A Window to Change Your Mind
When you take out a new PKV contract, you have a withdrawal right (Widerruf) that lets you cancel within a cooling-off window after the contract is concluded and you have received the required documents. Used in time, it unwinds the contract as if it had not been made, which is a genuine safety net if you have second thoughts or realise the tariff is wrong.
How It Works
- The window: the withdrawal period runs from conclusion of the contract and receipt of the policy documents and instructions.
- The effect: a valid withdrawal unwinds the contract, distinct from cancelling an ongoing policy later.
- The form: submit the withdrawal in the manner and to the address stated in your documents, and keep proof.
- Proper instructions: the window depends on you having received correct withdrawal instructions, so keep the paperwork.
Act within the window: the withdrawal right is time-limited and most useful early. If you have doubts about a new contract, raise them and, if needed, exercise the right promptly rather than letting the period lapse.
Withdrawal Versus Cancellation
Withdrawal is for a new contract within the cooling-off period. Once you are past that and settled into an ongoing policy, ending it is a matter of cancellation (Kuendigung) under the notice rules, which work differently and usually require you to have continuing cover lined up. Know which one applies to your situation, because the timing and the consequences are not the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
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