Legal insurance (Rechtsschutzversicherung) covers the cost of hiring a lawyer and going to court. It helps you get legal advice and solve legal problems. It costs €15 to €35 per month.21
This guide explains how legal insurance works, what it covers, when it’s worth it, and how to choose the best legal insurance.
What does legal insurance cover?
Legal insurance covers your legal costs. If you hire a lawyer or you go to court, your insurance pays for it. Legal insurance covers…
- Getting legal advice
You can call a lawyer, ask them questions, and get a legal consultation. A lawyer costs around €200 per hour, but legal insurance pays for it.3 Some insurances have a free legal hotline.40 - Sending legal letters
A lawyer can write an Abmahnung to your landlord or your employer. A letter from a lawyer solves many problems. - Suing someone
If you go to court, it pays for your lawyer and for all court fees, even if you lose.1 - Your spouse and children
It usually covers your children under 18 years old, or under 25 years old if they are studying.4 It can cover your spouse too.
Legal insurance helps with…
- Employer problems
If you lose your job, you can hire a lawyer to negotiate better severance pay or resist your termination. Without insurance, it would cost a few thousand euros.15 - Landlord problems
It covers checking your lease, reducing your rent, resisting an eviction notice, and getting your deposit back. - Contract problems
For example, if your laptop stopped working and the company won’t fix it, or if a gym won’t cancel your membership. - Police problems
It helps you resist a fine or a wrong accusation. Intentional crimes like piracy, fraud or murder are not covered. If you get a fine, your legal insurance won’t pay it. - Government problems
For example, if you have problems with the Finanzamt or the Bürgeramt. It rarely covers immigration office problems.36 - Insurance problems
If a car hits, and the person’s insurance won’t pay, or if your disability insurance won’t pay.5 This is very common: 25% of disability insurance claims are refused.6 - Suing someone for damages
If someone punched you and broke your nose, or scratched your car with their bike, and you want to sue them.7
Limitations
Legal insurance does not cover…
- Existing problems
If the problem started before you got the insurance, it’s not covered.2 For example, you can’t sign a lease, get insured, and hire a lawyer to lower your rent.10 - Immigration problems
It rarely covers immigration lawyers and immigration office problems.9 - Divorce, inheritance problems
It sometimes covers the first consultation with a lawyer, but it rarely covers anything else.11 If your insurance covers divorces, there is usually a 3-year waiting period. - When someone sues you for damages
Lawsuits related to a contract are usually covered, but damage claims are rarely covered.8 Liability insurance covers this. Get liability insurance first. - Intentional crimes
It rarely covers crimes like pirating movies, theft, fraud and tax evasion.12 - Fines
It does not pay your public transit fines or your speeding tickets.14 It covers hiring a lawyer to contest a fine. - Self-employment
Your personal legal insurance does not cover your business activities. You need professional legal insurance. It’s required for some professions. - Cases that you can’t win
If you have no chance of winning, your insurance won’t pay for your lawyer and court costs. They will tell you that before you start.
Sometimes, you get a little coverage for these problems. For example, it might cover the cost of a first consultation, but nothing more. The cover for marriage and inheritance might be just a few hundred euros.
Waiting period
Most legal insurances have a 3 to 6 month waiting period (Wartefrist).18 Problems that happen during the Wartefrist are not covered.
The waiting period can be shorter for certain problems (traffic accidents, taxes), and longer for other problems (work, housing, divorce).31
Deductible
Most legal insurances have a deductible of €150 to €500 per case.23 There are insurances with no deductibles, but they are much more expensive.19
Some insurances have no deductible for initial phone consultations.17 Others have a higher deductible in the first year, and a lower deductible after that.29 If you win in court, the other side might have to pay your legal costs, including your deductible.25
Fair use
If you use your legal insurance too much, they can end your contract.16 For example, if you make 2 expensive claims in 1 year, they might cover those claims, then stop insuring you. They will not abandon you in the middle of a claim.
Cost of legal insurance
Legal insurance costs €15 to €35 per month.21 The cost depends on…
- The coverage you choose
You can choose what your insurance covers. - Your deductible
If you choose a higher deductible, the insurance is cheaper. - Monthly or yearly payments
It’s cheaper if you pay yearly. - Your age, location, occupation and marital status
Do you really need it?
Legal insurance is not essential, but good to have.22 It gives you peace of mind, and solves problems before they happen. If you use it or twice per year, it’s already worth it.
It’s useful for immigrants, because employers and landlords often take advantage of them. It’s hard to defend yourself when you don’t speak German and you don’t understand the system.37
Defending yourself is expensive. Lawyers cost around €200 per hour. Simple cases cost hundreds of euros, and court cases cost thousands of euros. If you lose, you must sometimes pay the other side’s legal fees too.
If you have a problem with your landlord or your employer, you must decide between fighting and giving up. You might let them win just because you can’t afford to fight. With legal insurance, you don’t care. You can always defend yourself, because your insurance pays for it. You just call your lawyer and they take care of it. When people know that, they don’t mess with you.
