German official letter explained: how to understand it in five steps
Letters from German authorities and courts are written to be legally exact. That often makes them hard to understand, even for native speakers. The sentences are long, the text is full of legal terms, and the most important point, the deadline, often comes at the very end.
You do not have to translate every word. With five questions you can understand almost any German official letter.
How to read any German official letter in five steps
- Find the sender: who is writing? The name is at the top, together with the Aktenzeichen (reference number).
- Find what they want: should you pay, answer, send documents, or only take note?
- Find the deadline: look for a date and for words like “bis zum” (by), “innerhalb von” (within) or “spätestens” (at the latest).
- Find the amount: how much, to whom, with which IBAN and which Verwendungszweck (payment reference)?
- Find how to object: read the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung, usually at the end. It says how you can file a Widerspruch or an Einspruch (both mean a formal objection).
Write down the five answers in your own words. Then you have translated the letter into plain language.
Short glossary: key words in German official letters
- Bescheid: the written decision of an authority in your case.
- Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung: a paragraph, usually at the end. It says how, where and until when you can challenge the decision.
- Widerspruch: you tell the authority that you do not agree with the Bescheid. The authority then checks it again.
- Einspruch: the same idea under a different name, for example for a tax assessment or a Bußgeldbescheid (fine notice).
- Frist: the period in which you can or should do something. Afterwards it is often too late.
- Bekanntgabe and Zustellung: Bekanntgabe means the Bescheid counts as having reached you. The Frist usually starts on that day. Zustellung is a formal delivery with proof, for example in the yellow envelope.
- Anhörung: the authority plans a decision and gives you the chance to write your view first.
- Mahnung: a reminder that a payment is still open.
- Vollstreckung: a claim is enforced by force, for example through a Pfändung (seizure).
- Aktenzeichen: the number of your case. Give it in every reply.
These explanations are general. Which deadline and which amount apply to you is written in your own letter and its Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung.
What the yellow envelope means
A yellow envelope is a förmliche Zustellung (formal service). A court or an authority wants to prove that you received the letter and when. The colour says nothing about the content: it can be a claim, but also a summons as a witness or a Bescheid.
- The postal worker writes the date of delivery by hand on the envelope (§ 180 ZPO). Keep the envelope: this date is your proof of when the deadline started.
- If you are not at home, the letter may be put in your letterbox. It counts as delivered when it is put in, even if you find it later. No signature is needed (§ 180 ZPO).
- The yellow envelope has no deadline of its own. The deadline is in the letter. Open it at once.
The most common deadlines
For every deadline below, the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung in your own letter decides. This list only shows the general rule.
- Einspruch against a tax assessment (Steuerbescheid): within one month after the Bekanntgabe (§ 355 AO). Check the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung in your assessment. More: letter from the Finanzamt.
- Widerspruch against a decision of the Jobcenter: within one month after the Bescheid was notified to you (§ 84 SGG). Check the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung in your Bescheid.
- Widerspruch against a Mahnbescheid (court order for payment): within two weeks from the Zustellung (§ 692 Abs. 1 Nr. 3, § 694 ZPO). Check the notice in your Mahnbescheid.
- Einspruch against a Bußgeldbescheid: within two weeks after the Zustellung (§ 67 OWiG). Check the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung in your notice.
A phone call is usually not enough: for a Widerspruch or Einspruch the letter almost always asks for a written reply. For letters from a court, for enforcement, large amounts or questions about your residence status, get advice, for example from the Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre), a Schuldnerberatung (debt advice service), a Migrationsberatung (advice service for migrants) or through Beratungshilfe (legal advice aid) at the Amtsgericht.
How Postklar helps
Postklar is an iPhone app. You take a photo of the official letter and get it explained in plain words in your own language: German, English, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Turkish, Polish or Spanish.
- It shows the deadlines, the amounts and the next steps.
- You can ask questions about the letter and get a reply drafted.
- The first 3 letters are free.
The app explains, it is not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How can I understand German letters without good German?
Look for five things: the sender, what they want, the deadline, the amount and how to object. Write the answers down in your own words. The glossary on this page explains the most common terms.
Can I translate an official letter from Germany?
Yes. You can work through it with the five steps and the glossary, ask an advice service, or take a photo of the letter with an app like Postklar and get an explanation in your language. Keep the German terms and the Aktenzeichen for your reply.
What is a Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung?
It is the paragraph, usually at the end of the letter, that says how, where and until when you can challenge the decision. It decides which deadline applies to you.
What is the difference between Widerspruch and Einspruch?
Both mean that you do not agree with a decision. Which word applies depends on the type of letter. It is written in the Rechtsbehelfsbelehrung of your letter.
Is a yellow envelope always bad news?
No. Yellow only means that the sender needs proof of delivery. A summons as a witness also comes this way. You should still open the letter at once, because a deadline often starts with the delivery.
Postklar explains your letter in your language
Take a photo and understand it in seconds: what it is about, which deadline applies, what to do. Your first 3 letters are free.
Download on the App StoreThis page explains in general what such letters mean. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice on your individual case. What your own letter says always comes first.
More letters explained
Sources
- § 355 AO (deadline for the Einspruch against a tax assessment), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 84 SGG (deadline for the Widerspruch), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 692 ZPO (Mahnbescheid, two week deadline), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 694 ZPO (Widerspruch against the Mahnbescheid), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 67 OWiG (Einspruch against the Bußgeldbescheid), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 180 ZPO (substitute service by placing the letter in the letterbox), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 182 ZPO (record of service), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 35 VwVfG (definition of an administrative act), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 28 VwVfG (hearing of the persons concerned), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 41 VwVfG (notification of an administrative act), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 58 VwGO (information on legal remedies), gesetze-im-internet.de
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