Rules and laws in Germany (2026)
Last reviewed: 10 October 2026
Every topic we cover for Germany. Each rule links to its official source.
Driving
Car insurance and green cards
Foreign cars may be driven in Germany only if damage is covered by insurance. Drivers of cars with a plate from an EU state or the UK are exempt from carrying proof of insurance.
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Car speed limits
Passenger cars may do 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h on other roads outside them. There is no general limit on motorways, where 130 km/h is recommended.
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Distinguishing sign on cars
A car registered in another state must carry its country's sign at the rear in Germany. This is not needed if the plate shows the sign at its left edge under Regulation (EC) No 2411/98.
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Driving after drugs
Driving with 3.5 ng/ml THC or more in blood serum is an administrative offence. The rule does not apply to a substance taken as prescribed for a specific illness.
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E-bikes and speed pedelecs
A pedelec with a 0.25 kW motor that stops assisting at 25 km/h is not a motor vehicle and follows bicycle rules. A vehicle assisting above 25 km/h is a motor vehicle and needs a driving licence.
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E-scooters
E-scooters with type approval and an insurance sticker may be ridden from age 14, mainly on cycle infrastructure, at up to 20 km/h.
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Foreign driving licences
A licence from another EU/EEA state is recognised, including after the holder becomes a resident, with time limits for classes C and D. A licence from outside the EU/EEA is valid while the holder is not resident and for six months afterwards.
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Minimum age for a car driving licence
Category B can be held from 18, and from 17 with a named companion under the accompanied-driving scheme. A holder of a non-EU/EEA licence below the German minimum age is not entitled to drive.
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Mopeds
A Kleinkraftrad needs licence class AM from age 15, and the rider must wear a helmet. It is exempt from registration but needs a valid insurance plate.
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Motorcycles: helmets and licences
Riders and passengers must wear a helmet, and motorcycles must use the dipped beam or daytime running lights by day. Minimum ages are 16 (A1), 18 (A2) and 24 for category A with direct access, or 20 after two years on A2.
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Road tolls and vignettes
The federal motorway toll applies to goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes. Passenger cars are not covered by it.
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Seat belts and child seats
Prescribed seat belts must be worn. Children under 12 who are under 150 cm may be carried only in an approved child restraint.
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Towing trailers and caravans
On Autobahnen a car with a trailer may drive at most 80 km/h. Class B covers trailers up to 750 kg, or heavier ones if the combination stays within 3,500 kg.
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Using a mobile phone while driving
Drivers may not pick up or hold a phone. Other use is allowed only by voice control and read-aloud, or with a brief glance.
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Winter tyres and snow chains
Winter tyres (Alpine symbol) are required on all wheels when the road has black ice, snow, slush, ice or hoar-frost, with no fixed dates. Snow chains are required only where sign 268 is shown. The fine is EUR 60, or EUR 80 with obstruction.
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Travel
Air passenger rights
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies to flights departing from Germany, with compensation of EUR 250, 400 or 600 by distance. The national enforcement body is Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA).
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Customs allowances for tobacco and alcohol
From other EU states, German customs gives reference quantities of 800 cigarettes, 10 litres of spirits, 60 litres of sparkling wine and 110 litres of beer. From outside the EU, travellers aged 17 or over may bring 200 cigarettes, 1 litre of spirits over 22% vol., 4 litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer duty-free.
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Health cover for temporary visitors
The EHIC covers treatment by doctors, dentists and hospitals contracted with a German statutory health insurance fund. It does not cover private providers, repatriation or planned treatment.
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Identity documents
German citizens aged 16 or over must hold an identity card or a valid passport, and show it on request. EU citizens may enter with an ID card or passport; British citizens need a passport.
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Meat and dairy imports
Meat and dairy can be carried freely from other EU states. From outside the EU, including Great Britain, they are not covered by the personal-luggage exemptions.
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Minors travelling: documents
A child needs their own recognised travel document, including infants. A written consent from absent custodians is recommended, not required, and there is no official form.
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Rail passenger rights
Regulation (EU) 2021/782 applies to domestic and international rail services, with compensation of 25 % of the ticket price from 60 minutes and 50 % from 120 minutes. The Eisenbahn-Bundesamt is the national enforcement body.
