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Essentials
Health : The age for mammography screening is reduced from 50 to 45. If you are in the age group 45 to 49, you can get the mammography screening for early breast cancer detection. However, public health insurance will not cover the costs. Expect to pay around 100€ and 250€. Read more ->
Rights : Key takeaways from the webinar on what you can do if authorities don't answer.
If the authority won't give an appointment to submit the application/documents, go to the immigration office and submit all your documents in their post box. Take someone with you as a witness and collect evidence that you submitted the application in their post box. You don't have to wait years just to hand in your application.
Authorities respond to lawyer letters because they arrive via a dedicated legal portal (beA), bypassing the daily flood of queries. Moreover, involving a lawyer usually means a lawsuit will follow. This is something authorities want to avoid if possible.
In emergency cases, such as losing your job without a valid visa, filing a provisional injunctive relief is a way to get a quick decision.
Applying for a visa extension before your current permit expires is legally sufficient to keep living and working in Germany.You don't need a paper or Fiktionsbescheinigung for it. Some employers don't know this, so cite § 81 Abs. 4 Aufenthaltsgesetz: applying for renewal before expiry means your permit is legally treated as valid until a decision is made.
Rights : After Germany rejects a new asylum claim, it may still threaten to deport the person to their home country. It doesn't matter if another EU member state previously granted protection. Read more ->
Schufa Score calculation is now transparent, and you can target specific areas to improve it
Since 17 March 2026, Schufa has switched to a new scoring system. For the first time, you can see your score at no cost and understand exactly what drives it.
The new score runs from 100 to 999 points. It's based on 12 named criteria.
You can see how many points you earn in each category, from payment history (the most important factor) to the age of your oldest bank account.
You can access your score for free at app.schufa.de or via the new Schufa mobile app. You will need to verify your identity once using your German ID card or a PIN letter by post.
NOTE: Not all companies use the new score yet. The transition runs until 2028.
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Watchout
Deadline : You must register with the KSK by 31 March 2026 if you meet the following criteria.
You are a business owner in Germany and have hired freelance artists or publicists. The country of operation of a freelance artist doesn't matter.
You paid more than €700 in fees to the freelance artists in 2025.
You also must submit a report of the total fees paid to the freelance artists in 2025 by March 31, 2026. The KSK will use this amount to calculate the social security contribution you must pay to KSK. Currently, it is 5% of all payments made to artists (excluding VAT).
Deadline : VAT Advance Return for Q1 2026 is due on 10 Apr 2026.
Phishing : Fraudulent email impersonating N26, claiming customers must confirm their phone number due to a "system update" or lose access to all N26 functions. Do not click any links. Verbraucherzentrale has issued warnings for similar scams for Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken, easyBank, SumUp, DPD, and Commerzbank. [1]
Phishing : A massive AI-powered wave of fake QR codes is being placed on parking meters, EV charging stations, and sent via post as fake parcel notifications. Scanning these codes leads to counterfeit bank websites that steal credentials and payment data. Be very careful before scanning a QR code.
Fake : BaFin warns about the website tradealles.com. It offers banking and/or financial services in Germany without the required BaFin authorization. Don't use this website. Similarly, many fake stock and crypto trading websites are now online. Always use a reputable online broker. We find Scalable Capital*, Finanzen.net Zero*, Smartbroker+* the best online brokers in Germany.
For emergencies:
BSI Lagezentrum: +49 228 999582 5110
BaFin Consumer Protection: consumer@bafin.de
Police: 110.
EU active military personnel change between 2020 and 2025
Many EU member states reduced their active military personnel in the past five years. Germany is pushing to increase its active military personnel to 203k by 2030. Read more ->
Need help communicating complex ideas visually? We help you turn data into your most persuasive story. Contact us to learn more.
AI Corner
News : Perplexity Computer can now connect to your health apps. It can sync data from wearables, lab results, and medical records. It can use all the information from these sources to build personalized dashboards, tools, and answer your health-related questions. Watch it in action here.
Event Webinar to learn how teams are using AI agents to scale testing. Register here.
Learn : If you are new to AI agents and don't know where to start, watch this video. In this video, the presenter explains everything in simple terms.
Latest News
Germany introduced a fuel-price package in the Bundestag. In this package, petrol stations are allowed to raise E5/E10/Diesel prices only once per day (at 12:00). They can, however, reduce the prices at any time. The package tightens the competition-law tools so the Bundeskartellamt can intervene if prices look excessive. The package has not yet passed. But it's expected to pass before Easter 2026. [1]
Ver.di has called another coordinated round of warning strikes in local public transport. It affects buses, U-Bahn, and trams in Hamburg, Munich, NRW, and Sachsen-Anhalt. Deutsche Bahn's long-distance network is NOT affected. [2]
Community Corner
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New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Essentials Finance : The government plans to pay 10 € per month toward your child's retirement. It is part of the proposal "Frühstart-Rente". The law is expected to pass in 2026. The state will pay €10 per month into a personal pension investment account for each child aged 6–18 attending school in Germany. Read more -> Finance : Investing in German new builds. We had a...
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New here? Check out GermanPediaDid someone forward you this? Subscribe to this newsletter. Your unfair advantage in Germany Essentials Finance : Learn the strategies to save taxes when receiving severance pay. There are two main strategies to save taxes on your severance pay: The one-fifth rule and contributing to the pension insurance. There are certain things you must do to qualify for these strategies. This requires advance planning. We have explained both strategies in detail and what you...