Liability
- Damage to third parties
- Employers' liability
- Care, custody and control as an extension
Volume · loss · liability
Insurance for postal and parcel services
In post and parcel transport the risk lies not in what you own but in the consignment: every parcel in the van belongs to someone else and therefore falls outside ordinary public and employers' liability insurance.
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- 9.5 customer rating for a new policy
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- Personal 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 9–17
Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Verzekeringen voor post- en pakketdiensten.
Calculate your premium or request a quote
Without obligation; a reply within one working day.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert.nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out your own premium with the calculator.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
A post or parcel service spends the whole day carrying property that does not belong to the business. It is precisely that property that is excluded on public and employers' liability insurance, because it concerns property in your care, custody and control. Damage to or loss of the consignment itself belongs on carrier's liability insurance, which settles domestic carriage under the AVC conditions and cross-border carriage under the CMR Convention. That liability is also limited to an amount per kilogram, regardless of what was in the box.
The second distinctive feature is that the business asset is a vehicle. Liability policies exclude damage caused with a motor vehicle; for the van, the compulsory cover under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)applies. Loading and unloading is where the boundary between the two policies lies, and that is exactly the moment when most goes wrong on delivery: a driveway, a gate, a door frame or the recipient's foot.
The third point is the chain. Few parcel services deliver everything with their own people; subcontractors and engaged couriers are used. For damage caused by a non-subordinate auxiliary in the conduct of your business you can be held liable yourself under Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code . We therefore look first at how your delivery network is actually put together before we look at sums insured.
What does insurance for post and parcel services cover?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Assets and continuity
Business contents, goods and lost turnover during downtime.
- Business contents at replacement value as new
- Goods at cost price
- Business interruption or additional costs
Staff
Sickness absence, accidents and the traffic risk.
- Continued pay for 104 weeks
- Group personal accident
- WEGAS for traffic risks
What is covered
| Situation | AVB | BAV | Cyber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injury to a visitor or customer | Yes | No | No |
| Damage to a client's property | Sometimes | No | No |
| Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation error | No | Yes | No |
| Downtime after a ransomware attack | No | No | Yes |
| Data breach involving personal data | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Damage to property in your care | No | No | No |
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The consignment does not fall under your liability policy
A parcel you carry, sort or store temporarily is in your care. Standard conditions of public and employers' liability insurance exclude damage to such property. For the load itself you need carriers' liability insurance , matched to the conditions under which you drive. If you also carry across the border, check that the CMR regime is included; a policy set up for AVC only leaves you empty-handed there.
Disappearance is not the same as theft
Insurers treat a consignment that does not arrive differently from one that has demonstrably been taken. Where an item goes missing without signs of forced entry, without proof of delivery or without a scan record, a dispute almost always follows. Misappropriation by your own staff is also excluded as standard. Make sure the scanning and signature process is watertight and that a van left unattended en route meets the parking and alarm requirement on the policy schedule.
The road risk of couriers is a separate matter
Your couriers are in traffic for most of the day, and that risk falls outside liability insurance. As an employer you may be required under Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code to provide proper insurance for employees who take part in traffic in the course of their work. WEGAS cover exists for that. If couriers drive their own car or ride their own bicycle, report that explicitly; otherwise the policy excludes the claim.
Engaged couriers remain your risk
If you work with subcontractors or self-employed couriers, the injured party usually points first to the party whose name is on the parcel. Article 6:171 of the Dutch Civil Code makes you liable for the mistakes of non-subordinate auxiliaries in the conduct of your business; for your own staff, Article 6:170 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies. Record that every engaged courier has liability cover of their own and ask for a valid policy schedule each year.
What does your premium depend on?
- Number of delivery vehicles — The size of the fleet determines the road risk and the exposure around loading and unloading.
- Nature of the consignments — Electronics, phones and medicines are more prone to theft than documents or bulk goods.
- Domestic or cross-border — Whether you drive under AVC or also under CMR changes the liability regime and therefore the cover.
- Storage and security — Where the vans stand overnight and whether the sorting depot is secured weighs heavily for theft.
- Share of engaged couriers — The more work lies with third parties, the more important liability for auxiliaries becomes.
- Storage capacity at the sorting depot — The maximum value held in the building at any one time determines the size of a fire or burglary loss; see also the warehouse insurance.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your activities, turnover and wishes.
- We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
- You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
- We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Frequently asked questions
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Is a lost parcel covered on my liability insurance?
No. The consignment is in your care, and property in your care, custody and control is excluded on public and employers' liability insurance. Damage to or loss of the load belongs on carrier's liability insurance. That also carries a liability limit per kilogram, so a light but valuable parcel is almost never paid in full. If you want more, separate goods in transit insurance on a value basis is the route to take.
What is the difference between AVC and CMR for my business?
AVC are the general conditions of carriage for domestic road transport in the Netherlands. As soon as a journey crosses a national border, the CMR Convention applies mandatorily. Each has its own liability limit, its own periods for reporting damage and its own grounds of force majeure. If you drive under both, your carrier's liability insurance must name both regimes; if only one appears on the policy schedule, a gap arises.
Are my couriers insured if they have an accident on the road?
Not on the liability insurance; that excludes damage caused with a motor vehicle. For the vehicle, the compulsory insurance under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) applies. For injury and loss to the courier themselves, WEGAS cover is needed, which matches the duty of care that can follow from Article 7:611 of the Dutch Civil Code. If someone delivers on their own bicycle, moped or car, that has to be expressly included.
Am I liable for an engaged courier?
Often yes. For your own staff that runs through Article 6:170 DCC, for self-employed auxiliaries through Article 6:171 DCC: mistakes they make in the conduct of your business can end up with you. A contractual indemnity only helps if the other party is good for the money. So check that every engaged courier has current liability insurance and record that in your agreement.
Ready to compare?
Request a quote without obligation. We will look at which insurer best matches your activities and your risk.
Prefer to call? 072 - 509 24 56, weekdays 09:00–17:00.
Claim on the road? Emergency line 06 - 55 20 40 72.
About our service
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.