We've got the answers to your insurance questions

The EXPERTS offer a self-service that can be reached at any time. It is available around the clock and thus also suits your working hours when working in shifts. In addition, we also guarantee accessibility by email (welcome@funk-experts.de) and by telephone. We can be reached by phone on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the following number: +49 40 35914-0. We will respond to incoming emails as soon as possible.

Funk is the largest owner-managed insurance broker and risk consultant in Germany and is one of the leading brokerage houses in Europe. Founded in Berlin in 1879, the company now employs 1,560 people at 36 international locations. Funk has a presence worldwide thanks to "The Funk Alliance" network. As a system house for risk solutions, Funk supports companies in all sectors in matters of insurance and risk management as well as provision. Funk develops individual concepts for them and optimizes the coverage of all operational risks – systematically guided by the requirements. As a member of the BDVM Association of German Insurance Brokers, Funk meets the strictest quality criteria. With the advice it provides, Funk offers companies, their foundation for safety when dealing with risk. The goal: holistic opportunity and risk management for the success of customers

Due to our primarily digital focus and in the interests of sustainability, we refrain from printing flyers and similar materials wherever possible. All important information and highlights can be found on our website. We also make the complete terms and conditions available for you to download transparently at any time, as we are absolutely convinced of the quality of our terms and conditions. With the PDF search function, you can find the keywords relevant to you very quickly and don't have to leaf through mountains of paper.

Of course. We meet in a virtual room and are happy to set up a secure video call for you. You decide whether you switch your camera on or off, and our employees can do the same. This means we can talk to you, but also share the screen and go through forms and documents with you, just as if we were actually there with you. Face-to-face meetings - efficient and resource-saving.

Yes, if you have a business which participates in large or small events of Messe Berlin with a stand. Trade fair and exhibition insurance covers all potential risks associated with your participation.

The trade fair and exhibition insurance includes the following insurance:

• exhibition security for stand, goods, technology and personal property
• transport
• accident risk
• liability

No. Messe Berlin GmbH's insurance will not cover your risks as a participant in a trade fair. And these are manifold: they range from losing your goods and accidents to potential claims for damages. Trade fair and exhibition insurance is thus essential to allow you to protect your exhibition or trade fair goods and your employees.

Your insurance cover in repsect of the exhibition an transport insurance will begin as soon as the exhibition or trade fair goods are removed from the place where they were previously being stored and arrive at the dispatch location to be transported to the exhibition site. The insurance cover will end as soon as the exhibition or trade fair goods have arrived at the location determined by the policyholder or the insured person once the exhibition is over. In the event of unplanned storage, the insurance will be limited to 30 days for each instance of storage.

No, no VAT will be charged.

Insurance contracts that are concluded in Germany are subject to insurance tax, which is currently stipulated 19% under the law, and which is not tax-deductible.

Messe Berlin's Trade Fair and Exhibition Insurance consists of four components (insurance for exhibition goods, transport insurance, liability insurance and accident insurance), which can be put together individually. 

The set-up and dismantling time is also insured in all insurance products. 

Yes, changes can be made. To do so, please contact us directly by phone or by email at messe.berlin@funk-experts.de. We will then be happy to make the desired change. Changes made when the trade fair is currently ongoing will be agreed for the following day. 

In the portal, you can enter the expected date of your transport to the premises. Your insurance cover will pertain from the actual date of travel and will end upon your return transport back to your home country.

Yes, the premium must be paid beforehand.

Yes, a burglary or damage as a result of theft must be reported to the police, and the police file number must be given to the insurer.

Please report any damage by email to: messe.berlin@funk-experts.de 

The sum insured for the exhibition and transport insurance must correspond to the replacement value of the goods. The replacement value is the amount that "must be raised for replacements in order to obtain a new item of the same type, quality and function", that is, the replacement value on the day of the damage.

For your benefit, the insurer will refrain from reporting the insured persons by name. Changes to the stand staff do not have to be reported. Only if the number of insured persons changes does the insurer have to be informed.

Messe Berlin's Trade Fair and Exhibition Insurance consists of four components (insurance for exhibition goods, transport insurance, liability insurance and accident insurance), which can be put together individually. 

