Most families only find out what their policy really says when the worst has already happened. The benefits table shows a reassuring figure — and next to it lies an invoice that is higher. This article puts the two side by side, using published figures, so that you know where you stand beforehand.
What the usual policies cover
| Product | Benefit in the event of death | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| ADAC Auslandskrankenversicherung (German travel health insurance) | Repatriation to Germany or funeral at the place of death | up to €10,000 per insured person, in all tariffs |
| ADAC Premium membership | Transfer to the place of residence in Germany | necessary costs; alternatively a local funeral up to €10,000 |
| Funeral expenses insurance (Sterbegeldversicherung) recommended by the German Federal Association of Funeral Directors | Repatriation from abroad | up to €5,200 within Europe, up to €10,300 outside Europe |
| German statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenkasse) | — | no benefit |
The funeral expenses insurance offered through the Federal Association contains another clause that is easily overlooked: there is no entitlement insofar as other insurance contracts exist. Two policies do not necessarily mean two payments.
What a repatriation actually costs
For comparison, here are our published guide prices for repatriating a coffin from Germany, excluding the collection surcharge and additional services:
| Destination region | By vehicle | As air freight |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | €2,000 – €3,500 | €3,500 – €5,000 |
| Balkans | €2,500 – €4,500 | €3,800 – €5,500 |
| Ukraine | €3,500 – €8,500 | currently not available |
| Turkey | €3,500 – €5,500 | €3,500 – €5,000 |
| Russia | €5,500 – €7,500 | €6,500 – €9,500 |
| Kazakhstan, Central Asia | €5,500 – €8,000 | €6,500 – €9,500 |
| Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan | air freight only | €4,500 – €7,500 |
| North Africa | air freight only | €6,500 – €10,000 |
| West and East Africa | air freight only | €10,000 – €17,000 |
Where exactly the gap arises
Put the two tables side by side and the picture becomes clear.
- European destinations: usually covered. Poland, the Balkans, Ukraine and Turkey are below €10,000, often well below. If you have travel insurance that includes repatriation, you are generally protected here.
- Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus: mostly covered, but not by every policy. €5,500 to €9,500 fits under a €10,000 limit, if only just, but not under €5,200. Anyone with only a funeral expenses policy capped for Europe pays the difference.
- Africa and distant destinations: the gap is real. At €10,000 to €17,000, cover of €10,000 is usually not enough. The family bears a difference of several thousand euros.
As a reference point, the insurer ERGO also gives a figure: for the flight alone with the mandatory zinc-lined coffin, relatives should expect around €4,000. That is just the transport — without paperwork, collection or burial.
The four clauses where it falls apart
Take your policy and look for the terms “Rückführung”, “Überführung”, “Rücktransport” or “Repatriierung” (German policies use different words for the same benefit). If you find them, check these four points:
- Limit. A fixed amount or “necessary costs”? For distant destinations, the difference is several thousand euros.
- Territorial scope. Worldwide or Europe only? Many low-cost policies end at the European border.
- Cause and personal conditions. Any death, or accidents only? Some tariffs only pay after an accident. Age limits, a maximum trip duration and exclusions for pre-existing conditions are also often overlooked — in practice, claims fail on these more often than on the amount.
- Who organises. Some insurers only pay if they commission the repatriation themselves. If you instruct your own funeral director first, you may lose the claim. If in doubt, call the insurer first — we will wait.
And one point that is often forgotten: credit card travel insurance frequently only applies if the trip was paid for with that card.
What you can do if the cover is not enough
- Consider an urn instead of a coffin. Repatriating an urn costs roughly half, because the zinc-lined coffin, soldering and most of the freight weight fall away. Whether this is an option is first of all a question of faith — the figures are on the page Urn repatriation abroad.
- Vehicle instead of flight, where the route allows. Within Europe, road transport is usually cheaper and easier to schedule.
- The social welfare office under Section 74 SGB XII. It only covers part of the costs and not the flight, but it is one building block. How the application works is explained in our separate guide.
- A pre-need funeral plan, while there is still time. It removes exactly this risk, provided the price for the agreed scope of services is fixed. Not for the current case, but for the next one.
Frequently asked questions
Send us the page — we will read it with you
If you are not sure what your policy covers, photograph the benefits table and send it to us. We will tell you which items on our invoice experience shows fall under such clauses and roughly what difference you should expect — before you commission us, not afterwards. It costs nothing. A binding statement on what your contract covers, however, can only come from your insurer.
- Call back within one hour
- Written fixed price within a few hours
- Around the clock, in four languages
A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
All insurance benefits mentioned reflect information published by the providers. Only the terms of your own contract are binding.
