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Waiting times

Insurance is not rocket science. We explain everything you need to know about waiting times in this glossary article.

    What are waiting times?

    Waiting times are predetermined time frames that cover the time between when your contract begins and when your insurance coverage starts. In practice, the process works like this: You purchase insurance, wait for the defined waiting time, and once you’ve done this, you can access the services offered by your policy.
    There is one thing you have to keep in mind when it comes to legal expenses insurance: Any claims made during your waiting time are not covered by your insurance and you’re not entitled to the insurance benefits.

    Why do waiting times exist?

    Insurers want to prevent you from only getting legal insurance when you know you’re likely about to become involved in a legal dispute. Without waiting times, we as an insurance company would have to pay many claims and cover high costs. The higher the costs the insurance company must cover for a policy, the higher your premium. Waiting times are there to prevent this from happening.

    Are there situations where waiting times do not apply?

    If you already have legal insurance and want to change provider, you can potentially avoid waiting times.

    At Getsafe you must meet the following requirements:

    • Your contracts seamlessly merge so that you remain insured
    • Your previous insurance policy had the same conditions as Getsafe Legal
    • You made no more than two claims over the last five years
    • Your previous insurer did not cancel your policy

    Getsafe will check on an individual basis whether waiting times apply to you or not.

    Your waiting times with Getsafe

    Depending on the area of law, waiting times can vary. For example, the waiting period for employment legal protection is six months, whereas there are no waiting times for matters involving traffic. You can find the exact waiting periods for the respective areas of law in our benefits overview.

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