Insurance PDF Download & Print Requirement – Is It Legal?
A customer of the Austrian insurance provider, NV, reported encountering a process requiring the download and printing of a PDF form after selecting an initial product offering. The customer indicated the completed form would then need to be submitted via mail.
The incident highlights a continuing, if diminishing, reliance on paper-based processes within the insurance sector, even as many industries move towards fully digital workflows. While the specific NV product triggering this process was not identified in the initial report, the company’s website confirms the availability of product information sheets and basic information sheets for life and care insurance products, accessible for download. NV states on its website that assistance is available via email for those needing support navigating the documentation.
This practice isn’t unique to NV. Helsana, a Swiss health insurance provider, offers a comprehensive library of downloadable brochures covering basic and supplemental insurance options, including product and performance overviews, as well as specific details on various insurance models like BeneFit PLUS. Helsana’s online download center includes PDFs detailing coverage for ambulatory and stationary care, travel insurance, long-term care, dental insurance, legal protection, and capital insurance. The size of these documents ranges from 214.77 KB to 812.51 KB.
Germany’s Debeka also directs customers to downloadable documents related to their insurance policies, organized by insurance type. The company acknowledges that older tariff generations may not have readily available documentation online and offers assistance via email for such cases.
The German Insurance Association (GDV) recently published “Fakten zur Versicherungswirtschaft” (Facts about the Insurance Industry), a report providing an overview of the German insurance market. The report details the diversity of products and providers, existing insurance contracts, and other aspects of the industry, but does not specifically address the prevalence of paper-based processes.