** (Depends on the business): The car is both transport and storeroom; the insurer must know it is used for business. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Occupational disability** (Depends on the business): Back, knees and wrists carry heavy bags every day; if you cannot work, the income stops. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php

## What it costs: example prices

Camera insurance depends almost entirely on the replacement value of the kit and the excess. Liability cover is cheap for photographers as long as no drone, pyrotechnics or large events are involved.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Electronic equipment | Kit worth €5,000, €100 excess, worldwide | about €150 a year including tax |
| Electronic equipment | Kit worth €10,000, €250 excess | about €240 a year including tax |
| Electronic equipment | Video and photo kit worth €40,000, €1,000 excess | about €760 a year including tax |
| Business liability | Self employed photographer, €3 million limit | about €100 to €250 a year |
| Professional indemnity | Wedding and event photography, financial loss up to €100,000 | about €150 to €400 a year |

For comparison: Liability plus camera insurance for €10,000 worth of kit costs about as much a year as one family shoot with twenty edited images.

_The camera kit examples come from a publicly available tariff (as of September 2026, including 19 per cent German insurance premium tax). Liability figures are guide values excluding tax from our own quoting work. Your premium depends on your kit and your work; we obtain the exact quote._

- [fotoversicherung.com: Beitragssätze Kameraversicherung](https://www.fotoversicherung.com/)
- [Finanzchef24: Versicherung für Fotografen](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/fotograf)
- [Allianz: Fotografenversicherung](https://www.allianz.de/business/fotografen-versicherung/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Starter** (Side business or new business with one camera and two lenses): Business liability, Electronic equipment. Together: about €200 to €400 a year
- **Professional** (Full time wedding, event and corporate photography): Business liability, Professional indemnity, Electronic equipment. Together: about €500 to €1,000 a year
- **Studio and video** (Studio, video production and drone footage): Business liability, Professional indemnity, Electronic equipment, Drone insurance, Business contents. Together: about €1,200 to €2,500 a year

## The worst day on a shoot

Six things photographers really go through, all on one wedding Saturday. Tap through and see who pays.

- 09:30: During the getting ready shots a flash stand tips against the mirror in the hotel room. (€1,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:10: The 70 to 200 mm lens slips onto the church steps during a lens change. Written off. (€2,700, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 15:00: The drone loses its signal and comes down on the roof of a guest's car. (€3,400, Paid by: Drone insurance)
- 18:45: An aunt trips over the video light's cable and breaks her arm. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 22:30: The camera bag with the second body is stolen from the car in the car park. (€5,800, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 23:55: The card with the exchange of rings cannot be read. The couple want their fee back plus compensation. (€4,500, Paid by: Professional indemnity)

**Damage so far:** €26,600

## Practical tips from your broker

- Insure your kit at replacement value and update the equipment list after every purchase, otherwise you risk being underinsured.
- Watch out for theft from vehicles: many tariffs only pay during the day or only from a locked boot.
- For jobs abroad the cover must be worldwide, including flights with checked baggage.
- If you publish images, have personality rights and copyright infringements included in your professional indemnity.
- Hired equipment from rental houses must be included expressly, otherwise you are liable for its full value.
- If you fly a drone you need commercial owner's liability; private liability does not apply to paid jobs.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know how photo policies differ:** Theft from cars, hired kit, worldwide cover: the tariffs differ more than the prices do. As a broker we compare several insurers for you.
- **Claims seen from the inside:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves and know which evidence an insurer wants to see after a theft.
- **Drone and car too:** Camera, drone, company car and your personal cover all run through us, with one contact.
- **Family run since 1989:** We work free of charge for you; the insurer pays our commission. After a loss at the weekend, on Monday you speak to someone who knows your case.

## FAQ

### What does camera insurance for photographers cost?

About 1.6 to 3.3 per cent of the replacement value a year, depending on the excess. For €10,000 of kit with a €250 excess that is around €240 including tax.

### Do I need public liability as a photographer?

Not by law, but in practice yes. Many venues and wedding planners ask for proof, and a single injury claim can run to five figures.

### Who pays if wedding photos are lost?

That is a financial loss, which only professional indemnity covers. Public liability does not pay here, and camera insurance only replaces the card.

### Is borrowed equipment covered?

Only if the policy says so. Ask for cover of third party and hired equipment, otherwise you pay the rental house yourself.

### Do I need separate insurance for drone photography?

Yes. Every drone must have owner's liability insurance, and commercial use requires a commercial policy. Public liability usually excludes aircraft.

### Which Berufsgenossenschaft covers photographers?

Usually the BG ETEM, the statutory accident insurer for this sector. Membership is compulsory from your first employee; as the owner you can insure yourself voluntarily.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-photographer.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.