There are countries in which insurance in general has to be taken out in that country itself. These include, for example, Switzerland, Brazil and many South American countries. Please enquire in your country whether you can take out insurance in Germany. 

Anyone who causes damage to a third person is already liable without limitation and with their entire assets in accordance with Section 823 of the German Civil Code (BGB). Since this can happen not only in the private environment but also when working with patients, professional liability insurance is important in medical studies. This is because it takes over justified claims for damage from the injured third party. The coverage amount should be high and continuously adapt to the level of case law.

We therefore offer a flat-rate coverage of 10 million euros for personal injury, property damage and co-insured financial losses. This is maximised three times (i.e., three times a year). This is far more than the legislator requires for practices or medical service centres. We recommend dealing with the topic of professional liability insurance in medical studies at an early stage and will be happy to support you with our expertise.

As double insurance is not possible with professional liability insurance, the existing (older) professional liability insurance contract must (!) first be cancelled in compliance with the notice period. The period (often three months) and the corresponding expiry (often the end of the calendar year) are stated in the insurance policy. Funk Experts are happy to help with any questions you may have. 

Via text form (i.e., by email) is usually sufficient. Notice of cancellation should be given in due time for expiry (e.g., on the next annual due date). If you can find this information in the policy, you can include it in your cancellation letter. However, it is also sufficient if you cancel at the earliest possible date and ask for confirmation in text form. You will then receive a document from the insurer stating the specific date on which the cancellation is accepted by the insurer. Ideally, you should not postpone the cancellation until the last legal second – this will give you time to wait for the response and react. If you send the cancellation by email to the insurer's headquarters (head office), you will often receive an automatic confirmation of receipt. Then you will already have something in your hand and can follow up by telephone after a few days. Of course, you can also send the cancellation to your advisor (agent) in the field. There are different legal consequences depending on whether your agent is employed, self-employed, works as a broker or is an exclusive agent. This can get very complicated!

Another tip: Most insurers are members of the German Insurance Association (GDV). You can find the addresses and email addresses of the members here: https://www.gdv.de/gdv/der-gdv/unsere-mitglieder

In the case of policies with a claim (even if no payment has been made or has not yet been made!), you should always request claims information from your insurer before cancelling the policy. Funk Experts will then check the appropriate solution for you individually on the basis of the damage information and provide further assistance.

The protection exists for both parties involved in the claim. On the one hand, you are protected against economic damage from legitimate claims by third parties or from the costs of defence vis-à-vis unjustified claims. On the other hand, the injured person is also protected, and should also be given a reasonable sum in the case of justified claims. Both are assumed by the insurer in accordance with the conditions, if professional liability for medical students has been concluded.

As a rule, unmarried students without their own children are covered by their parents' personal liability insurance until they have completed their first degree. However, this depends on the tariff and the terms and conditions and does not apply, for example, to "single tariffs".

Educational organisations (e.g., universities) also generally provide insurance cover for the training activities of students. But it is difficult to say in advance whether this covers everything in the event of a claim, whether there are deductibles, to what extent recourse is possible in the event of gross negligence and whether the sums insured are sufficiently high. The same applies to parental personal liability insurance. Here, too, it would be necessary to check whether the contract contains all the important points. There is also the question of whether, as an adult, you always want to involve your parents in the event of a claim or personal contract changes.

Although you should, therefore, have basic protection in place with few exceptions, we recommend that you take matters into your own hands. We offer insurance cover for students from an annual premium of €9.52. For minimal costs, Funk EXPERTS offers a high level of professional protection with comprehensive support in the event of damage.

Our cancellation periods are fair and flexible. We look forward to you staying with us for many years to come. If you want to leave, however, we are also fair. Therefore, we offer the option of cancelling at short notice with one month's notice to the next due date. Monthly payments give you the flexibility you need.

