Arenja & Raj FinanzStart here: the short version
Six policies cover almost every situation an international in Germany will meet. Everything else is a refinement.
| Cover | Typical cost in 2026 | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Health (compulsory) | public 17.5 % of salary, private from €300 a month | Public or private health insurance |
| Private liability | €40 – €180 a year | Private liability insurance |
| Income protection | €55 – €280 a month | Protecting your income |
| Contents | €50 – €280 a year | Contents insurance |
| Term life | from about €8 a month | Term life insurance |
| Legal expenses | €150 – €400 a year | Legal expenses insurance |
Car insurance is compulsory too, the moment you register a vehicle — and the single biggest saving available to a newcomer is getting your no-claims years from home recognised here. That has its own guide.
What the law requires
The compulsory list is genuinely short. Health cover for everyone living in Germany under § 193 of the insurance contract act; motor liability for anyone registering a vehicle; professional indemnity for a handful of regulated professions such as doctors, lawyers and tax advisers.
That is it. Everything else is your choice — which is precisely why it is worth having someone walk you through it rather than working from whichever offer landed in your inbox first.
The order that makes sense
Why internationals get this wrong more often
Nothing here is hard. It is hard in German, under time pressure, in the first months in a new country, while someone with a sales target explains it to you.
Three things go wrong repeatedly. People choose private health insurance at 28 because it is cheaper, without anyone showing them what it costs at 58. People pay for cover they will never claim while leaving their income entirely unprotected. And people arrive with eight accident-free years of driving behind them and accept a beginner's premium because nobody told them those years can count here.
All three are avoidable in a single conversation, and all three are expensive to fix later.
Where we come in
We are registered insurance intermediaries under § 34d of the German trade code, and we advise in English, German and Hindi. We compare across the market rather than selling one company's range, and the first conversation costs nothing.
Read whichever guide below matches what you are dealing with. When you want it applied to your own situation — your salary, your family, your plans for the next five years — book a call and we will go through it properly.
Health calculator
Run your own numbers
Health cover is compulsory and the choice between public and private is the biggest single decision you will make. Start with what each would actually cost you:
Want this checked against your own situation?
Fifteen minutes, free, and genuinely non-committal. We work with people building a life in Germany, and we speak English, German and Hindi.
Book a free callPick a time that suits youCommon questions
Which insurances are compulsory in Germany?
Health insurance for everyone resident here under § 193 VVG, motor liability insurance for anyone registering a vehicle, and professional indemnity for certain regulated professions such as doctors, lawyers, architects and tax advisers. Everything else is voluntary — although private liability insurance is voluntary in the same way that a seatbelt is voluntary.
What should I arrange first as a new arrival?
Health insurance, because it is compulsory from your first day of residence and the public-or-private decision is hard to reverse. Then private liability, which costs around €5 a month and protects you against the unlimited personal liability that German law imposes. Those two in your first weeks; the rest can follow once you have settled.
How much should I expect to spend in total?
For a single person on a normal salary: health insurance comes out of the payslip, private liability around €60 a year, contents around €80, and income protection somewhere between €55 and €120 a month depending on age and occupation. The figure that matters is not the total but whether it is spent on the right things — which is what a consultation is for.
Can I get insurance advice in English?
Yes. We advise in English, German and Hindi, and the policies themselves are arranged with German insurers in the normal way. Most German insurers issue documents only in German, which is exactly why having someone read them for you before you sign is worth the time.
Do I need all of this if I am only here for a few years?
No, and we will tell you which parts to skip. Health is compulsory whatever your plans. Private liability stays worth it because the exposure does not shrink with a short stay. Contents depends on what you own. Income protection and term life are longer commitments and worth discussing against how long you actually expect to stay — that is a conversation, not a checklist.