GERMANY · GUIDE · WHEN IT GOES WRONG
It went wrong. Now what?
You missed a date, or a letter says you owe money, or an office said no. This is the page for that. Almost none of it is as bad as it feels at the moment you open the envelope, and nearly all of it has a way back.
Read this first
German offices are not trying to catch you out. Nearly every deadline has a second chance written into the law, and nearly every decision can be questioned. Being new is not a crime and it is not unusual either, because offices deal with people who have just moved here every single day. So open the letter, find the date, and read on.
An office decided something and you think it is wrong
You do not have to accept it. You have one month to object, in writing, to the same office that wrote to you. Look at the end of their letter, where there is a paragraph telling you exactly this. If that paragraph is missing or wrong, you get a whole year instead. Whether objecting is worth it in your case is a real question, and the free advice centres below are the people who can answer it.
If an office decides something about you and you think it is wrong, you have one month to say so in writing. The month starts the day the decision reaches you, and you send your objection to the office that made it. The letter itself has to tell you this — look for a paragraph at the end headed Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung. Source ↗
If that paragraph is missing, or it was wrong, the one month does not apply to you. You get a year instead, counted from the day the decision arrived. Source ↗
You registered your address late
This is the most common one, and the most survivable. Registering late is an offence and the law allows a fine of up to 1,000 euros, but that is the ceiling the law sets rather than a price list. The office decides. Go and register now, because turning up late by yourself is a far better position than being found out.
Registering late, incorrectly, or not at all is an administrative offence (Ordnungswidrigkeit) under the registration law, and can be fined up to 1,000 euros. Source ↗
A letter says you owe money
First, work out who sent it. A reminder from a company is just a letter, annoying rather than dangerous. A letter from a court is different, and less frightening than it looks. By law it has to tell you two things: that you have two weeks to object, and that the court has not checked whether you owe anything at all. Nobody has ruled against you. The form to object comes in the same envelope.
A court demand for money is not a court saying you owe it. A Mahnbescheid arrives from a court, and by law it has to tell you two things: that you have two weeks to object, and that the court has not checked whether the person asking is actually owed anything. The objection form comes with the letter. Source ↗
Your tax return is late
Late filing can cost you a surcharge for each month of delay, but there is a large exception. If it turns out you owe nothing, or you are getting a refund, there is no surcharge at all. That is the position many people who file voluntarily are in. So file it, and let the tax office tell you the exact amount, if there is one.
Filing a tax return late can cost you a surcharge, counted for every month you are late. There is one large exception: if your assessment comes out at zero, or you are getting money back, no surcharge is charged at all. Source ↗
The bank said no
A bank must give you a basic account and can only refuse you for a few narrow reasons. If it does refuse, it has to tell you in writing within ten working days and give the reasons free of charge. It must also hand you the details of the two places you can complain to, with the form included. Those are your rights, not a favour.
If a bank refuses your Basiskonto application, it must say so within ten business days — and, unless anti-money-laundering rules forbid it, must give you the reasons free of charge in text form, in German unless agreed otherwise. With the refusal it must also point you, again free of charge and in text form, to the BaFin administrative procedure and to the competent consumer arbitration board with their contact details, and attach the application form for the BaFin procedure. Source ↗
Who helps, and for how much
All three are public bodies or non-profits, and none of them pays us anything. The complaint to the financial regulator costs nothing at all.
We take no commission from any of these. They are simply where the listings are. Each link was opened and checked on the date below.
Where this guide stops
This page tells you what the law allows and how long you have. It does not write your objection, and it does not tell you whether to make one. That turns on your papers and your case, and neither is visible from here. The addresses above can do both, and several of them cost nothing.
Back to your plan →This is not legal, tax, immigration, or financial advice, and not an official recognition, filing, or application. For decisions with legal or financial consequences, consult a qualified professional. Sources checked 2026-07-08.