Risk carrier is another word for insurer. The choice of risk carrier is very important not only because of the costs and conditions. As claims are sometimes only reported much later (referred to as "late claims"), the risk carrier should be chosen with care. Here, not only its regulatory competence (expertise in accompanying and settling claims), but also its solvency (economic reliability) must be closely scrutinised. We have opted for one of the leading healthcare insurers in Germany: Bayerische Versicherungsverband VersicherungsAG (BVV) has been successfully insuring risks of all sizes for decades, from medical students to hospital groups. 

BVV has been around for over 200 years. Founded in 1811, it has a long tradition of protecting the things that are important to all of us. With a large network of experts and as a partner of the Sparkassen Finanzgruppe, VKB offers you maximum protection and financial security with Bayerischer Versicherungsverband Versicherungsaktiengesellschaft.

Occupational disability insurance provides you with reliable financial security if you are no longer able to pursue your profession. This can happen due to an accident or illness, it can be permanent or only for a certain period of time. Typical causes in doctors can include mental illness, followed by diseases of the skeleton or the musculoskeletal system. Cancer, heart and/or vascular diseases and other illnesses can also lead to temporary or permanent occupational disability.

Occupational disability insurance is a reliable form of income protection if you are no longer able to earn an income from your professional activity due to the above-mentioned or other reasons.

Regardless of how the claim occurs, the process is always the same. Occupational disability can be caused by an accident or by illness. The agreed pension is paid out as soon as the insured person qualifies for at least 50% occupational disability. Whether the 50% is reached is determined by an expert doctor. But how does this work in practice, and what happens in the event of a claim?

We have our claim button for this purpose. Press this button and a personal contact person will get in touch with you within less than 72 hours to let you know what to do next. As you are very likely to be receiving medical treatment in the event of a claim, your doctor will be able to provide you with all the documents you need. Of course, you can also use the other contact options (call/callback/email).

We offer the option of halving the premium for the BU in the first one to five years. This means that instead of €36.00, only €18.00 is due monthly. Later on, you pay a little more to fill the initial gap.

Although a constant premium is somewhat more favourable in the end, we also recommend the lower premium at the beginning. This way, you are protected right from the start.

If the infection leads to the onset of the illness and an occupational disability of at least 50%, this conditionally triggers a claim for benefits. But the infection can also lead to a professional ban due to the risk to patients, for example, without the infected person themselves being too ill to work. At the beginning of 2000, we were approached by a professional association of medical specialists that we support with a request to examine the care situation in the event of a professional ban as a result of an infection (IFSG) and to look for solutions that did not yet exist. Together with a legal advisor in the working group of the pension funds, we succeeded after a short time in presenting the first occupational disability scheme with an IFSG clause at a major specialist congress in Hamburg, thereby creating additional security for an entire professional group.

Unfortunately, not at all. Therefore, private protection is very important here.

This depends on well-formulated conditions. Even during their studies and in their practical year at the latest, the activities are already very specifically geared towards the medical profession, so that there is already a solid and tangible level of protection. 

We want to offer cover that is simple, quick and inexpensive to take out. In addition, it should be transparent and fair. We only offer what is necessary. And this is basic protection. More protection or a higher occupational disability pension would mean higher costs (higher premium, comprehensive risk and health checks).

If you want more protection, you can significantly increase your occupational disability pension later through career-related increase options – without a new health check and within 6 months of certain events such as marriage, children, moving to a new location, property purchase, etc. You can also have several occupational disability insurance policies with different providers. The amount of all occupational disability insurance policies must not be higher than what you earn. However, the €1,500 is not critical for people in training or without a job (househusband/wife) as basic provision, even without earnings.

There are two main reasons that lead to the rejection of occupational disability. In 50% of all cases, the status of incapacitated for work (50% hurdle) is not reached. According to the expert opinion, the impairment is therefore not sufficiently serious. In the case of a further 45%, there is a violation of the pre-contractual notification obligations; this means essential information on health issues was not provided truthfully during the application. Other reasons only occur in five percent of all cases.

