Sanctions & Economic Crime · Germany
Find a sanctions lawyer in Germany who understands your file
Sanctions questions rarely arrive in a neat category. One letter can involve a bank, a customs authority and a prosecutor at the same time. We help you find a German lawyer who handles that kind of complexity.
- Lawyers who work on sanctions, export controls and related criminal matters
- Experience with administrative, civil and criminal procedures in Germany
- Free matching, no obligation to instruct anyone
Free of charge · No obligation · First response usually within 24–48 hours
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When a sanctions problem needs a German lawyer
Sanctions touch businesses and individuals in very different ways: a frozen account, a blocked shipment, a compliance review that turns into a criminal investigation, or a listing you believe is wrong. Working out where you stand is difficult when EU restrictive measures, German administrative practice and criminal law all point in different directions. That is where a sanctions lawyer in Germany helps. A specialist reads your file, explains which procedure you are actually in — administrative, civil or criminal — and builds a strategy around the evidence. Through our free matching service you describe your situation once, and we connect you with a lawyer who handles sanctions matters in Germany, usually within 24 to 48 hours.
Local framework
How sanctions-related matters are handled in Germany
Germany is a codified civil-law country: law is made by the federal legislature and the sixteen Länder, and federal law generally prevails over state law. Sanctions work can therefore move between courts, authorities and prosecutors, and which route you are on changes what you should do next.
Which court hears your matter
Civil and criminal disputes go through the ordinary jurisdiction, which has four tiers: local courts (Amtsgerichte), regional courts (Landgerichte), higher regional courts (Oberlandesgerichte) and the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) in Karlsruhe, which reviews points of law only (Revision). Disputes with public authorities are heard by the separate administrative courts.
Who is allowed to represent you
Parties before the Landgerichte and Oberlandesgerichte must be represented by a lawyer, as must parties before the BGH, where only specially admitted lawyers may appear (Section 78(1) ZPO). Every admitted lawyer is a compulsory member of one of the 28 regional Rechtsanwaltskammern, coordinated by the federal Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (BRAK), which adopts the professional conduct rules.
What a German lawyer costs
Lawyer fees are set by the statutory Lawyers’ Remuneration Act (RVG), which fixes a rate for each procedural step based on the value in dispute, so fees are predictable and largely independent of hours worked; hourly or success-based fees are permitted only within narrow statutory limits. Court fees follow the fixed scale of the Court Fees Act (GKG).
Who pays in the end
In civil litigation the losing party generally bears the court fees and the opponent’s statutory lawyer fees (Section 91 ZPO). That rule shapes strategy from the outset, because the financial exposure of a claim includes the other side’s RVG fees, not only your own costs and the court’s charges.
Legal aid and its limits
Prozesskostenhilfe covers court and lawyer fees in civil, voluntary-jurisdiction, labour, administrative, social and fiscal proceedings for parties who cannot afford the costs, subject to an income and personal-circumstances test, with repayment if circumstances improve. It is not available to criminal defendants or to debtors in insolvency proceedings.
Timing, language and limitation
Proceedings in Germany are conducted in German. For civil claims the regular limitation period is three years under Section 195 BGB, running from the end of the year in which the claim arose and the creditor knew, or ought to have known, of the facts and of the debtor’s identity. Special periods, such as 30 years for claims established by final judgment, can apply.
Key time limit — Administrative & Regulatory Law
Administrative appeal (Widerspruch) — 1 month. Deadline for objecting formally to an administrative decision in Germany.
The country information on this page is taken from official sources — German federal legislation published on gesetze-im-internet.de, the Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer and the European e-Justice Portal — and reviewed for this page.
- European e-Justice Portal – National justice systems: Germany
- European e-Justice Portal – Legal aid
- Section 78 ZPO – representation before the courts
- Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer (BRAK)
- Section 195 BGB – regular limitation period
- Section 4 KSchG – dismissal claim period
- Section 1566 BGB – divorce after separation
- Section 1944 BGB – disclaimer of inheritance
- Section 573c BGB – tenancy notice period
- Section 70 VwGO – administrative appeal period
Typical situations
Sound familiar?
