German law, explained in English
Practical guides to choosing legal help, dealing with a problem and planning ahead in Germany.
Fired in Germany? What to Do in the First 3 Weeks
The three-week deadline, why you should not sign an Aufhebungsvertrag, the three-day job-centre rule, and when a termination is simply void.
9 min read · Updated 2 August 2026
They Put a Termination Agreement in Front of You
Why an employer prefers it to a dismissal, the Sperrzeit risk, everything negotiable besides the severance, and the narrow exits once it is signed.
9 min read · Updated 6 September 2026
Fired During Probation in Germany: Notice, Rights and Deadlines
Probation versus the six-month waiting period, the two-week notice, when a probation dismissal is invalid, the three-week deadline and unemployment benefit.
7 min read · Updated 11 October 2026
Arbeitszeugnis in Germany: What the Grade Means and How to Correct It
The right to a reference, the satisfaction scale behind the grade, the ban on hidden codes, the closing sentence, interim references and getting a reference corrected.
7 min read · Updated 17 October 2026
Resigning From Your Job in Germany: Your Notice Period Explained
Which notice period applies when you resign, how to count it, how to hand in notice so it counts, leaving early, the notice period itself, final pay and the Sperrzeit.
8 min read · Updated 18 October 2026
Non-Compete Clause in Germany: When It Binds You and What You Get Paid
When a post-employment ban binds you, why one without compensation is void, how the Karenzentschädigung is worked out, waivers, and how the way the job ends changes it.
8 min read · Updated 19 October 2026
Sick Leave in Germany: Your Pay, Krankengeld and Your Job
The six-week continued-pay rule, telling your employer and the sick note deadline, Krankengeld's amount and 78-week limit, dismissal while sick, and sickness abroad.
7 min read · Updated 3 November 2026
Accused of a Crime in Germany? What Happens After a Police Report
How a case starts, what to do first, the ways an investigation ends, daily-rate fines, the criminal record, residence and citizenship, and who pays.
8 min read · Updated 17 October 2026
You Received a Strafbefehl — You Have 14 Days
What a penalty order is, why paying it is rarely the cheap option, how Tagessätze work, and why you should say nothing until someone has read the file.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Criminal Record Certificate in Germany (Führungszeugnis): What It Shows
Getting a Führungszeugnis online, in person or from abroad, which one you need, what it leaves out, when you may say you have no record, deletion periods, foreign convictions and residence permits.
8 min read · Updated 3 November 2026
Caught Shoplifting in Germany: What Happens Next
What store staff may do, what counts as theft (self-checkout mistakes included), the police letter, how cases end, the store's money demand, store bans, and your record and permit.
7 min read · Updated 17 October 2026
Caught Without a Ticket in Germany: The €60 Fee and the Criminal Complaint
The increased fare on buses, trams and trains, the €7 rule, when Schwarzfahren is a criminal offence, the ticket check, the criminal case, and your record and permit.
6 min read · Updated 17 October 2026
Police Letter in Germany? Your Rights as a Suspect (Vorladung)
Suspect or witness, why you need not go to a police interview, the right to stay silent and to a lawyer, reading the file, interpreters and court-appointed counsel.
7 min read · Updated 24 September 2026
Self-Defence in Germany (Notwehr): What the Law Allows
The present, unlawful attack, only the force it takes, defending others, panic, necessity, holding someone for the police, and what you may carry.
7 min read · Updated 13 October 2026
Residence Permit Refused? Your Options and the One-Month Window
Reading the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung, the one-month window, keeping your status under § 81 AufenthG, and what a departure order really means.
8 min read · Updated 13 October 2026
Eigenbedarf Meaning: When Your Landlord Wants the Flat Back
What personal-use termination means, the two deadlines to check, and how to prepare a hardship objection or a review of the notice.
5 min read · Updated 10 September 2026
Behind on Rent in Germany? Eviction and the 2-Month Rule
When arrears justify termination, the two-month window to pay it off, why landlords send two terminations, and help from the Jobcenter.
8 min read · Updated 23 September 2026
How to Get Your Rental Deposit Back in Germany
The three-month cap, what can and cannot be deducted, the written demand, and the court payment order that works without a lawyer.
8 min read · Updated 14 October 2026
Rent Reduction in Germany (Mietminderung): Heating, Mould, Defects
The automatic rent reduction for defects, what counts, reporting duties, paying less or under reservation, self-repair, damages and leaving.
