General insurance conditions provide regulations for all contractual parties. They are an integral part of an insurance agreement. Insurance providers must comply to federal laws on the phrasing of insurance agreements. These legal requirements contain certain clauses, which cannot be modified at all, or only if a modification does not disadvantage the policyholder or beneficiary. Thus, insurance conditions are strongly influenced by legal requirements. Insurance conditions must further be approved by the Federal Office for Private Insurance, the regulatory authority for such matters. Through this strict control, the interests of the policyholder are safeguarded. Since general insurance conditions must constitute part of an insurance contract, they must be made known to prospective policyholders when applying. Since applicants usually receive these conditions separately, insurance providers ask for signatures as a confirmation of having received and studied them.