Sanctions matters usually start with uncertainty rather than with a clear accusation.
You do not know your own status
You receive a bank query, a customs hold or a letter from an authority, and you are not sure whether you are a witness, a suspect or simply caught up in someone else’s file.
Commercial and criminal risk overlap
Export controls, ownership structures and payment routes overlap. What looks like a commercial problem may also raise criminal questions, and both strands need handling together rather than one after the other.
You cannot tell which route applies
It is unclear whether your matter belongs before an administrative court, an ordinary civil court or a criminal court — and which deadlines are already running against you.
Why use our service
Matched with the right lawyer, not just any lawyer
We do not give legal advice. We help you reach a lawyer who does.
Specialist matching
We match you with a lawyer who handles sanctions-related mandates in Germany, so your first conversation is about your case rather than about what the practice area involves.
One request, several options
You describe the facts once. We compare your request with lawyers who work on the relevant issues and come back with options you can consider at your own pace.
Clarity on costs
German lawyer fees follow the statutory RVG scale for many procedural steps, so you can ask for a written estimate and understand what a mandate is likely to involve before you commit.
Free and confidential
Using the matching service costs you nothing and creates no obligation. Your details are shared only so that suitable lawyers can assess whether they are able to help.
Cross-border matters
Where our lawyers practise
Sanctions often involve more than one jurisdiction — a parent company, a supplier, a bank or an account abroad. We work with lawyers in Germany and in neighbouring and other European countries, so a cross-border element can be covered by someone who knows that jurisdiction too.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What does a sanctions lawyer in Germany actually do?
It depends on your role. Typical work includes advising on EU restrictive measures, reviewing transactions, ownership chains and payment routes, responding to authority requests, supporting internal reviews, challenging administrative decisions and, where a criminal allegation is involved, acting in the criminal proceedings. A sanctions lawyer in Germany should be able to tell you early on which of these routes your matter is taking.
Do I need a lawyer who is admitted in Germany?
For most sanctions-related work you want a lawyer admitted in Germany, because German proceedings are conducted in German. Representation is compulsory before the regional courts (Landgerichte) and higher regional courts (Oberlandesgerichte), and before the Federal Court of Justice only lawyers specially admitted there may appear (Section 78(1) ZPO).
Can I get legal aid for a sanctions matter in Germany?
Prozesskostenhilfe is available in civil, voluntary-jurisdiction, labour, administrative, social and fiscal proceedings for parties who cannot afford court and lawyer fees, subject to an income and personal-circumstances test. It is not available to criminal defendants or to debtors in insolvency proceedings, so a criminal matter generally has to be funded privately.
Which German courts handle sanctions-related disputes?
Civil and criminal matters go through the ordinary courts: local courts (Amtsgerichte), regional courts (Landgerichte), higher regional courts (Oberlandesgerichte) and the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Karlsruhe, which reviews points of law only. Disputes with public authorities are heard by the separate administrative courts, and the Federal Constitutional Court can review the constitutionality of laws.
How are lawyer fees calculated in Germany?
Lawyer fees are governed by the Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz (RVG), which fixes a rate for each procedural step calculated from the value in dispute, so fees are predictable and largely independent of hours worked. Hourly or success-based fees are permitted only within narrow statutory limits. In civil litigation the losing party generally reimburses the winner’s statutory fees (Section 91 ZPO).
How long do I have to challenge an administrative decision in Germany?
An administrative appeal (Widerspruch) generally has to be brought within one month. Other periods vary by matter: a dismissal claim must be filed within three weeks, and the regular limitation period for most civil claims is three years under Section 195 BGB. Early advice matters, because a missed period can end a case.
Next step
Tell us what has happened — we will find the right lawyer
Describe your situation in a few lines. We will match you with a lawyer in Germany who handles sanctions-related work and who can assess your position, explain the procedure and set out the options open to you.