# Do You Need Pet Insurance in Germany? (2026) > Pet health insurance and dog liability cover in Germany: what each pays for, which Bundeslaender make dog liability compulsory, and six policies with published annual premiums. By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.guide-germany.com/insurance/pet-insurance **The verdict** Two different products are called pet insurance in Germany. **Tierkrankenversicherung** pays vet bills: AGILA covers a young dog for **EUR 233.28 a year**, Lassie a cat for **EUR 204.84**. **Hundehaftpflicht** pays for the damage your dog does to others, cheapest at **Haftpflichtkasse**, **EUR 36.89 a year** for EUR 60,000,000 of cover. **Which of the two is compulsory** **Tierkrankenversicherung** is voluntary everywhere. Whether you must hold **Hundehaftpflicht** is decided by your Bundesland, and there is **no federal rule**: it is mandatory for all dogs in Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia, mandatory only for listed or dangerous dogs in eight more, and voluntary only in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. ## Which pet health insurance is worth buying in Germany? Three policies with a [published annual premium](/insurance/price-research), ordered by our editorial rating. All three carry a one-month waiting period and exclude pre-existing conditions. What separates them is the annual cover limit, the reimbursement rate and whether the paperwork exists in English. Sort byOur rankingAnnual premiumNotice periodSorted by **annual premium**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. Sorted by **notice period**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. #2 by annual premiumEUR 233.28/year#3 by notice period3 monthsAGILA Haustierversicherung ### AGILA dog health insurance 4.4Best for dogs. A pet specialist since 1994 and an OeKO-TEST winner, with full health cover from EUR 233.28 a year and surgery-only cover from EUR 95.16 a year. [See AGILA](https://www.agila.de/)Waiting period?Waiting period The gap between signing and the day cover starts. Anything that appears during it is never paid, not even later, so shorter is better. 1 monthExcess?Excess The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises. None on the base tariffNotice period?Notice period How far ahead of the renewal date you must cancel in writing (Kündigungsfrist). Miss the window and the contract runs another full term. 3 monthsEnglish documentsNoPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Specialist since 1994 - Cheap surgery-only option - Combination discount with liability Cons - German only - Premium rises with age - Surcharges possible for listed breeds Best for Dog owners who want a specialist insurer #3 by annual premiumEUR 257.04/year#1 by notice periodNo notice periodWakam (risk carrier ### Lassie dog health Midi 4.3Most flexible. EUR 6,000 of annual cover for EUR 257.04 a year, with no fixed excess and monthly cancellation. [See Lassie dog cover](https://www.lassie.de/hundekrankenversicherung)Annual coverEUR 6,000Waiting period?Waiting period The gap between signing and the day cover starts. Anything that appears during it is never paid, not even later, so shorter is better. 1 monthExcess?Excess The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises. None on Midi and MaxiEnglish documentsBestYesPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - No fixed excess - Cancellable monthly - English-capable app Cons - Base plan reimburses only 80 percent - The risk carrier is a partner company - Premium rises with age Best for Newcomers who want English paperwork and monthly cancellation #1 by annual premiumEUR 204.84/year#2 by notice periodNo notice periodWakam ### Lassie cat health Midi 4.2Best for cats. The cheapest English-language full health cover for cats in this catalogue: EUR 6,000 of annual cover for EUR 204.84 a year. [See Lassie cat cover](https://www.lassie.de/katzenkrankenversicherung)Annual coverEUR 6,000Waiting period?Waiting period The gap between signing and the day cover starts. Anything that appears during it is never paid, not even later, so shorter is better. 1 monthExcess?Excess The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises. NoneEnglish documentsYesPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Cheapest cat cover here - Cancellable monthly - English documents Cons - Base plan reimburses only 80 percent - The risk carrier is a partner company - Premium rises with age Best for Cat owners on a budget ## What does pet health insurance cover? It reimburses vet bills up to a yearly limit and at a set reimbursement rate. Lassie covers EUR 6,000 a year on Midi, EUR 4,000 on Mini and has no limit on Maxi. Figo lets you pick 50, 70 or 90 percent reimbursement and a EUR 3,000, EUR 6,000 or unlimited cap, which is precisely what makes an entry price non-comparable between insurers. Surgery-only cover is the cheaper variant: it pays for operations, not for ongoing treatment. Lassie starts at EUR 61.20 a year for dogs, AGILA at EUR 95.16 and Petolo at EUR 130.80. ### Typically covered - Operations and aftercare - Treatment and diagnostics up to the annual limit - Vet fees up to four times the GOT schedule in top tariffs ### Excluded - Pre-existing conditions, on every policy here - Neutering, except through the prevention budget - Anything in the first month: the waiting period is one month everywhere ## Is dog liability insurance compulsory in Germany? That depends on the Bundesland, and on nothing else. There is no federal rule. [Liability cover](/insurance/dog-liability-insurance) is mandatory for ALL dogs in Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia. In eight further Bundeslaender it applies only to listed or dangerous dogs. It is voluntary only in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Dog liability pays for injury or damage your dog causes to other people or their property. It is a different product from pet health cover and never a substitute for it, in either direction. Check two things before you buy: the cover limit, and whether your breed is accepted without an exclusion. Haftpflichtkasse insures every breed including Listenhunde, while Lassie and Getsafe decide on listed breeds case by case. ### Dog liability policies Sort byOur rankingAnnual premiumCover limitExcessNotice periodSorted by **annual premium**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. Sorted by **cover