Legal & compliance
What does a business website in Germany legally need?
Short answer
A commercial website in Germany needs a complete Impressum under section 5 of the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz, reachable from every page; a privacy policy that matches what the site actually does; consent before any non-essential cookies or trackers under section 25 TDDDG; fonts and other resources served without sending visitor data to third parties unannounced; total prices including VAT for consumers; and, for online shops and booking services that are not micro-enterprises, accessibility under the BFSG. The old link to the EU dispute platform should be removed.
Last reviewed
This is general information, not legal advice. For anything specific to your business, ask a lawyer or your chamber of commerce.
The essentials
Impressum (§ 5 DDG). Since May 2024 the Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz has replaced the Telemediengesetz, but the duty is unchanged: name and legal form, address, contact details including email, register entry and VAT ID where they exist, and supervisory or chamber details for regulated professions. It must be easy to find from every page, which in practice means a link in the footer.
Privacy policy (DSGVO). It must describe what the site actually does: the hosting provider, contact forms, any analytics, embedded maps or videos, and the legal basis for each.
Consent (§ 25 TDDDG). Non-essential cookies and similar technologies, such as analytics and marketing tags, need consent before they run. A banner that sets the cookies first and asks later does not comply.
Fonts and embeds. In 2022 a Munich court awarded damages against a site that loaded Google Fonts from Google servers, which sent the visitor’s IP address to Google without consent. Serving fonts from your own domain avoids the issue entirely.
Depending on the business
- Prices (PAngV). Prices shown to consumers must be total prices including VAT, with extras such as installation stated clearly.
- Accessibility (BFSG). Since 28 June 2025 online shops and booking services for consumers must be accessible. Micro-enterprises providing services, meaning fewer than ten staff and no more than €2 million turnover, are exempt.
- Dispute resolution (§ 36 VSBG). Businesses with more than ten employees must state whether they take part in consumer dispute resolution.
- The EU ODR link. The EU online dispute resolution platform closed on 20 July 2025. The link many sites still carry should be removed.
Why it matters more in Germany
Competitors and certain associations can send an Abmahnung, a formal warning letter with costs attached, for missing or wrong legal details. Getting these pages right before launch is far cheaper than responding to one.
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