Head office:Siegfried-Wedells-Platz 1 • D-20354 Hamburg
Insurance terms and conditions for travel insurance
VB-RS 2021 (SFE17-D)
We are HanseMerkur Reiseversicherung AG and our headquarters are located in Hamburg. You are our contract partner, referred to as thepolicyholder, if you have taken out an insurance policy with us.
If you have insured yourself, you are also the insured person. You may also have (jointly) insured other persons. We also refer to any such
persons in these insurance terms and conditions as “you”.
For ease of readability, we use the masculine form as standard. This is always intended to include the feminine form.

Section I – Overview of benefits
The full description of the insured benefits and events is provided in the relevant clauses of Section III Description of benefits.
NFV Insured benefits for emergency insurance

PlanEconomy

1.1 Illness/accident and death
1.1.1
Declaration to cover the costs of medical treatment (loan) in hospital
1.1.2
Ambulance service
1.1.3
Return of luggage
1.1.4
Return travel costs to home country
1.2 Cancellation of trip or delayed return journey (loan for additional costs)
1.2.1
Illness, accident or death
1.2.2
Abduction
1.3 Emergency message
1.4 In the event of criminal prosecution
1.4.1
Assistance if detained or when at risk of being detained (loan)
1.4.2
Loan for bail1.5 Loss of money and documents
1.5.1
Loss of travel money (loan)
1.5.2
Assistance when credit and debit or Maestro cards are lost
1.5.3
Loss of travel documents
1.6 Assistance with booking changes/delays

Plan
Economy Plus

PlanFirst Class

Not insuredNot insured
Not insured
Not insured

15,0002,500100%
EUR 1,500

EUR 15,000
EUR 2,500100%
EUR 2,500

Not insured
Not insured
Not insured100%
EUR 15,000
100%100%
EUR 15,000
100%

Not insured
Not insured

EUR 2,500
EUR 15,000

EUR 2,500
EUR 15,000

Not insured
Not insured
Not insured
Not insured

EUR 2,500
100%100%100%

EUR 2,500
100%100%100%

Section II – General provisions
1. Policyholder, insurable persons and eligibility
1.1

VB-RS 2021 (SFE17-D) 2021.01.27

1.21.31.3.1

The policyholder is the natural or legal person who has takenout the policy with us. The insured persons are those referred
to by name in the insurance certificate for whom the premium
was paid.
The following persons are insurable if, at the time of
application, they are below the age of 75 and are foreign
nationals with permanent residence abroad and temporarily
visiting the Federal Republic of Germany or one of thecountries listed in Clause 3.1:
au pairs, pupils, language pupils, students, scholarship
holders, postgraduate students, guest scientists, trainees,
volunteer helpers, exchange students and participants in
Work & Holiday programmes, persons who are demonstrably
visiting to pursue further education, or tourists.
The following are not eligible and will not be insured, even if
payment of contributions is made:Persons permanently in need of care as well as persons
whose participation in everyday life is permanently excluded.
The mental condition and objective living conditions inparticular of said persons shall be taken into account asregards classification. Persons in need of care are those
persons who largely require external assistance to completeeveryday tasks;

1.3.2

Persons practising a professional sport.

1.4

The insurance contract cannot be signed for persons who do
not fulfil the requirements of Clauses 1.1 and 1.2, even if thepremium is paid. If, however, the premium is paid for thesepersons, a refund is available to the person paying thepremium.

2. Taking out insurance, commencement, duration andtermination of the policy and insurance cover
2.1 Taking out insurance and commencement of the policy
2.1.1
2.1.2

2.1.3

The application for an insurance contract may be made at
any time. It must be concluded for the total remaining periodof the stay.
The insurance contract is concluded when the correctlycompleted application form, which we have provided for thispurpose, has been received by us and we have sent you an
insurance confirmation. The application is only consideredcorrectly completed when it contains all the requested
information in an unambiguous and complete form.
If clauses 2.1.1 or 2.1.2 are not fulfilled, the insurance
contract is not valid even if the premium is paid. In this case,the person paying the premium is entitled to a refund.

