Dear Hans-Torsten: I keep hearing stories about bikes getting stolen in Berlin. I have a pretty cheap bike – I paid less than €200 for it. Is it worth getting bike insurance?
– Sally
Dear Sally:
You’re right, bike theft is booming in the German capital so insurance seems to make sense no matter what. Bike shops often offer you special bicycle theft insurance when you purchase a bike. However, I recommend getting a home insurance policy (Hausratsversicherung, something you might already have anyway!) which includes bike theft outside of the home. If you don’t have it, go to a comparison site like www.check24.de/hausratversicherung to calculate your yearly premium. Check “ja” when it asks “Fahrräder mitversichern?” You’ll be presented with various offers between roughly €70-400 a year, depending on the size of your flat and other variables. Make sure the bike coverage includes nighttime thefts (between 10pm and 6am). In the small print, you’ll probably find requirements – you might have to prove that your bike lock costs at least €20, for example.
If you don’t have or need home insurance (if you’re subletting, for example) or if your bike is worth well over €1000, a separate bike insurance policy could make sense. At www.fahrradversicherung24.de, Enra will offer you various comprehensive packages for a few euros a month. These often also cover the theft of individual parts from your bike (a growing phenomenon, it seems) – most home insurance policies do not. Whatever insurance you get, remember to save all receipts (bike, bike parts, locks…) in case you have the misfortune to have to make a claim.
Dear Hans-Torsten:
I came across your website, and am thankful for the work you do. Understanding German taxes is not easy! I am an Indian national living in Germany since August 2014. I got my visa based on an employment contract with a local Berlin start-up. However, because I only work 30 hours per week, my visa also allows me to be self-employed. So I have two tax numbers: one for the job, and one for my own business. If I leave my job and only do my own business, I will have to pay my own health insurance. (I work as an English-language trainer for professionals.) Can I buy an insurance policy from India (which will be much cheaper) or do I have to get insured here?
– Reema
Dear Reema:
The answer is officially “maybe”. Officially, the authorities would love you to get into “German” insurance, meaning gesetzliche Krankenkasse. Monthly payments are around €280-290/month for the self-employed (unless you get into the KSK – see below). But the Ausländerbehörde continues to accept much cheaper expat or “long-term travel” insurance policies for freelancers, as long as they cover all the basics. I have no idea what Indian companies offer, but German travel insurance company HanseMerkur can insure “foreign guests” for up to five years. The policy is pretty bare-bones (no dental, no check-ups, just medical emergencies are covered) but costs just €50-70 per month. You can get a quote at www.hmrv.de. For your visa, it’s important that the Ausländerbehörde approves your health insurance, and that’s more likely with a provider based in Germany.
Dear Hans-Torsten:
How can a middle-aged freelancer with pre-existing conditions get health insurance?
– Mark
Dear Mark:
Sorry, unlike Reema, you’re gonna have to cough up and get ‘real’ German insurance, which means a gesetzliche Krankenkasse or statutory insurance like AOK, TKK or Barmer. Given your pre-existing condition and your age, I would not recommend cheap “travel “insurance nor private German insurance. You’ll have to pay around €280 per month. Ouch. That said, once you’re in a Krankenkasse, apply for the Künstlersozialkasse (KSK) – assuming you’re a ‘creative’ type of freelancer. It’s a real pain, but there are special agencies that can assist you in the process for a small fee. If you can make it into the ‘artist’s’ insurance programme, your premiums will drop by at least half (depending on your income) and you’ll be contributing to a German pension scheme as well.
For more on the labyrinth of German health insurance, check out the article “How to get health insurance in Germany” at www.the-berliner.com.
Originally published in issue #139, July 2015.