limit**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. Sorted by **excess**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. Sorted by **notice period**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. #1 by annual premiumEUR 36.89/year#1 by cover limitEUR 60,000,000#1 by excessNone#3 by notice period3 monthsHaftpflichtkasse ### Haftpflichtkasse Einfach Komplett dog liability 4.5Cheapest. The cheapest verified cover in this catalogue: EUR 36.89 a year for EUR 60,000,000 of cover with no excess, and every breed is insurable. [See Haftpflichtkasse](https://www.haftpflichtkasse.de/)Cover limit?Cover limit The most the insurer pays for a single claim (Deckungssumme). Everything above it is yours, which is why liability policies carry limits in the millions. BestEUR 60,000,000Excess?Excess The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises. NoneWaiting period?Waiting period The gap between signing and the day cover starts. Anything that appears during it is never paid, not even later, so shorter is better. NoneNotice period?Notice period How far ahead of the renewal date you must cancel in writing (Kündigungsfrist). Miss the window and the contract runs another full term. 3 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Cheapest verified premium - Highest cover limit here - Listenhunde without exclusion Cons - German only - No paper correspondence - Surcharge applies to Kampfhunde Best for Any dog owner, including owners of listed breeds #3 by annual premiumEUR 47.88/year#2 by cover limitEUR 30,000,000#2 by excessEUR 150#1 by notice periodNo notice periodGetsafe ### Getsafe dog liability 4.2Best in English. EUR 47.88 a year for EUR 30,000,000 of cover, English end to end, with an instant digital certificate for registering the dog. [See Getsafe dog liability](https://www.hellogetsafe.com/de-de/hundehaftpflicht)Cover limit?Cover limit The most the insurer pays for a single claim (Deckungssumme). Everything above it is yours, which is why liability policies carry limits in the millions. EUR 30,000,000Excess?Excess The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises. EUR 150Waiting period?Waiting period The gap between signing and the day cover starts. Anything that appears during it is never paid, not even later, so shorter is better. NoneEnglish documentsBestYesPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - English end to end - Instant certificate - Cancellable daily Cons - **EUR 150** excess - Listed breeds only case by case - Underwriter transition under way Best for Newcomers who have to register a dog at short notice #2 by annual premiumEUR 39/year#3 by cover limitEUR 30,000,000#3 by excessEUR 150#2 by notice periodNo notice periodWakam ### Lassie dog liability 4.1Best bundled. EUR 39 a year for EUR 30,000,000 of cover, cancellable monthly and combinable with Lassie pet health. [See Lassie dog liability](https://www.lassie.de/hundehaftpflicht)Cover limit?Cover limit The most the insurer pays for a single claim (Deckungssumme). Everything above it is yours, which is why liability policies carry limits in the millions. EUR 30,000,000Excess?Excess The part of every claim you pay yourself (Selbstbeteiligung). A EUR 150 excess means the first EUR 150 of any claim is yours; premiums fall as the excess rises. EUR 150Waiting period?Waiting period The gap between signing and the day cover starts. Anything that appears during it is never paid, not even later, so shorter is better. NoneNotice period?Notice period How far ahead of the renewal date you must cancel in writing (Kündigungsfrist). Miss the window and the contract runs another full term. Cancellable monthlyPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Cheapest English-language liability cover - Cancellable monthly - One app for both policies Cons - **EUR 150** excess - The risk carrier is a partner company - Listed breeds case by case Best for Owners who want liability and health cover from one provider ## How much does pet insurance cost in Germany? Dog liability is the cheaper of the two products. Published annual premiums in this catalogue: Haftpflichtkasse EUR 36.89, Lassie EUR 39, Getsafe EUR 47.88, AGILA EUR 48.96, Petolo EUR 66 at 50 million cover, and Uelzener from EUR 98.56 for 20 million up to EUR 119.83 for 50 million. Pet health cover costs several times as much. For dogs: Figo EUR 139.44, AGILA EUR 233.28, Lassie Midi EUR 257.04, Petolo EUR 418.80 and SantéVet EUR 460.56. For cats: Lassie Midi EUR 204.84, Petolo EUR 274.80 and SantéVet EUR 277.20. That spread is explained by the cover limit and the reimbursement rate, not by brand quality. Uelzener, HanseMerkur, Allianz and Helvetia publish no price for pet health cover: the premium comes only from a calculator or an agency, because it turns on breed, age and tariff tier. The same is true of Allianz and DEVK on dog liability. Sources: provider tariff pages, accessed 2026-08-20. ## Related Guides [### Insurance in Germany Overview of every line.](/insurance)[### Liability insurance Third-party damage.](/insurance/liability-insurance)[### Health insurance Statutory and private compared.](/insurance/health-insurance) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is dog liability insurance compulsory in Germany? Each Bundesland decides for itself, and there is no federal rule. It is mandatory for ALL dogs in Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia, mandatory only for listed or dangerous dogs in eight more, and voluntary only in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. ### Is pet health insurance compulsory? No. Pet health insurance and surgery-only cover are voluntary everywhere. They pay vet bills, not damage to other people, so they are never a substitute for dog liability cover. ### Does pet health insurance cover vaccinations? Pre-existing conditions are excluded on every policy in this catalogue, and routine care is only reachable through a prevention budget. Lassie includes a EUR 250 Gesundheitspauschale in its Maxi plan that pays for prevention, and neutering is covered only from that budget. ### How long is the waiting period? One month on every pet health policy in this catalogue. Dog liability cover has no waiting period at all: Getsafe issues the digital certificate immediately, which is what some registration offices want when you register the dog. --- Source: https://www.guide-germany.com/insurance/pet-insurance Last updated: n/a Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.