Reiseversicherung (Travel Insurance) in Germany 2026: A Complete Guide

Auslandsreiseversicherung (travel insurance for trips abroad) — reliable protection during trips. Even if you have German health insurance, GKV (statutory health insurance) or PKV (private health insurance), it often only covers basic costs outside Germany.

Taking out Reiseversicherung will help:

avoid financial losses in the event of illness or injury;
compensate for expenses if a trip or travel is cancelled;
get help in emergency situations abroad;
meet the visa requirements of certain countries.

Video: How travel insurance works

Types of Reiseversicherung

In 2026, travel insurance includes four main areas:

Reise-Krankenversicherung – travel medical insurance

Covers medical treatment and repatriation
Suitable for all tourists

Reise-Unfallversicherung – an accident

Covers serious injuries, search operations, transportation
Suits active travellers

Reise-Rücktrittsversicherung – trip cancellation

Covers trip cancellation compensation
Suitable for everyone who books in advance

Reise-Gepäckversicherung – luggage

Covers loss, theft and damage to baggage
Suitable for anyone who flies frequently

Reisekrankenversicherung — travel medical insurance

This insurance is essential for peace of mind while travelling and covers:

outpatient and inpatient treatment;
dental care;
medicines and dressings;
transport to hospital and back to Germany;
search and rescue operations in emergencies;
assistance in personal emergencies (such as illness, loss of funds for travel, or criminal prosecution), as well as information services.

Important:

The GKV only covers treatment at European rates and does not pay for repatriation;
Outside the EU, all costs fall on the tourist unless there is additional insurance.

Travel medical insurance is valid for all types of trips, including business trips. There are often two tariffs: in one, insurance works worldwide, including the USA and Canada, while in the other, this is not included. I recommend paying attention to this when arranging travel medical insurance.

Usually it is possible to choose single-trip insurance or an annual policy. The family package includes spouses/partners and children (the insurance company determines the age limits for children itself).

Adventure sports insurance

Safety during active leisure activities comes first. For such trips, we have put together special tariffs from insurance companies, including good evacuation and rescue cover. Read more in the article:

More details

Best offer for travellers

The cover amount is unlimited
Zero excess
People living in Germany can take out insurance
Age of the insured up to 100 years
You can also include your spouse or partner and children under the age of 26 in the insurance policy,
Annual policy valid for up to 1 year (maximum 65 days per trip)

Medical insurance includes:

Outpatient treatment, including ambulance transport and rehabilitation
Inpatient treatment, including an accompanying person for children under 18 years of age
Emergency dental treatment with basic materials
Medicines and dressings
Emergencies during pregnancy (premature labour, miscarriage, threatened miscarriage), as well as routine check-ups if pregnancy began after the start of the trip
Search and rescue up to €15,000

Personal experience

Tariff: SingleTRAVEL

The cover amount is unlimited
People living in Germany can take out insurance
The age of the insured person is not limited (after 99 years it is calculated individually — send us an application)
Additionally, many relatives can be included in the insurance, even if they do not live together
Annual up to 1 year, maximum 56 days per trip
Cover of over 56 days is possible if the return journey is not possible without risk to health.
Consideration of insurance claim applications takes up to 7 working days

You can also take out Reiseversicherung separately:

Accident (disability up to €50,000)
Reise-Unfallversicherung
Cancellation of a trip
Reise-Rücktrittsversicherung
Liability
in relation to third parties
Reise-Haftpflichtversicherung
Luggage (up to €4,000)
Reise-Gepäckversicherung (travel baggage insurance)

To take out additional cover besides medical insurance, send us your application.

Best offer for active sports

The cover amount is unlimited
People living in Germany can take out insurance
Insured person’s age up to 64 years old
Additionally, you can include your spouse/partner and up to 6 children in the insurance; living together is not obligatory.
Annual up to 1 year, maximum 56 days per trip
Single trip up to 90 days

The following modules can be included:

Active recreation and sports insurance:

Repair, replacement, rental of sports equipment up to 1000 euros,
Cancellation of events up to 1,000 euros per person,
Search, rescue and evacuation up to 5000 euros.