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Short stays (90/180-day rule)
Visitors from the UK do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Entry and exit of non-EU nationals are recorded in the Entry/Exit System.
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Tax-free shopping for visitors
Buyers who live outside the EU can buy goods free of VAT for private use when the total is more than EUR 50 and the goods leave the EU by the end of the third month after the month of delivery. A border customs office confirms the export.
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Travelling with personal medicines
Medicines for personal use may be brought in up to the usual personal need, generally three months' supply per medicine. Prescribed narcotics need a certificate under Article 75 of the Schengen Convention, valid for at most 30 days.
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Travelling with pets
Dogs, cats and ferrets need a microchip, an EU pet passport and a rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before travel. Entry from outside the EU needs an animal health certificate and, from most countries, a rabies antibody titration test. No more than 5 animals may travel together. Germany bans importing four named breeds and their crosses.
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Living
Deposit return schemes and plastic bags
Germany requires a deposit of at least EUR 0.25 on most single-use drink containers of 0.1 to 3 litres. Lightweight plastic carrier bags may not be supplied.
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Dual nationality
German nationality law no longer requires applicants to give up their previous nationality. Acquiring a foreign nationality no longer causes loss of German nationality.
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Home education
School attendance is compulsory under the school laws of the Länder. The sources read show no general right to home education; national rules were not found.
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Maximum working time
The Working Hours Act sets 8 hours per working day, extendable to 10 hours within a 6-month or 24-week average, with 11 hours of daily rest and no work on Sundays and public holidays. A weekly figure and a statutory full-time week are not stated in the sections checked.
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Naturalisation by residence
Naturalisation needs five years of lawful habitual residence, German at level B1 and, as a rule, a naturalisation test. Giving up the previous nationality is not among the conditions.
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Paid holiday
Federal law sets a minimum of 24 working days (Werktage) of paid leave a year. Werktage are all days that are not Sundays or public holidays, so public holidays are not counted as leave days.
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Registering residence for longer stays
A person moving into a dwelling must register with the registration authority within two weeks. Deregistration is due within two weeks of moving out if no new dwelling is taken up in Germany.
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Smoke alarms in homes
Smoke alarm rules are set by each Land in its building code, not by federal law. In Bavaria, bedrooms, children's rooms and hallways leading to living rooms must have an alarm; owners had to equip existing dwellings by 31 December 2017.
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State pension age
The standard retirement age is rising by two months per birth year, from 66 years and 4 months for people born in 1960 to 67 years for those born in 1964 or later. Long-term insured people can claim a pension early from age 63.
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Statutory minimum wage
Germany has a statutory minimum wage of €13.90 gross per hour since 1 January 2026, rising to €14.60 on 1 January 2027. Some groups, such as young people under 18 without vocational training and trainees, are not covered.
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Restrictions
Cannabis
Since 1 April 2024 adults may possess up to 25 g in public, and up to 50 g and three plants at home. Supply is limited to licensed members-only clubs.
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Drinking age and alcohol sales
Beer, wine and sparkling wine may not be sold or served to under 16s, and other alcohol not to under 18s. From 14, beer and wine are allowed in public places with a parent or guardian. Public vending machines for alcohol are banned unless minors cannot reach them.
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Drones
Germany applies the EU drone rules. Register with the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt if your drone has a camera or weighs over 250 g, and carry liability insurance.
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Fireworks
Category F2 fireworks may be sold to consumers only from 29 to 31 December and let off only on 31 December and 1 January, by people aged 18 or over. Use is banned near churches, hospitals, children's and care homes and fire-sensitive buildings.
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Knives and pepper spray
Germany bans carrying one-handed knives and fixed blades over 12 cm in public unless there is a legitimate interest. Pepper spray is a prohibited weapon unless approved and marked with an official test mark.
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Tobacco and nicotine age limits
Federal law sets 18 for tobacco and for e-cigarettes. Federal law bans smoking on public transport; other premises are regulated by the Länder.
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General information, not legal advice. Rules change: check the official source before you fly or ride.