Waiting Period (Wartezeit)

Concept

The waiting period is the period immediately following the start of the insurance contract during which no cover yet exists for certain or all contractually agreed benefits, even though premiums are already payable. It is applied primarily in health and life insurance and serves as a protective mechanism for the insurer against applications made only after an insured event has already occurred or is imminent.

General and Special Waiting Periods

In addition to a general waiting period that applies to all benefits under the contract, many health and supplementary insurance policies provide for special, usually longer, waiting periods for certain cost-intensive benefit areas, such as dental prosthetics, psychotherapy, or childbirth, in order to prevent applications made specifically shortly before a foreseeable, plannable need arises.

Reduction and Waiver of the Waiting Period

In certain cases, the waiting period can be reduced or waived entirely, for example when switching from another health insurer with seamless proof of prior coverage, or for accidents, for which a waiting period generally does not apply, since a sudden, unforeseeable event can hardly be used deliberately to circumvent the waiting period; following a medical examination, the insurer may also waive the waiting period wholly or partly in an individual case.