2.2 Commencement of insurance cover
The insurance cover begins on the date indicated on the insurance
certificate (commencement of insurance), after the waiting periods
have elapsed. The prerequisite for this is that the policy is valid. No
benefits are provided for insurance cases that arose before the startof insurance cover or before the waiting period elapsed.
2.3 Duration
The insurance applies for the agreed duration. The longest possible
insurance term is 5 years. The maximum insurance period also
applies taking into account similar insurance contracts that were notpreviously held with us.
2.4 Termination
The statutory provisions concerning the right to termination for cause
remain unaffected by these agreements. The insurance cover ends
upon termination of the insurance contract. The insurance contract
also ends for insured events not yet concluded or pending
2.4.1 at the agreed time;2.4.2
2.4.3
2.4.4

with the death of the policyholder; the insured persons may
extend the insurance policy within 2 months of thepolicyholder’s death by nominating a future policyholder;if the eligibility criteria are no longer met;in the event of repatriation to the nearest suitable hospital inyour home country.

5. What requirements must be met when the benefit payment ismade?
5.1 Due date of the payment
Once the proof of insurance and premium payment are available andwe have confirmed the amount of benefit and our liability to pay it, wewill pay within 2 weeks at the latest.
If the liability to pay is confirmed, but the amount of benefit has notbeen established within one month of receipt of the claim form by us,a reasonable down-payment on the benefit can be demanded.
If official enquiries or a criminal prosecution have been initiatedagainst you in connection with the insured event, we can postpone
the settlement of the claim until the legal conclusion of this process.

3. Scope of the insurance cover
The insurance cover applies during the temporary stay in Germany
and for temporary trips in the countries of the European Union, GreatBritain and Northern Ireland, the Schengen countries, Andorra,Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City, but not in your homecountry. Home country as per this condition is considered yourpermanent residence before your temporary stay abroad.

5.2 Costs incurred in foreign currencies

The premium for an insured person is shown by the premium
overview.

We convert the costs using the euro exchange rate valid on the day
the records are received. The official exchange rate applies unlessthe currency to pay the bills was acquired at a less favourable rate.
We are entitled to deduct additional costs that arise if we need tomake transfers abroad or if particular forms of payment are requestedby you.

4.2 Payment of the first or one-off premium

5.3 Benefits from other insurance policies

4.2.1

If, in the case of an insured event, a benefit can be claimed fromanother insurance policy, that other policy shall take precedence. If
the insured event is reported to us first, we shall make an advancepayment and will contact the other insurer directly regarding cost
sharing.

4. What requirements must be met when paying the premiums?
4.1 Premium amount

4.2.2

4.2.3

The first or one-time premium is due at the start of thecontract.
If you fail to pay the first or one-off premium on time, youhave no initial insurance cover, unless the non-payment ordelayed payment is for reasons outside of your control. If thereason for the failure to make payment on time is within yourcontrol, however, insurance cover starts only after payment.
We shall also be entitled to withdraw from the contract for as
long as the premium remains unpaid. This does not apply if
the reason for non-payment is beyond your control.

6. Which law applies and what is the limitation period for
claims?
To whom do the provisions apply?
The German Insurance Contract Act (VVG) and in principle the lawsof the Federal Republic of Germany apply in addition to theseprovisions, unless international law states otherwise. Any claims
arising from this insurance contract expire in 3 years. Expiry bylimitation is measured from the end of the year in which the claim canbe made. If a claim has been made by you, the expiry period issuspended until our decision is sent to you in writing.
All provisions of the insurance policy also apply mutatis mutandis tothe insured persons.

4.3 Payment of subsequent premiums
4.3.1
4.3.2

4.3.3

If the subsequent premium is not paid on time, we will send
you a reminder and will set a time limit of 2 weeks.
If you have still not made the payment when this deadline
expires, we are entitled to terminate the contract, if we havedrawn your attention to this when the reminder was sent.
If we have terminated the policy and you pay the amountdemanded within one month of receiving the termination, thepolicy shall continue. However, no insurance cover isprovided for insurance events that have occurred between
the deadline and the payment.

