Life & Law in Germany
Contracts, work, housing, family, authorities, traffic: here you get your own overview of the most important everyday rules in Germany – in plain words, with the matching sections of the law and a short quiz to think along. In German, English, Russian and Ukrainian, so you can join the conversation and have your say.
Why we are building this guide
“… I want, as a person, to get an overview myself and want to know what it's about, and want to have a say.”— Torsten on the idea (voice note, 10 November 2026)
“And that's where I mainly learned the basics of contract law. And the basics of the BGB, the German Civil Code. That was very interesting for me.”— Torsten on his training as a retail assistant at the education centre of the Saxon retail trade
The six modules
- 1. Everyday contracts (BGB)You are here
- 2. Employment contracts and labour lawIn preparation
- 3. Tenancy agreements and tenancy lawIn preparation
- 4. Family and custodyIn preparation
- 5. Jobcenter, objections and disabilityIn preparation
- 6. Traffic and insuranceIn preparation
Module 1: Everyday contracts
Almost everything in daily life is a contract: the bread roll at the bakery, the mobile phone plan, the order in an online shop. These eight cards show you the basic rules from the German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, BGB). Each card gives you the German legal term, so you recognise it in letters and forms.
1. How a contract comes about
A contract comes about when two sides agree: one makes an offer, the other accepts it. Usually you need neither paper nor signature. A handshake is enough, a phone call, an email – or conduct: if you point at a bread roll at the bakery and pay, you have made a purchase contract. Silence, on the other hand, generally does not count as agreement.
2. When you need paper
As a rule, contracts need no particular form. For some important cases, though, the law prescribes one: buying land must be notarised. Terminating an employment contract or the lease of a flat requires written form – paper with a handwritten signature; an email or WhatsApp message is not enough. Without the required form, the declaration is void. Even where no form is required, a written confirmation serves as evidence later.
3. Contracts made by children and teenagers
You come of age and gain full legal capacity at 18. Children under 7 cannot make valid contracts. Between 7 and 17, teenagers generally need their parents' consent for contracts. The exception is the “pocket money section”: a purchase is valid if it is paid for with money the parents gave for that purpose or to spend freely – headphones bought with pocket money, for example. Instalment plans and subscriptions are not covered.
4. 14 days to withdraw – online, by phone, at the door
For contracts you make with a business online, by phone or away from its premises (at your front door, for example), you have a 14-day right of withdrawal. For goods, the period usually starts on the day the goods arrive. You need no reason; a clear statement is enough, ideally by email or letter. If you were not properly informed about the right of withdrawal, the period extends to up to 12 months and 14 days. Exceptions include made-to-measure goods, perishable food and hygiene products whose seal has been broken.
5. Bought in a shop
There is no statutory right of withdrawal for purchases in a shop – the 14-day right only applies to online, phone and doorstep sales. If you get home and don't like the jacket after all, the shop may refuse to take it back. Many shops exchange goods voluntarily (as a goodwill gesture); ideally, have the conditions confirmed on the receipt. If the goods are faulty, however, you have the statutory rights for defects (next card).
6. When something is broken: warranty and guarantee
If you buy a new item from a retailer as a consumer, you automatically have the statutory warranty (Gewährleistung): for two years the seller is liable for the item being free of defects when it was handed over. First you can demand subsequent performance: repair or a replacement. If that fails, you can withdraw from the contract (money back), reduce the price or claim damages. If the defect appears within the first year, it is presumed to have existed at the time of purchase – the retailer has to prove otherwise. For used items, the period can be shortened to one year if this is agreed expressly and separately. Important: warranty and guarantee are two different things. The warranty is required by law – the seller must provide it, and for new items sold to consumers it can be neither excluded nor shortened. A guarantee (Garantie) is a voluntary additional promise, usually from the manufacturer; what it covers and how long it lasts is set out in its terms. A guarantee comes on top of the warranty and never replaces it.
7. Subscriptions, contract terms, small print
For consumer contracts concluded since 1 March 2022 – a gym or a magazine subscription, for example – the initial term may be at most two years. After that, the contract may only be extended for an indefinite period, and you can cancel at any time with at most one month's notice. Under the Telecommunications Act, the same applies to mobile phone and internet contracts. If the contract was made online, the website must have a cancellation button. Surprising clauses in the small print (general terms and conditions, AGB) do not become part of the contract, and clauses that put you at an unreasonable disadvantage are void.
