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German laws and regulations

The Bundesamt für Justiz publishes laws and regulations on the Gesetze im Internet website.
The main site is in German, but there are translations available, with the following notice: “Translations of these materials into languages other than German are intended solely as a convenience to the non-German-reading public. Any discrepancies or differences that may arise in translations of the official German versions of these materials are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes.”

Disclaimer

The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice. You should consult a qualified legal professional for advice specific to your situation. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of the information provided. Use of this site is at your own risk.

Where to find information in English

For an English version of Germany’s Basic Law (Grundgesetz), you can visit the www.gesetze-im-internet.de website.

For the most current and comprehensive legal information, your go-to source should be the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz).

Their website is also available in English, where it’s referred to as the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection.

Federal States, districts and towns

The Federal states, districts or towns govern some laws and regulations.
For more information visit the official website of the Federal state, district or town

Good to know

Insults

Germany has strict laws regarding insults and defamation, and it is important to understand these regulations to avoid legal trouble.

The penalty for insult is imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or a fine and, if the insult is committed publicly, in a meeting, by disseminating content (Section 11 (3)) or by means of an assault, imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine."

This means that publicly insulting someone—whether in person, online, or through printed materials—can lead to criminal penalties. The severity of the punishment depends on how the insult was made and whether it was done in a public setting.

Defamation and Related Offenses

Germany has additional laws covering defamation and slander:

  • Section 186 StGB (Defamation) – Making false statements that could damage someone’s reputation can lead to fines or imprisonment.

  • Section 187 StGB (Malicious Gossip) – Knowingly spreading false information to harm someone can result in even harsher penalties.

  • Section 188 StGB (Defamation of Public Figures) – Harsher penalties apply when insulting politicians or individuals in public office.

For more information and other related offences see Division 14 Insult of the German Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch, StGB), and in German Abscnitt 14 Beleidigung 

Practical Tips 

  • Be mindful of how you express disagreements, especially in public or online.

  • Avoid making derogatory statements about individuals, whether verbally or in writing.

  • If involved in a dispute, seek legal advice before responding in a way that could be legally problematic.

Incitement

Section 111 of the German Penal Code (Strafgesetzbuch, StGB) addresses the crime of public incitement to commit unlawful acts. This provision is designed to maintain public order and prevent the encouragement of criminal behaviour.  

Section 111(2): Consequences and Penalties

  • If the incitement leads to the unlawful act being committed, the person who incited the act can be punished as if they had committed the act themselves.
  • If the incitement does not lead to the unlawful act being committed, the punishment can still be significant but typically less severe than if the act had been carried out.
  • The penalty can include imprisonment or fines, depending on the nature of the incited act and the circumstances of the incitement.
We thought to mention this to deter people from using forums like Facebook or other social media groups to tell others how to bring Biltong to Germany or how to use VPNs to bypass German rules and regulations when streaming content not approved in Germany.

Apps

Scams

 A great website to search for current scams is Watchlist Internet, an Austrian website in German.

Another great resource to find information about the latest scams is the Swiss BACS (Bundesamt für Cybersicherheit) website. They have the information available in English




Europol

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation is the law enforcement agency of the European Union (EU)  to handle criminal intelligence and combat serious international organised crime and terrorism through cooperation between competent authorities of EU member states.  

Please take note of the notice by Europol regarding scam calls. Europol will never call you directly. There is also a link on their website where you can report such calls

Booking.com

The person receives messages from inside the Booking.com website/app, seemingly from the hotel they booked. The “hotel” informs them that their payment didn’t go through. The reasons can be that your credit card details are old or being declined. The scammer then says you must make a payment within 24 hours or lose your booking. They ask for your credit card details and if this is declined, they ask for an IBAN payment or direct transfer (in this case it was a bank in the UK) to confirm the booking. They send you an external e-mail with the banking details. Do not do anything without consulting the hotel directly (not via the chat in Booking.com) or phone Booking.com. To phone them you will need the booking confirmation and pin code related to your booking.
Be very vigilant, everything seems legit.
What might be happening is that the specific hotel has been hacked, so the scammers have access to the chat window in the Booking.com app or website, as well as all your booking details. If this does happen to you, and you made a payment, contact your bank immediately, and I would suggest blocking your credit cards as well. Also, open up a criminal case at the police station and contact Booking.com. Remember your credit card might offer you extra protection in such cases, try not to make direct transfers.

Reporting a crime

In an emergency please use the 110 number to call the police or the 112 number which is the national emergency number. See the links below for a complete list of emergency numbers.
For non-emergencies, call your local police office or visit them. Even petty crimes like scam calls or petty theft should be reported and will be taken seriously by the police.

Most federal states have an “Online-Wache” page where you can report a crime online. 