7. Offsetting
Counter-claims may be offset against our claims only if the counterclaim is uncontested or legally established.

4.4 Collection of premiums

8. What should be considered when contacting us?

If you have agreed to the premium being collected from your accountby direct debit, this will take place as soon as the mandate has been
set up. The payment is considered to have been made in a timely
manner if we can collect the premium on the due date, and you do
not dispute collection of the correct payment.
If we cannot collect the premium due for a reason beyond yourcontrol, the payment shall still be considered to be on time if payment
is made immediately upon receipt of the written reminder from us.

All notifications and statements intended for us should be made inwriting and directed to the address stated in the insurance certificate.
The language of the policy is German.

Section III – Description of benefits(depending on the scope of insurance selected)
person and upon proven portability, the necessary ambulancetransportation with medically adequate means of transport
from the current location of the insured person to the place ofresidence of the insured person or in the nearest suitable
hospital to this residence. We will assume the additional costs
incurred in relation to the originally planned return trip up to an
amount stated in Section I
1.1.3 We shall arrange and pay for the collection of the travel
luggage if all the insured adults have returned home or havedied.
1.1.4 Return travel costs to home country
We will reimburse the costs in accordance with Section I oncein each insurance year for temporary return of the insured
person to the home country using a simple means of travel,
e.g. 2nd class train travel or the cheapest tourist class air
ticket, in the event of serious illness, life-threatening
consequences of an accident or death of a relative, if theserious illness or the accident to the relative only arose after
the arrival of the insured person in the host country and has
been confirmed by a doctor, and the original ticket cannot be
used or rebooked.
An insurance year is considered to be a period of twelve
months calculated from the start of insurance. Relatives of an
insured person include the spouse or partner in a marriage-

NFV – Emergency insurance
1. What benefits are covered under your emergency
insurance?
If an insured event occurs (see clause 2), the following benefits arepaid up to the level of the sum specified in Section I.
1.1 Benefits in the event of illness/accident or death1.1.1 Declaration to cover the costs of medical treatment
Provided no payment obligation exists under private insurance
or statutory health insurance, we provide the hospital with adeclaration to cover the costs of medical treatment via ouremergency assistance service. The declaration to cover costs
is provided in the form of a loan granted to the insured person
up to the agreed amount. Before this can happen, a copy of
the insured person’s personal ID card or passport must bepresented to our emergency assistance service. The amounts
advanced by us shall be repayable by the policyholder orinsured person within one month of the invoice date.
1.1.2 Ambulance service
If an insured event occurs within the Federal Republic of
Germany and as a result, inpatient treatment is needed for atleast five days, we will organise, at the request of the insured
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like relationship, children, parents, adoptive parents, stepparents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, parents-in-law,children-in-law and siblings-in-law.
We will reimburse the return trip of the insured person to thehost country in the event of an emergency trip home using asimple means of travel, e.g. 2nd class train travel or thecheapest tourist class air ticket, if there are still more than 30days in the host country until the originally planned return or if
the insured person needs to return to the host country in orderto take an examination necessary for further education. The
costs for the final return home will be assumed by us if thereturn ticket was used or rebooked for the emergency triphome.

2. What is considered an insured event?
An event is covered by the insurance policy if you are faced with an
emergency which is insured under clause 1 during your trip. Our
global emergency assistance service will help you in cases ofemergency referred to in clause 1 faced by the insured person during
the trip.
3. What requirements must be met if an insured event occurs(obligations)?
3.1 Contacting our global emergency service
In order to be fully covered under our emergency insurance, theinsured person or a representative of the insured person must notify
the global emergency assistance service by telephone or othermeans upon occurrence of the insured event. Contact must be madeimmediately. You will find the telephone number under “Importantnotes in the case of a claim” in your contract documents or on our
webpage www.hansemerkur.de under “Travel emergency assistanceservice”.

