# Insurance for foot care and podiatry practices in Germany

> Scalpel, nail drill and often patients whose feet are already at risk: in foot care and podiatry a small cut can turn into weeks of wound treatment. This page explains which insurance matters for practices in Germany, what it costs and how cosmetic foot care differs from podiatry under German law.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-foot-care-and-podiatry.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## Is a beauty liability policy enough if I also do medical foot care?

Not necessarily. Insurers cover the activities named in the policy. If you treat at risk patients, fit nail correction braces or work on wound edges, have that insured as podiatry. Send us your list of treatments and we check it against the wording.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance duty. The titles Podologe or Podologin and medizinische Fußpflege (medical foot care) are protected and need a licence under the German Podiatrists Act
- **Biggest risk:** Injuries and infections in at risk patients, especially people with diabetes
- **Basic cover from:** about €80 to €150 a year for liability of a sole practitioner, a guide figure from our quoting work
- **Statutory accident insurer:** the BGW, which lists medical foot care among therapy practices
- **Often forgotten:** Home visits and podiatric treatments must be named in the policy

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **A cut on a diabetic foot:** Small injuries heal badly on a diabetic foot and can lead to long wound care.
- **Fungus and germs:** If instruments are not reprocessed properly, nail fungus or bacteria can pass from client to client.
- **Falls in the treatment room:** Older clients slip when getting out of the chair or trip over a cable.
- **Home visits:** Something gets damaged in a care home, or your drill and case are stolen from the car.
- **You are the practice:** Back, wrists and eyes take the strain. If you cannot work, income stops while rent continues.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Professional indemnity** (Essential): Covers injury caused by treatment, cuts and infections, as long as foot care or podiatry is named as your activity. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): For falls on your premises, damage during home visits and to clients' belongings, if not already part of the professional policy. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces treatment chair, fittings and stock after fire, escape of water and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): Protects your income if back, hands or eyes no longer allow you to work. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): For nail drills with extraction, steriliser and till damaged by power surges or drops. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): Helps after an attack on online booking or client records with health data. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Foot care practices are cheap to insure. Premiums rise with the number of practitioners, podiatric treatments and the value of equipment.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional indemnity | Sole cosmetic foot care practitioner, also mobile, €3 million limit | about €80 to €150 a year |
| Professional indemnity | Podiatry practice with two practitioners, at risk patients included | about €180 to €400 a year |
| Business contents | Fittings, two treatment places and stock worth €30,000 | about €80 to €200 a year |
| Electronic equipment | Two nail drills with extraction and a steriliser worth €12,000 | about €120 to €300 a year |

For comparison: Liability for a sole foot care practitioner costs about as much a year as three to five treatments.

_Guide figures from our own quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, October 2026. Your premium depends mainly on your treatments and team size._

- [Podiatrists Act (PodG), section 1: protected titles](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/podg/__1.html)
- [BGW: therapy practices](https://www.bgw-online.de/bgw-online-de/themen/branchenauswahl/therapeutische-praxen)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Mobile** (Practitioner without own premises, home visits and care homes): Professional indemnity, Electronic equipment. Together: about €200 to €450 a year
- **Practice** (Podiatry practice with own rooms and one to three practitioners): Professional indemnity, Business contents, Electronic equipment. Together: about €400 to €900 a year
- **Practice and owner** (Practice whose income depends on the owner): Professional indemnity, Business contents, Occupational disability, Cyber insurance. Together: individual, disability cover depends on age and health

## The worst day in a foot care practice

Five things practices really go through, all on one Tuesday. Click through and see who pays.

- 08:30: A small injury on a diabetic client's nail fold becomes infected and needs weeks of wound care. (€8,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 10:15: A client slips getting out of the chair and breaks her wrist. (€6,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:40: A power surge after a storm destroys the nail drill. (€2,200, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 15:00: In a care home your instrument case falls onto a nursing bed and breaks the controls. (€1,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 21:30: Water from the flat above floods the treatment room. (€9,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €26,400

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have every treatment named in the policy, especially nail braces, at risk patients and home visits.
- Record findings, treatment and the information you gave; in a dispute that is your key evidence.
- Keep a written hygiene plan for reprocessing instruments.
- Insure equipment you take in the car outside the practice too.
- Look at disability cover early; with back or wrist problems it gets expensive or impossible.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We read your treatment list:** We match your treatments against the policy wording so nothing you do every day is missing.
- **Broker, not insurer:** Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and obtains quotes from several insurers. Free for you; the insurer pays our commission.
- **In English, under German law:** We explain German policies in plain English and keep practice and private cover in one place.

## FAQ

### Is professional liability compulsory for foot care in Germany?

Not by law. It is still the most important cover, because one infection in an at risk patient can be expensive.

### Can I call myself a medical foot care practitioner?

Only with a licence under the Podiatrists Act or a recognition under its transitional rules. Cosmetic foot care alone does not allow that title.

### What does liability cost?

About €80 to €150 a year for a sole cosmetic practitioner and €180 to €400 for a podiatry practice with staff. These are guide figures from our quoting work.

### Am I covered on home visits?

Only if the policy includes mobile work. Ask for it, and insure equipment you carry separately.

### Which statutory accident insurer applies?

The BGW. It lists medical foot care among therapy practices; employees are covered there by law.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-foot-care-and-podiatry.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

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