7 min read · Updated 12 October 2026
Cancel Your Rental Contract in Germany: Notice Period and Nachmieter
The tenant's notice period, how to give notice so it counts, replacement tenants, fixed-term and staggered-rent leases, and special rights to leave sooner.
7 min read · Updated 11 October 2026
Your Landlord Wants More Rent — Do You Have to Agree?
Why it needs your agreement, the consideration period, what a valid demand must contain, and the caps a landlord cannot pass.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Your Nebenkosten Bill: Check It Before You Pay
What the BetrKV catalogue actually allows, the twelve-month rule that binds both sides, the errors that recur, and the receipts you are entitled to inspect.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Mietpreisbremse: Is Your Rent Too High? Where the Rent Brake Applies
Which states and cities the rent brake covers, the exceptions landlords rely on, the pre-contract disclosure and reclaiming overpaid rent with a Rüge.
9 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Renting in Berlin: Rent Brake, Mietspiegel and Short Lets
The citywide rent brake, the Mietspiegel 2026, the 15% cap, ten years' conversion protection, holiday-let permits and the free rent review office.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Renting in Munich: Rent Brake, Mietspiegel and Short Lets
Bavaria's tenant protection ordinance, the Mietspiegel 2025, the 15% cap, holiday lets and the city's free Mietberatung.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Renting in Hamburg: Rent Brake, Mietenspiegel and Short Lets
The citywide rent brake, the Mietenspiegel and your street, the 15% cap, ten years' conversion protection and the tightened 2026 short-let rules.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Renting in Frankfurt: Rent Brake, Mietspiegel and Short Lets
Hesse's ordinance and the 2026 court challenge, the Mietspiegel 2026, the 15% cap, the city's overcharging checks and holiday-let permits.
9 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Jobcenter or Krankenkasse Said No? Object — It's Free
The free objection and its usual one-month period, the sentence that preserves your deadline, repayment demands, sanctions, and the fee-free social courts.
7 min read · Updated 15 October 2026
Krankenkasse Refused Treatment or Sick Pay? What to Do
Insurer decision deadlines and what a missed one does and doesn't give you, answering the medical service, and keeping sick-pay certification continuous.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
No Therapy Place? When Your Krankenkasse Must Pay
The consultation that starts the clock, the documented search that decides the claim, and the order of steps most reimbursement requests fail on.
9 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Behind on Krankenkasse Contributions? What Actually Happens
Why you cannot simply leave, what suspension still covers, and the routes out — instalments, recalculated income, and relief for late registration.
8 min read · Updated 14 October 2026
Private vs Public Health Insurance in Germany: Can You Switch Back?
Who may opt out, when your insurance history can bar a return after 55, the ways back, and why a temporary expat policy may not satisfy the law.
9 min read · Updated 14 October 2026
Kindergeld or Elterngeld Refused? Read This First
The six-month (Kindergeld) and three-life-month (Elterngeld) backdating limits, why the two benefits usually go to different courts, and how residence permits drive most refusals.
7 min read · Updated 15 October 2026
Leaving Germany — Can You Get Your Pension Contributions Back?
Why five years decides your pension but not your refund, the two-year wait, why you only get back half, and why EU citizens keep something better than a refund.
8 min read · Updated 17 October 2026
Got a German Traffic Fine? Read This Before You Pay
The Anhörungsbogen you shouldn't fill in fully, the two-week window, why the fine is the least of it, and the six-month rule that catches foreign licence holders.
8 min read · Updated 18 October 2026
Driving Licence in Germany: The Six-Month Rule for Foreign Licences
Who has to convert and who doesn't, when the six months really start, which countries need a retest, and what to do if the date has passed.
10 min read · Updated 31 August 2026
Fahrverbot: A German Driving Ban, and When You Can Choose to Serve It
Ban versus withdrawal, the one- and four-month windows since June 2026, the two-week objection deadline, and driving abroad during a ban.
9 min read · Updated 18 October 2026
When Do Points in Flensburg Expire? 2.5, 5 or 10 Years
What happens at each stage, why entries expire on separate timetables, the point you can remove voluntarily, and how to see your real total.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Germany's Alcohol Limit for Driving: 0.5, 0.3 or 1.1 Per Mille
The 0.0, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.1 limits, when it becomes a crime, the roadside breath test, the MPU at 1.6, and foreign licences, bikes and e-scooters.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Cannabis and Driving in Germany: the 3.5 ng/ml THC Limit
The 3.5 ng/ml limit and its fines, the zero rule for new drivers, mixing with alcohol, when it becomes a crime, the MPU, medical cannabis and bikes.