1.2 Benefits where the trip is terminated or the return journey isdelayed
We organise the return trip and grant a loan for additional costs
incurred that exceed the cost of the originally planned return trip if thebooked trip cannot be completed as planned by the insured person
for the reasons specified below. Before a loan can be granted, a copyof the insured person's personal ID card or passport must bepresented to our emergency assistance service. The loan must be
repaid within one month after the end of the trip in one lump sum.
1.2.1 Curtailment/return home due to illness, accident or deathIn accordance with clause 1.2, we provide insurance cover for
unexpected serious illness, serious accident or the death of
the insured person or the travel companion of the insuredperson.
1.2.2 Curtailment/return home due to abduction/kidnapping
In the event of abduction/kidnapping of the insured person or
the travel companion of the insured person, we grant a loan
per insured person up to the amount specified in Section I for
benefits set out in clause 1.2.

3.2 Obligation to minimise damage
You should make every effort to keep the claim as low as possibleand avoid anything that could lead to an unnecessary increase incosts. Please contact us if you are unsure or have any questions.
3.3 Obligation to provide information on the damage event
All information about the claim that you or the insured person
provides must be truthful and complete. The same applies to any
requests we make for receipts and information pertaining to the case.
3.4 Obligation to secure claims for compensation against thirdparties
If you or the insured person has a basis to claim compensation froma third party, this right is assigned to us, insofar as we pay the costsof the damage. The assigned claim cannot be used to yourdisadvantage. You must protect your claim for compensation or yourright to secure this claim, taking into account the applicable formal
requirements and deadlines, and assist in pursuing the claim if
necessary. If your claim for compensation is against a person, withwhom you were living at the time of the event, the assigned claim
cannot be pursued unless this person caused the damage
deliberately.

1.3 Emergency message
If the insured person cannot be reached during the trip, we shallendeavour to alert the insured person using an emergency message(e.g. via the broadcast media) and cover its cost.
1.4 Criminal prosecution
We shall grant a loan up to the amount specified in Section I for thecosts listed below. You or the insured person must repay the loan to
us immediately upon reimbursement by the authority or the court, but
at the latest within three months of disbursement.
1.4.1 Assistance if arrested or when at risk of being arrested
If the insured person is arrested or threatened with arrest, wecan assist in finding a lawyer and/or interpreter. If this occurs,
we provide a loan for court, legal and interpreting costs, up to
the agreed amount.
1.4.2 Loan for bailWe provide a loan for any bail demanded by the authorities up
to the agreed amount.
1.5 Loss of money and documents
1.5.1 Loss of travel money
If the insured person experiences a financial emergency due
to the loss of their means of payment through theft, robbery orother loss, we contact their bank via our emergency
assistance service. If necessary, we help in transferring anamount made available by the bank to the insured person. If it
is not possible to contact the bank within 24 hours, we provide
the insured person with a loan up to the amount specified inSection I via our emergency assistance service, subject topresentation of a copy of a personal ID card or passport. The
loan must be repaid within one month after the end of the trip
in one lump sum.
1.5.2 Loss of credit and EC/Maestro debit cards
In the event of loss of credit or debit cards, we assist theinsured person in blocking the cards. However, we shall not
be held liable for the successful blocking of the card and any
financial losses that result despite blocking the card.
1.5.3 Loss of travel documents
In the event of loss of travel documents, we shall assist you in
obtaining replacement documents.

3.2 Consequences of non-compliance with obligations
If you deliberately fail to comply with the above-mentioned
obligations, we shall be released from our obligation to provide
benefits. In the event that you fail to meet your obligations as a resultof gross negligence, we are entitled to reduce the benefit inproportion to the extent of culpability. If you demonstrate that you did
not fail to meet an obligation as a result of gross negligence, theinsurance cover remains unchanged.

1.6 Booking changes/delays
If the insured person gets into difficulty due to a missed bookedtransport service or because the booked transport is delayed orcancelled, we will help the insured person to change the booking.
The costs of changing the booking and increased travel costs shallbe borne by the insured person. We can notify third parties of theinsured person's itinerary changes upon request.

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