Sport und Aktiv Versicherung (sports and activity insurance)

Medical insurance
(no upper limit; search and rescue up to 10,000 euros)
Reise-Krankenversicherung
Accident (disability up to €30,000)
Reise-Unfallversicherung
Cancellation of a trip
Reise-Rücktrittsversicherung
Liability to third parties
Reise-Haftpflichtversicherung
Baggage (up to €6,000)
Reise-Gepäckversicherung (travel baggage insurance)

For trips of up to 5 years

Coverage of the costs of necessary medical treatment abroad and transport back to your home town:
Up to 365 days a year without any excess.
Up to 5 years with a €25 excess.

Routine health checks and childbirth – €250.00 for each insurance claim.
Reimbursement of the cost of medical supplies prescribed by a doctor following an accident, 100%
Reimbursement of dental prosthetics expenses resulting from an accident (max. €500.00)
Compensation for inpatient treatment for a maximum of 14 days, EUR 50.00 per day.
The one-off allowance for outpatient treatment is €25.00.
Daily hospital allowance, up to a maximum of 30 days, at €50.00 per day.
Repairs to existing medical devices, up to €250.00 per insurance year.

For travel up to 365 days a year

Tariff: Einzelpolice (individual policy)

Coverage of necessary medical expenses abroad and transport back to your home city (up to €5,000 from the EU, up to €10,000 from other countries) no excess.
For long journeys up to 365 days a year.
Reimbursement of the cost of medicines and medical supplies.
Dental treatment and fillings, but without prosthetics.
Compensation for inpatient treatment is 30 euros per day.
A one-off allowance of €25.00 for outpatient treatment.
Medically necessary aids (crutches, walking frames, etc.) in a basic version.
Krankentagegeld and Krankenhaustagegeld (daily sickness and hospital allowances) and outpatient treatment allowances are NOT included.

Reiseunfallversicherung — protection against accidents

Payment of a lump-sum disability benefit;
Emergency medical transportation or repatriation during travel;
Costs of recovery following an accident;
Telephone costs if you contact the assistance service to arrange repatriation.

This insurance is relevant for everyone with an active lifestyle, and will be especially useful for ski, diving and adventure trips.

Reisegepäckversicherung — luggage insurance

Baggage insurance covers up to €6,000:

the full cost of the lost items;
costs for the repair or replacement of damaged items;
compensation for the purchase of essential items prior to the arrival of delayed baggage;
covering the cost of stolen items.

Reiserücktrittsversicherung — trip cancellation

Allows you to get a refund for a holiday package in case of:

illness or accident;
the death of a close relative;
job loss or a rescheduled exam.

Tip: arrange insurance no later than 30 days before departure, ideally immediately after booking. If you booked your trip less than 30 days before departure, you have 3 days to take out insurance.

Trip cancellation insurance definitely comes in handy for families with small children. Family trips are usually planned well in advance and are expensive. If the children suddenly fall ill right before the flight, Reise-Rücktrittsversicherung will protect the family budget.

Reiseprivathaftpflichtversicherung — third-party liability cover

Personal liability insurance will cover the damage in unpleasant situations:

Accidentally broke someone else’s item in a hotel;
Injured another holidaymaker;
Dropped someone else’s smartphone in water or damaged it.

Tip: If you already have Privathaftpflichtversicherung (personal liability insurance), there’s no need to take out separate travel liability insurance.

I recommend taking out standard third-party liability insurance (Privathaftpflichtversicherung). This is the most essential and popular supplementary insurance in Germany, which, in most cases, is valid worldwide.

Travel insurance validity period

Annual policy	Tariff with a specific number of days
Valid all year round, even if the trip to a neighbouring country is for 2-3 days	Daily payment
Unlimited travel	You can cancel if the trip falls through
Cheaper than buying insurance for every trip	More expensive for frequent travellers

Table: Validity period of travel insurance (Reiseversicherung)

Please note that you can only cancel an annual insurance policy after one year has elapsed from the start of the agreement.

Actions in an emergency

If an insured event occurs during your trip, follow these steps sequentially:

Contact the insurance company
Inform:
— address of stay and contact telephone number
— doctor, hospital or police contacts
- description of circumstances and evidence
— policy number and travel dates
In the event of theft, contact the local police immediately.
In the event of hospitalisation or repatriation, coordinate the expenses with the insurer, and only then sign the paperwork with the hospital.

Every insurance company has an in-house emergency assistance centre with a competent team of doctors and specialists worldwide. They are available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. You can get expert advice quickly at any time. You can call, write an email or use the chat.

If you have medical insurance, in most cases you do not need to contact the insurance company. You simply pay the necessary bills without prior approval, and then send them to the insurer for a refund.