Month 1
Time
30 min on the spot, longer if anyone's hurt
Cost
Free (your time only)
Difficulty
Medium
What to bring
Your driving licence and the car's Zulassungsbescheinigung
The Unfallbericht form, standard in most German glove boxes
Your phone camera
Not needed: A lawyer, for minor no-injury cases
Our pick
Compare all 4 →Prices checked June 2026
Do it
- 1
Check for injuries first
Pull over safely if you can. Leave the cars in place if anyone's hurt or you disagree on fault.
- 2
Decide: form or police
No injuries, both drivers agree, everyone's insured? Fill in the Unfallbericht. Otherwise call 110 and wait.
- 3
Document everything
Photos of both vehicles, plates, the road, and the damage before anything moves. Get the other driver's name, plate, and Versicherung.
- 4
Report to your insurer fast
German insurers expect notice "ohne Verzug" (without delay), treat a week as the outside limit, sooner if you want a Kostenvoranschlag moving quickly.
Common questions
Do I have to call the police for a small parking-lot scrape?
No, if there's no injury and you both agree on what happened, the Unfallbericht is enough.
What if the other driver won't sign the Unfallbericht?
That's when you call 110 and let the police file an official Unfallanzeige instead.
Does a "minor" accident still need reporting to my insurer?
Yes, every claim-relevant accident does, even ones you plan to pay for yourself if another party's car is involved.
Full checklist tracking and task completion live in the Settli app for Berlin.