You can also call a lawyer just to ask a few questions.24 Some legal insurances cover checking contracts before you sign them.39
There are cheaper alternatives to legal insurance. If you don’t get legal insurance, I recommend joining a Mieterverein.
How to choose legal insurance
Choose your own coverage
You can choose what your legal insurance covers. It can cover…
- Apartment problems (Mietrechtsschutz)
For example, if your landlord tries to raise your rent, tries to kick you out, or refuses to return your deposit. If you only need coverage for landlord problems, join a Mieterverein instead. - Work problems (Arbeitsrechtsschutz or Berufsrechtsschutz)
For example, to negotiate more severance pay or resist unlawful termination. - Legal hotline (telefonische Rechtsberatung)
Most legal insurances give you free access to a legal hotline. If you have a question for a lawyer, call this hotline and they will help you. - Checking contracts
You can hire a lawyer to check your lease or work contract before you sign it.42 Plans that cover this are much more expensive. - Traffic problems (Verkehrsrechtsschutz)
For example to sue someone after a traffic accident, or to force their insurance to pay.27 If you caused the accident, your car insurance (for your car) or your liability insurance (for your bicycle) covers you.28 - Tenant problems (Wohnrechtsschutz)
If you rent your apartment to someone else, this can be useful. If you only need legal insurance for tenant problems, join a landlord association (Vermieterverein).26 It’s cheaper.
Recommended coverage
- €150 deductible (Selbstbeteiligung)
If your deductible is higher, your insurance is cheaper. €150 is a reasonable deductible.32 There are legal insurances without a deductible, but they are expensive.19 - €500,000 coverage limit
Your legal insurance should cover you for at least €300,000, but €500,000 is better.8 - 6 month waiting period
Some policies have no waiting period, but they are too expensive.30 Existing problems are never covered.2
Do not get your legal insurance from the same company as your other insurances.33 If you have a problem with your other insurances, you will sue the same company that sold you legal insurance. They might refuse to help you.
Best legal insurance
My independent insurance expert recommends ARAG’s legal insurance.43
If you don’t speak German, Feather has legal insurance with their own English-speaking support. Getsafe sells the same insurance, but I do not recommend them.38
Use Tarifcheck to compare legal insurances.
Other options
- Tenant association (Mieterverein)
Cheaper than legal insurance.13 They also answer small questions, draft letters to your landlord, and check your utility bills. - Legal aid (Beratungshilfe)
If you have a low income, you can apply for legal help at your local Amtsgericht.34 You get a certificate (Beratungshilfeschein) that pays for your legal costs. If you get Bürgergeld or Sozialhilfe, or if you are an asylum seeker, you are eligible.35 You usually need to speak German. - Legal hotline
For quick business or immigration questions, use Alexander von Engelhardt’s legal hotline: 09008 529 366 11. It costs €3 per minute. - Legal services
Conny can help you lower your rent. Mineko can check your utility bill.
How to use your legal insurance
- Contact your insurer
Ask your insurance company for a cover note (Deckungszusage). This confirms that the insurance will cover your legal costs. You can request it yourself, or your lawyer can do it for you. The insurance company has 2 weeks to give it to you. Your insurance might refuse to cover you if they think you can’t win, but that rarely happens.41 This is why you should ask for a Deckungszusage before you see a lawyer. - Choose a lawyer
You can always choose the lawyer.3 Your insurance can also recommend a lawyer. Sometimes, if you choose the recommended lawyer, you pay a lower deductible.20 - Get a first consultation
Talk to a lawyer. During the first consultation (Erstberatung), your lawyer will listen to you, and tell you what you can do next. Usually, there is no deductible for the first consultation.17 - Solve the problem
Now, you know your options, and you know that your insurance covers the cost. You can do what you need to do, and solve your legal problem.
Sources and footnotes
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toytowngermany.com, check24.de, Andreas Martin (August 2025) ⤴
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verbraucherzentrale.de (March 2026), clark.de ⤴
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ra-kanzlei-hamm.de, toytowngermany.com, storage.googleapis.com ⤴
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Seamus Wolf (March 2026) ⤴
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clark.de, verbraucherzentrale.de, rechtsschutzversicherung.com ⤴
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Finanztip, abmahnungs-abwehr.de, abmahnung-internet.de, check24.de ⤴
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Jean-Baptiste Abel (February 2026), reader feedback (January 2026) ⤴
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augsburger-allgemeine.de, verbraucherzentrale.de, clark.de ⤴
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check24.de, Feather (March 2026) ⤴
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Feather (March 2026), Seamus Wolf (March 2026), Check24 (March 2026), Finanztip (March 2026) ⤴
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fnp.de, reddit.com/r/AskAGerman, Seamus Wolf (March 2026) ⤴
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Clark (March 2026), Andreas Martin (August 2025) ⤴
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Fiona Macdonald, immigration lawyer (February 2023) ⤴
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Rotwang Law (July 2023), Andreas Martin (June 2025), Jean-Baptiste Abel (February 2026) ⤴
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Repeated reader complaints, backed by insurance experts (March 2026) ⤴
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Andreas Martin (August 2025) ⤴
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Seamus Wolf (March 2026), Finanztip (2026) ⤴