Professional liability insurance (clinical psychologists, health psychologists, psychotherapists)

Professional health psychologists and clinical psychologists, as well as registered psychotherapists, must take out statutory professional liability insurance.

• The minimum insured sum should amount to one million Euro for each insured event to cover claims for damages resulting from the practice of a profession.
• The limit of liability should not be less than three times the minimum insured sum per 1-year insurance period.
• It is not permitted to exclude or impose a time limitation on the follow-up liability of the insurance provider.
• Proof of valid insurance coverage must be presented to the Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection upon request.

Temporary provision of services in Austria

Citizens of an EU or EEA Member State or Switzerland who legally practice the profession of psychotherapist, health psychologist or clinical psychologist in one of these countries may provide temporary services within the scope of their profession in Austria from their foreign place of business or employment as part of the principle of freedom to provide services.

However, proof must be provided to the Austrian Ministry of Health of suitable professional liability insurance, amongst other things, before those services are provided for the first time in Austria.

Further links

• Types of insurance (→ ÖBVP)^{German text}
• All types of insurance (→ VVO)^{German text}

Legal basis

• Section 16b of the Psychotherapiegesetz
• Section 8 of the EWR-Psychotherapiegesetz
• Section 39 of the Psychologengesetz
• Section 8 of the EWR-Psychologengesetz