How to Avoid Costly Mistakes and Fines in Germany

Last updated on April 15th, 2025 at 10:29 am

Did you just get fined in Germany for a law you didn’t know existed?

Don’t feel bad. Many of us have been there. Expensive mistakes are not so uncommon when you move to a new country. Believe it or not, even Germans sometimes make them. However, also understand that not knowing a rule or law doesn’t protect against penalties and fines in Germany.

So here’s a list of some of the most common mistakes made by newcomers here and the most avoidable fines in Germany. 

Disclaimer: This blog post may include affiliate links.  These links do not cost you anything, but I might earn a small commission if you decide to use goods or services from one of my recommended partners.  Thank you for your support to help keep this platform growing!

Common mistakes made at home

1) Not Reading Contracts…

Read contracts and understand what kind of agreement you’re getting into. Any contract you sign, whether job, phone, internet or tenant.

If a term and condition is in a contract you signed, consider it set in stone. If you do not bother to read your contract fully and miss an important detail or do not completely understand it, but sign anyway, then the law will be on the side of the party with which you signed the contract.

If you don’t understand German yet, it might be a great idea to get one of German German-speaking mates to check it for you.

2) Not cancelling contracts properly…

One of the classic mistakes made by newcomers in Germany is not being aware of minimum contract durations (e.g with gyms, or sometimes rental contracts) or cancellation notice periods (e.g. jobs, rental contracts, subscriptions).

Speaking of cancellation periods: stopping payments and thinking that pausing payment will cancel a contract will actually land you in even more trouble!

A contract in Germany doesn’t magically terminate if you just remove your card from the file or stop paying. The contract is still running. Now you’re just accumulating debt.

Unsettled debt will eventually be sent to collections and then to the bailiff. All of which will just make things much more expensive in the long term. See where this is going?

So what’s the best approach if you want to cancel a contract in Germany?

Cancel your damn subscriptions and memberships, preferably in writing with registered mail.  Information concerning contract cancellation is always mentioned in contracts.

What about cancelling rental contracts?

Most rental contracts have a three-month cancellation period. If this is what it says in your rental contract, you can give a notice to your landlord and move out in three months.

However, some rental contracts also have a minimum tenancy period varying from 12 to 15 months. It’s a bit of a grey area, but it happens occasionally.

If I were you, I wouldn’t sign such a contract. But let’s say you signed one with a minimum 12-month tenancy period, and want to leave, then the earliest you can get out is 15 months: 12-month contract + 3-month notice period.

Learn more about your rights as a tenant in Germany.

What about Deutschlandticket?

You can cancel your D-Ticket at any time, but if you’re not within the first few days of the month, you will be charged for the month. Cancellation takes effect the following month.

PRO TIP: If you really want to cover all your bases, then get your rental or job (or any) contract checked online through YourXpert’s online contract verification service.

You can upload your rental contract on this page, and YourXpert will match you with a real estate lawyer who:

• Reviews your lease agreement and identify any possible pitfalls and missing or legally doubtful clauses.
• Suggests better and legally favourable wording/changes in the contract.
• Helps you demand necessary changes from your contractual partner (landlord or leasing company)
• Replies to your follow-up queries for free of cost

It costs only 84 EUR and you get a response from a real estate lawyer within 24 hours.

Learn more about this contract check service here. 

3) Not separating the trash properly…

This is serious, people. Or at least it’s going to get serious. Apparently, from May 2025, incorrect garbage disposal could slap you with a fine of up to 2500 Euros.

There’s a learning curve to it, but surely, it’s possible to master it after some time.

PRO TIP: Educate yourself about the German waste management system

4) Not paying…

• GEZ fee
• Krankenkasse (in case you don’t work)
• Taxes correctly (in case you’re self-employed)
• Finanzamt (in case you’re self-employed)

PRO TIP: Learn how to register your self-employment activity correctly and which taxes to pay

5) Not having someone check your mail…

when you’re on vacation or out of the country. If you miss any letters with important deadlines, you could land in big trouble. On the same note, do not ignore official mails.

If a court of law (or other offices) can’t reach you, they can use “Öffentliche Zustellung”: they publish the letter on their blackboard and it counts as having reached you after a while (14 days, I think)

6) Not knowing the rules about torrenting…

Many new foreigners torrent files like they would in their home countries and then end up getting a fine in Germany.

Now, piracy is not exactly a punishable crime. However, the owner of the copyright can sue someone for damages for illegally distributing their content. Torrenting in Germany allows you to download content, but also makes you a distributor. If you download content you don’t have the copyright to, then the copyright owner can sue you for damages.

By the law in Germany, the owner of the internet connection, the person who signed the contract with the internet provider, has responsibility for everything that happens over this internet connection by default. So suing is much easier.

Some predatory legal firms (or rather copyright troll firms) take advantage of this law. They buy the right to sue over damages from copyright owners, monitor torrent activity, document German IP addresses, through court request information from providers on who was using those IP addresses and then threaten individuals with lawsuits.

These letters that people receive are not exactly a fine in Germany for torrenting, but rather a legal threat. General advice is DO NOT SIGN anything these predatory legal firms send to you, and get a lawyer instead.

Common mistakes made in public

While driving a car…

• Be aware of parking restrictions. Saturday is a Werktag in Germany, so if a parking place says you can only park for X hours on Werktags, that includes Saturday.
• Entering a city is automatically a 50km/h zone, unless it says otherwise. You won’t see a sign saying the speed limit is now 50km/h, just the yellow sign with the name of the city.
• Misunderstanding or ignoring implicit traffic rules, e.g. Rechts vor links, unsigned speed limits, indicating on priority road turns, zipper merging, Rettungsgasse.

On roads…

• Don’t cross on a red pedestrian light, as it can carry a small fine. I know, I know, even Germans jaywalk ALL the time. So I guess the trick is: don’t get caught. 😉
• Riding a bicycle whilst intoxicated. Or for that matter, riding E-Scooters while drunk. For these, you could even lose your driver’s license.

In public transport…

• Travelling without a ticket can get you fined in Germany.
• Not validating your train ticket after you purchase it. Even when you have a ticket, it is not valid unless it is validated. Note, though, this is more regional… and sometimes even Germans who are not from regions where it’s common practice can make this mistake.
• Not buying a ticket for your bike. In some regions, you might need an additional ticket if you plan to take your bike on a bus or train. Always check!
• If you use the Deutschlandticket, always verify which trains you can take and which items you can bring with you. For example, you have to get an extra ticket for your bike when traveling with a bike in an S-Bahn, even when you have a Deutschlandticket.

Around people…

• Recording someone’s private conversation without their knowledge is a crime that could result in a fine in Germany.
• People can be prosecuted for recording appointments at the Ausländeramt, Jobcenter or Jugendamt. Not a mistake per se, but this is very surprising to lots of foreigners.
• Being very rude. Shouting asshole or f*uck you at another human being can be satisfying but also get you some pretty hefty fines in Germany.
• Same with flipping someone off.
• Don’t strip in public.
• Doing the Hitler Salute as a joke. Just don’t! 🙄

PRO TIP: A Haftpflichtversicherung can save you a lot of trouble and money, and it’s only about 5€ a month. Learn more about private liability insurance in Germany.