Legalising Documents

Legalising Documents

Depending on your needs, you may require documents to be authenticated, certified, or have certified copies made Document authentication South Africa and Germany are both members of the Hague Apostille Convention. This means that if you need to authenticate a South African document for use in Germany, you can have it Apostilled. You can find the full list of participating countries here.  It’s important to note that Apostille and Notarisation are not the same. They serve different purposes and are used in different situations. Here is a summary of the differences between Notarised, Apostilled, and Legalised: Authenticating South African Documents in Germany Apostille An Apostille confirms authenticity and allows a document (such as a birth certificate) to be accepted by authorities in another country.More information on Apostilles and legalisation can be found here. According to the South African Embassy in Germany, there are two options to have a South African unabridged birth, marriage, or death certificate authenticated with an apostille in terms of the 1961 Hague Convention: An application for a new unabridged birth, marriage, or death certificate shall be lodged together with a request for the document to be certified with an apostille (see suedafrika.org/en/visa-sa-documents/south-african-citizen-services.html). OR The original unabridged certificate* currently in your possession shall be submitted in person to the Embassy in Berlin or Consulate-General in Munich together with: a written request (in English) for the unabridged certificate to be authenticated with an apostille; original passport/identity document and a photocopy (the photocopy would be certified and the original document returned to the applicant); and a self-addressed A4-size envelope with postage paid (per Einschreiben), to return the original unabridged certificate after the apostille has been affixed. * According to the advice provided by the Legalisation Section of the Department of International Relations & Cooperation (DIRCO), the document should preferably be no older than one (1) year (see https://dirco.gov.za/consular-services/).  Please note that in both the above cases, the application/documentation would have to be forwarded to the relevant departments in Pretoria, where they are finalised/issued and returned to our office in the diplomatic freight bag. An application for a new unabridged birth, marriage or death certificate (with the apostille) may take up to 6 months to be finalised, while an apostille affixed to an original unabridged certificate provided by the applicant may take 2 to 3 months to be finalised.Such applications/documentation are sent to the relevant departments in Pretoria by diplomatic freight bag monthly from our office.Applicants who wish to expedite the delivery of application/documentation to Pretoria may elect to organise and pay for a courier – this should be confirmed when submitting the application/documentation to our office, which must be done in person.  Documents must be submitted in person and an appointment must made for this purpose To schedule an appointment at the Embassy in Berlin, please send an email with the information below to berlin.consular@dirco.gov.za; to schedule an appointment at the Consulate-General in Munich, please send an email with the information below to munich.civicapp@dirco.gov.za: Subject line of email: Appointment request Applicant’s first name and surname Applicant’s date and place of birth Applicant’s South African identity number Application type e.g. passport Contact details (Address + mobile phone number)  (After requesting an appointment, applicants shall also regularly check their email spam folder, as the email reply from the mission confirming the appointment may land up there) Difference between DIRCO and High Court apostille Apostil has a great page which explains the difference between a DIRCO and a High Court apostille.  –  you need to use DIRCO to apostille official Home affairs documentation Notarisation When the identity of the person signing a document needs to be verified, it needs to be signed in front of a Notary. Certification and signing of documentation before a South African commissioner of oaths Documentation may be certified or signed before a Commissioner of Oaths either at the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Berlin or at the Consulate General in Munich. The relevant documentation to be certified and photo identification e.g. passport or identity document must be submitted in person and an appointment made for this purpose by contacting the Embassy in Berlin (Tel. 030 22073 0; Email: berlin.admin@dirco.gov.za) or the Consulate General in Munich (Tel. 089 231 1630; Email: munich.admin@dirco.gov.za). Contact details SA Embassy/Consulate Certified Copies of documentation You can get certified copies of your original documentation at your local Bürgerampt, the Townhall or at a Notary. You can use the Ortdienste website to find your local Bürgerampt or Townhall. Click on the Bundesländer and zoom in from there.In German it is called “eine beglaubigte Kopie”.You will need to show the original document to them. Affadavit In South Africa, if you want to make an Affidavit (beedigte verklaring), you go to the police station and make your declaration.In Germany, an affidavit, known as “eidesstattliche Versicherung”, is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation. You can write an affidavit yourself and then have it notarised. When you need to use the affidavit in South Africa, you will have to write it in English, or have it officially translated to English. Translations Certified Translators in South Africa The German mission in South Africa has a list of certified translators. The list can be found their website Translation services in on our Website Info on the web Jesse Green from Apostil.co.za created an informative document to explain what an apostille certificate is and when you need it Information from DIRCO Consular Notarial Services (Legalisation of Official (Public) Documents) Companies that can assist with documentation Related Content

Read More »

Vocabulary

Federal criminal police (Central office)das Bundeskriminalamt (BKA)
Federal police forcedie Bundespolizei
Every state also has a federal investigation bureau that help solve crimes on state leveldas Landeskriminalamt (LKA)
Federal State Policedie Landespolizei.
Each federal state has their own police force
Police force that handles public safety, general law enforcement and traffic enforcementSchupo / die Schutzpolizei
Criminal investigation departmentdie Kriminalpolizei / Kripo
Traffic policedie Autobahnpolizei
Emergency number for the police110

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Wills and Testaments

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Emergencies – Assisting someone else

It is very important that you are aware that according to Section § 323c of the Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch) your are obliged to help a person in need. You can either call 112 (national emergency number) and 110 (The police) to get assistance.  Section 323c1. Failure to render assistance; obstruction of persons rendering assistance1) Whoever does not render assistance in the case of an accident or a common danger or emergency although it is necessary

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