Claim notification to your own motor insurer (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
Reporting a loss to your own German motor insurer: to the liability cover when someone else may claim against you, or to the partial or comprehensive cover (Teilkasko, Vollkasko) for damage to your own vehicle. With the policy number and plate, the date, time and place, who was driving, anyone else involved, what happened, the damage, the police and witnesses, and a question whether the insurer wants to inspect the vehicle before repair. The model motor insurance terms (AKB) ask for notice within one week; your own policy's terms govern. In German.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Policyholder (name as on the policy)
- Policyholder's address
- Insurer
- Motor insurer's address (street or PO box, then postcode and town, each on its own line)
- City
- Date
- Date of the incident
- Policy number
- Registration plate
- Cover the claim is under: third-party liability, partial or comprehensive cover
- Time of the event
- Place of the event
- Who was driving (name and address, or that the vehicle was parked)
- Other people involved: name, address, plate and insurer, as far as known
- Police report (station, case number)
- Witnesses (names and phone numbers)
- Description of the event
- Description of the damage
- IBAN
- Attachments
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- How soon must a loss be reported to your own motor insurer in Germany?
- The insurers' model terms (AKB, section E.1.1) require every loss event to be reported within one week. What governs, though, are the AKB of your own policy, which may say otherwise. Many insurers also take reports by phone or online — this letter records what you reported and when. Keep proof that you sent it.
- Does admitting fault at the scene cost me my German motor insurance cover?
- No. Admitting liability to the other party does not end the cover of your motor liability insurance, and policy terms that say it does are void (§ 105 VVG). The admission binds the insurer, however, only so far as you really are liable. So in the claim notification describe only what happened, and leave the question of fault to the insurer.
- What if the other party claims directly against my motor insurer in Germany?
- They may: the injured party has a direct claim against your motor liability insurer (§ 115(1) VVG). Report the accident yourself all the same, within the period in your AKB, and pass any letter from the other party, their lawyer, the police or a court to the insurer at once. It examines the claims, pays those that are justified and defends you against the rest.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
Related documents
- Notice of a car sale to the motor insurer (Germany)
A letter telling your motor insurer in Germany that you have sold the car, as § 97 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG) requires without delay: the vehicle, plate, policy number, date and hour of handover, and the buyer's name and address. The policy passes to the buyer with the car (§ 95 VVG); without the notice the insurer may be free from liability for later losses. It asks for a final account, the refund of any credit and confirmation of receipt. In German, to send by post or as a PDF by e-mail.
- Objection to a traffic fine notice (Germany)
A letter objecting to a German fine notice (Bußgeldbescheid) for a traffic offence, sent to the fines office that issued it: with the file reference, the date of the notice and the date it was served, against the notice in full or only against the penalty, with a request to inspect the file, and with or without reasons. Under § 67 of the German Administrative Offences Act (OWiG), the objection must reach the authority within two weeks of service, and a plain e-mail does not count. If the case goes to court, the court may also raise the fine. In German, ready to print and sign.
- Private used car sale contract (Germany)
A contract for selling a used car or motorcycle between private individuals in Germany, under the German Civil Code (BGB). The exclusion of liability for defects is worded the way German courts uphold it: it does not cover fraud or a guarantee (§ 444 BGB), nor the seller's statements on mileage, accident damage, previous keepers and known defects, which stand in a section of their own. It also records the check of the registration certificate Part II, the date and hour of handover, retention of title, re-registration and the notice of sale. In German, for both parties to print and sign.
- Cancelling motor insurance (Germany)
A letter cancelling your German motor insurance with your current insurer: at the end of the insurance year, early after a premium increase or a claim, or after buying a used vehicle whose policy passed to you (§ 96 of the German Insurance Contract Act, VVG). For all cover or for the comprehensive cover only, asking the insurer to confirm the end date and refund any unused premium. For most policies, a cancellation for 31 December must reach the insurer by 30 November. In German, ready to send.
- Accident claim to the other driver's motor liability insurer (Germany)
The first claim after a road accident someone else caused, sent straight to their German motor liability insurer: the date, time and place, the other vehicle's plate, your vehicle, what happened, the damage, the police and witnesses, the amount quantified so far and your IBAN, with a request to confirm liability in principle. Under § 115 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG) you have a direct claim against the insurer, and you must notify it in text form within two weeks (§ 119 VVG) — a letter or an e-mail will do. In German.
- Agreement to lend a car, with authorisation to drive (Germany)
An agreement for lending your car in Germany to someone else, such as family or friends, with an authorisation to drive it, including abroad. It records the check of the driving licence (§ 21 of the German Road Traffic Act, StVG), the insurance and whether the driver is covered, the period, purpose and permitted countries, and sets out who pays for fuel, tolls, fines, damage, the insurance excess and any loss of no-claims discount. The authorisation at the end, with a short English summary, serves as proof at checks. In German, to print and sign.