8. Invoice, reminder, yellow letter
If you don't pay an invoice, you are in default at the latest 30 days after it is due and you have received it – as a consumer, though, only if the invoice points out this consequence; with a reminder, it can happen earlier. From then on, interest and reminder fees can be added. A court payment order (Mahnbescheid) arrives in a yellow envelope: if you think the claim is unjustified, file an objection within two weeks of delivery – after that, the creditor can apply for an enforcement order. Most claims become time-barred after three years, counted from the end of the year in which they arose.
Quiz: test your knowledge
Eight questions from everyday life. Tap an answer – then you'll see the explanation with the matching section of the law.
Question 1At the bakery you point at a bread roll, put the money down and take it. Has a contract been made?
Correct.The right answer: Yes, a purchase contract through conduct. For most contracts, conduct is enough: offer and acceptance lie in pointing and paying (§§ 145 ff. BGB).
Question 2You buy a jacket in a shop. At home you don't like it after all. May the shop refuse to take it back?
Correct.The right answer: Yes, there is no statutory right of withdrawal for purchases in a shop. The 14-day right of withdrawal applies to online, phone and doorstep sales (§ 312g BGB). In a shop, an exchange is a voluntary goodwill gesture – unless the jacket is faulty.
Question 3You order shoes online. The parcel arrives on 3 May. Until when can you withdraw?
Correct.The right answer: Until 17 May. 14 days from receipt of the goods (§§ 355, 356(2) BGB). If the last day falls on a Sunday or public holiday, the period ends on the next working day (§ 193 BGB).
Question 4Goods you never ordered are in your letterbox, together with an invoice. What applies?
Correct.The right answer: You need neither pay nor send them back. Whoever sends unordered goods to consumers has no claim to payment (§ 241a BGB). Silence is not acceptance.
Question 5Lena is 15 and buys headphones for 40 euros with her pocket money. Is the purchase valid?
Correct.The right answer: Yes, under the pocket money section. Under § 110 BGB the contract is valid if it is paid for with money given to her for that purpose or to spend freely. Instalment purchases and subscriptions are not covered.
Question 6Your new phone from an electronics store breaks after eight months. What can you demand first?
Correct.The right answer: Subsequent performance: repair or a new device. The warranty runs for two years (§ 438 BGB), and subsequent performance comes first (§ 439 BGB). In the first year, the defect is presumed to have existed at the time of purchase (§ 477 BGB). Your contact for the statutory warranty is the seller; a voluntary manufacturer's guarantee only comes on top.
Question 7In 2024 you signed a gym contract with a 24-month term. What applies after the 24 months?
Correct.The right answer: It continues indefinitely and can be cancelled with at most one month's notice. Since 1 March 2022, such a contract may only be extended for an indefinite period after the initial term, with at most one month's notice (§ 309 No. 9 BGB).
Question 8You receive a court payment order for a claim you think is wrong. How long do you have to object?
Correct.The right answer: Two weeks from delivery. The period is set out in § 692 ZPO (Code of Civil Procedure) and on the order itself. A form for the objection is enclosed; you don't need to give a reason. Once the period is over, the creditor can apply for an enforcement order.
What you can do now
- Have important arrangements confirmed in writing, for example by email.
- Keep receipts, invoices and contracts – at least for the two years of the warranty.
- Note the delivery date of online purchases: the 14 days run from that day.
- Keep a list of subscriptions and fixed-term contracts, with their notice periods.
- Open yellow letters from the court straight away and put the deadline in your calendar.
Personal advice
Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre): advice on purchases, subscriptions, debt collection and more – in person, by phone and online (verbraucherzentrale.de, in German).
Beratungshilfe (legal advice aid): on a low income, you can get an advice voucher from the local court (Amtsgericht) where you live. With it, a lawyer of your choice advises you for a personal contribution of usually 15 euros.
Sources
As of November 2026
This guide gives you general orientation on German law. For your specific case, an advice centre or a lawyer is the right place to go.
