German law, explained in English
Not summaries of statutes — practical guides for the moment something has already happened and you need to know what to do this week.
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
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 3 August 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 3 August 2026
Eigenbedarf in Germany: Landlord Termination and Your Options
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
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 19 August 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 3 August 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 6 September 2026
Jobcenter or Krankenkasse Said No? Object — It's Free
The free one-month objection, the one sentence that preserves your deadline, repayment demands, sanctions, and the fee-free social courts.
7 min read · Updated 3 August 2026
Krankenkasse Refused Treatment or Sick Pay? What to Do
The deadline that turns silence into approval, answering the medical service, and the sick-note gap that ends Krankengeld entitlement overnight.
8 min read · Updated 8 August 2026
Therapy in Germany: When Your Krankenkasse Has to 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 22 August 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 22 August 2026
Private or Public Health Insurance in Germany? The One-Way Door
Who may opt out, why returning becomes impossible at 55, the ways back before then, and why a temporary expat policy may not satisfy the law.
9 min read · Updated 22 August 2026
Kindergeld or Elterngeld Refused? Read This First
The six- and three-month backdating limits, why the two benefits go to different courts, and how residence permits drive most refusals.
7 min read · Updated 8 August 2026
Leaving Germany — Can You Get Your Pension Contributions Back?
The five-year line, the two-year wait, why you only get back half, and why EU citizens keep something better than a refund.
8 min read · Updated 8 August 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 6 August 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 four-month window you choose within, the two- week objection deadline, and when a ban becomes a fine instead.
8 min read · Updated 31 August 2026
Points in Flensburg: What They Cost and When They Expire
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 31 August 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 cancellation button.
8 min read · Updated 3 August 2026
Faulty Goods in Germany: Repair, Replacement or Refund?
Statutory rights versus a manufacturer's guarantee, the first-year evidence rule, and when a failed repair can lead to a refund or price reduction.
6 min read · Updated 10 September 2026
An Inkasso Letter Arrived — What You Actually 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 6 September 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 in Germany? What to Do and What You Can 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
Hit by a Car in Germany as a Cyclist or Pedestrian
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
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
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