7 min read · Updated 24 September 2026
Hit a Parked Car in Germany? Why a Note Is Not Enough
Why a note does not discharge the duty, how long to wait, the risk to the licence rather than the wallet, and the 24-hour rule that can undo it.
9 min read · Updated 31 August 2026
How to Get Out of a Contract in Germany
Widerruf versus Kündigung, the 14-day window, when a missing instruction extends it to a year, and the online withdrawal and cancellation buttons.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Warranty Returns in Germany: Repair, Replacement, Refund
Statutory rights versus a manufacturer's guarantee, the first-year evidence rule, when a failed repair can lead to a refund, and exchanging goods that work.
8 min read · Updated 19 October 2026
Buying or Selling a Car in Germany: Steps and Common Problems
A checklist for buyers and sellers, safe payment and handover, dealer versus private-sale rights, and the first steps when something goes wrong.
8 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Inkasso Letter in Germany: What It Is and What You Owe
What an Inkasso company may do, how its fees are capped, the Mahnbescheid's two-week Widerspruch, and the thirty-year consequence of missing it.
9 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Scheinselbständigkeit — The Mistake That Can Cost Years of Contributions
Why agreeing to freelance terms does not settle it, the back contributions that land on the company, the signals that get looked at, and the formal status determination.
8 min read · Updated 8 August 2026
Car Accident Lawyer in Germany: What to Do and What to Claim
At the scene, the mistake that turns this criminal, why fault is usually shared, diminished value, and claims involving foreign plates or licences.
8 min read · Updated 8 August 2026
Bike or Pedestrian Accident in Germany: Who Is Liable
Strict liability under § 7 StVG, why riding without a helmet does not cut your claim, the age rules that protect children, dooring, and what an early settlement closes off.
9 min read · Updated 6 September 2026
How Much Compensation Can You Claim in Germany?
The two separate pots, how pain-and-suffering awards are actually arrived at, the household and care items nobody claims, and why “final settlement” is the dangerous phrase.
8 min read · Updated 8 August 2026
You Were the Victim of a Crime in Germany — Your Rights
Reporting it and the three-month rule, evidence that disappears fast, joining the trial as Nebenkläger, and claiming compensation.
8 min read · Updated 3 August 2026
Divorce in Germany as a Foreign National
Jurisdiction and applicable law, the separation year, pension splitting, children and relocation, and residence status after a marriage ends.
9 min read · Updated 3 August 2026
Child Custody in Germany After Separation (Sorgerecht)
Custody versus contact, married and unmarried parents, everyday and important decisions, sole custody, moving abroad, and the Jugendamt and family court.
8 min read · Updated 14 October 2026
Child Support in Germany: How Much? (Düsseldorfer Tabelle 2026)
Who pays, how the Düsseldorfer Tabelle works, the Kindergeld set-off, the Selbstbehalt, back payments, Unterhaltsvorschuss and getting a title.
8 min read · Updated 15 October 2026
Injured in Germany? What You Can Claim
Which route applies, the evidence that decides claims, what Schmerzensgeld covers, and why not to sign an insurer's early offer.
8 min read · Updated 3 August 2026
Immigration Lawyer in Germany: Expiring Permits, Refusals, Visas and Delays
Expiring permits and the Fiktionsbescheinigung, refusals, visa refusals heard in Berlin, stalled applications, and when you actually need a lawyer.
8 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
Permanent Residence in Germany (Niederlassungserlaubnis): Requirements
The routes to a Niederlassungserlaubnis and how long each takes, the shared conditions, how your years are counted, applying in time, and stalled or refused applications.
8 min read · Updated 16 October 2026
German Citizenship: Dual Nationality, the Five-Year Rule and Stalled Applications
Dual citizenship, which residence counts, B1 and the test, minor convictions, family, and the three-month route to court when nothing happens.
9 min read · Updated 4 October 2026
How to Make a Will in Germany: Handwritten or Notary, and Who Inherits
Who inherits without a will, choosing your nationality's law, handwritten versus notarial wills, couples' wills and what children can always claim.
9 min read · Updated 19 October 2026
Buying a House in Germany: Steps and Lawyer Contract Review
The purchase from financing to handover, common property and contract problems, and what an independent lawyer can review before the notary appointment.
8 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Power of Attorney in Germany: How to Get One (Vorsorgevollmacht)
Your spouse's limited emergency right, the three documents, notary or not, single-task powers and registering so it is found.
8 min read · Updated 22 September 2026
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