As an add-on to the occupational disability contract? No. Long-term care insurance is a matter for statutory or private health insurance. In Germany, health insurance is mandatory; basic protection is therefore available. If you fall ill during the term of your occupational disability insurance and become a long-term care case, this can, of course, also be a trigger for an occupational disability pension. The two are not mutually exclusive. However, we are not aware of any occupational disability insurance that can offer care cover that even comes close to meeting your needs. After all, the need for care can arise and persist even after retirement. So it does not fit with the terms of occupational disability insurance. In short: another topic that is also important, but for which there is already statutory basic protection from birth in Germany (scope of application the German Social Code, SGB).

Membership of the medical pension scheme begins when the postgraduate training position commences. Among other things, this also provides important occupational disability protection.

An occupational disability pension is paid to anyone who can no longer carry out their work as a doctor due to occupational disability and who relinquishes their license to practice medicine. In addition, there is the possibility of referral. Although not completely different activities, there is still uncertainty. Especially as many people would prefer to switch to further training if they were less restricted. For example, if your fingers have limited mobility, an operating theatre is not the best choice. However, there may be other interesting specialist areas where the restriction would not be relevant.

In the event of occupational disability from 50%, our customers can both receive the pension from the private insurance and earn extra money with their remaining labour. As a doctor or in any other occupation.

Only if the income exceeds 75% of the original earnings is the insured person no longer considered incapacitated for work. If, in the end, the occupational disability pension and the remaining ability to work actually add up to more or roughly the same amount of money, your livelihood is, of course, not (or no longer) jeopardised.

Models with capital savings are often recommended. While still studying at university and at a time when you are not yet earning any money, do you want to start saving for your old age? And then in an insurance policy? Of course, even in this combination, occupational disability cover is not free, even if some artificially reduced price models make it seem like it is at first. Unfortunately, it is no longer easy to recognise the risk premium included in the current combined models and many people do not look at how expensive such models become after a few years. Is this intentional? We're not sure. But as Funk EXPERTS, we think that this isn't transparent enough.

The costs of such policies are usually high, so that the return on the investment does not reach the customer in full. There are probably tax advantages, but also some disadvantages. And in general: too complicated, too far away and not transparent enough? That's what we EXPERTS think too. Calculations are still permitted in which more comes out than the customer has paid in at zero per cent growth in value. A miraculous increase in money, or perhaps there's someone who has money to give away? It doesn't sound plausible!

To avoid any misunderstandings, it is definitely important and right to build up reserves for old age in good time, and this should not be forgotten. However, this is not generally an issue that is at the forefront of students' minds.

As EXPERTS, we are fair, transparent, but also not completely free of charge. Unfortunately, we can't give our services away for nothing. However, the insurance premiums already include all costs, so you don't have to worry about any hidden additional costs, fees or the like.

We're not sure either. Because occupational disability cover is not rocket science. We have already mentioned the cost. The duration should correspond to the expected working life; that would currently be the age of 67, and anyone who thinks that they have already provided for themselves at the age of 62 can save some money. The risk naturally increases with age and the insurer honours it if someone does not want to insure the high-risk years 63 to 67. The rule of thumb: the longer the term, the higher the premium. However, how much income is missing with a gap of 60 monthly salaries should not be underestimated! Otherwise, top conditions with a top insurer at a top price are of course the goal. That's what we EXPERTS take care of.

No. Unfortunately not. We cannot reduce the price as much as possible, increase the benefit as much as possible and demand that the insurer starts paying out the benefit in the first month after taking out the occupational disability policy. This is not how the system works. In the interests of fairness, the risk carrier must also be given the opportunity to gain an impression of the risk that it is being asked to assume. In this case, this primarily means a health check. If everything is within normal limits from an actuarial point of view, you can obtain great insurance cover at a very good price in just a few minutes. That's why we want to inform medical students about the risks and ensure the earliest possible protection. If the simple route via our portal is not possible for you, this does not mean that you will not receive protection. But it's not as simple as that and really does require other selection criteria than those we can present here.

Most importantly, until you have successfully completed the pre-approval process AND pressed the final button (i.e., formally approved the application), no data will be transmitted to the risk carrier (insurer). 

The occasional and non-commercial handling of other people's animals is also insured. However, if you are the owner of a horse or dog, for example, you must insure them separately. There are experts in this field, but they are not us. Framework agreements often exist via riding clubs and the like.