CDU and FDP reject German government plan for citizenship reform

Could Germany’s citizenship reforms be blocked in parliament? Senior members of the CDU and FDP have called the reform plans into question, claiming that they would be too... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Germany delays 2-week paid partner leave law to 2024

The German government’s plan to offer two weeks of paid leave to all partners following the birth of a child has been delayed until 2024 due to the difficult economic situation,... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

House prices could fall by up to 10 percent, German study says

The risk of house prices falling in Germany is increasing, a new study has warned. As house price rises increasingly outpace the cost of rentals, the market becomes more and more... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

5 sensational ski resorts in Europe

Booking a skiing trip this ski season or over the holidays? Lucky for you, Europe is home to some of the most stunning ski resorts in the world, complete with dazzling views, runs... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German Catholic church abolishes anti-LGBT+ and divorcee labour laws

Catholic Church employees in queer relationships and those who have remarried after a divorce can no longer lose their job. German Catholic church removes discriminatory labour... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Scholz dims lights on Germany’s official Christmas tree

As part of Germany's collective effort to save energy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to dim the lights on the Christmas tree outside his official residence in Berlin. Scholz... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Hartz IV is history: Bürgergeld passes through German parliament

After it was blocked by the CDU / CSU faction last week, the historic Bürgergeld reform to social security payments has now passed through the German parliament and will be... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German Amazon employees join first international Black Friday strike

German trade union ver.di has announced that employees at half of the country’s Amazon warehouses are striking on Black Friday for better conditions and pay. The collective action... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Celtic coins worth millions stolen in Bavarian museum heist

A museum in Bavaria has been robbed of Celtic gold coins worth millions of euros after thieves sabotaged internet and communications in the town ahead of the heist. Celtic gold... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Germany spurns UK claims that Scholz encouraged Ukraine surrender

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been accused of lying after claiming Germany encouraged Ukraine to surrender to Russia within days of the invasion. German government... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Germany’s 3-euro coronavirus test scheme to end on November 26

Germany's 3-euro test scheme will be scrapped as soon as Saturday, November 26. Free coronavirus tests in Germany are set to end all together come February 2023.  German 3-euro... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German national team accused of abandoning their LGBT solidarity pitch-side

After FIFA quashed German football players’ attempts to show LGBT+ solidarity in Qatar, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and supermarket chain REWE have urged the German Football... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

10 German tongue twisters (deutsche Zungenbrecher) to get your mouth around

Fancy showing off your German language skills to friends and family? A tongue twister is a (usually nonsense) sentence that groups together similar-sounding words to challenge... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

IT’S July: The new matchmaking platform for families

Have you heard about Tinder for families? Yes, you read that right! There is a new platform in the social networking arena designed specifically for families. It will help you... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

2 extra months of gas price cap subsidy announced for households in Germany

Households and businesses in Germany  are set to save a little more on their home utilities next year. The government has announced that it will retroactively extend gas price cap... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German disaster office apologises for creating power cut panic

Germany’s Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BKK) has apologised after a representative said that local blackouts were likely across the country in... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Striking the balance between profit and purpose in business

Throughout history, businesses have overwhelmingly focused on profit. And some paid little attention to how they did it. But in today’s interconnected society – where preserving... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

FINN: The simple way to get your next car

For many car-owning expats, moving to a new country comes along with some difficult questions: do I take my car with me? Do I sell it? Should I get a new one?  Get your next car... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Millions in Germany could face housing benefit delay

Low-income earners who are set to receive Wohngeld housing benefit may have to wait months for money after the government admitted planned reforms would overload administrative... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Coin-operated payphones go extinct in Germany

The 20th century has called and it wants its coin-operated payphones back. Coin slots in Germany’s 12.000 remaining payphones will stop working from today, a move by Deutsche... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Berlin Zoo closes following bird flu case

Berlin Zoo will be shut for an undisclosed number of weeks following a possible outbreak of the H5N1 flu among its bird population. Berlin Zoo closes after H5N1 bird flu case... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Bavarian International School (BIS) in Munich: Changemakers for a new tomorrow

The Bavarian International School (BIS) is more than just a school. It is where students from three to 19 years of age are prepared for the new world of tomorrow. This is where... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Germans' English language skills rated highly in international comparison

A year after falling out of the top 10 for the first time since 2015, Germans have once again been named some of the best non-native English speakers in the world. The latest EF... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Revealed: Berliners stumble upon an e-scooter every 77 metres

Berlin was once a wholesome horizon of self-policing cyclists and oblivious tourists walking on the Fahrradweg (cycling path), but oh those days are gone. Today, electric scooter... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

[Video] Would Germans pass the German citizenship test?

Think you’ve got what it takes to become a naturalised German citizen? Turns out, it’s not so easy, even for people who are born and bred Germans!  Do you know the answers to... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Climate neutral in just 8 years? Berlin petition surpasses signature goal

A petition organised by Klimaneustart to hold a city-wide referendum on making Berlin climate neutral by 2030 has surpassed the number of signatures needed to hold a vote. Berlin... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

6 best German Christmas markets to eat your way through in 2022

Ready to navigate eating some cheesy Spätzle with a bendy plastic fork without foregoing your cosiest mittens? Just as we’ve all forgotten quite how strong the Glühwein is,... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

First snow of winter 2022 crosses Germany

Many people in Germany may have woken up this morning to a sprinkle of white on the tree branches outside. It’s time to fish out your winter jacket and woolly hat, as temperatures... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

All mobile phones in Germany to receive alerts on Warning Day on December 8

No cause for panic: On December 8, 2022, Germany will have another official warning (Warntag). From sirens to emergency alert text messages, here’s what you can expect on the day... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

The Anmeldung: 16 tips on getting an address registered in Germany

The Anmeldung (registration appointment) is the process of registering your residential address with the local citizen’s office (Bürgeramt). In Germany, everyone who is staying in... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Court rules Berlin’s 2021 local elections must be rerun within 90 days

Following a series of organisational blunders during Berlin’s 2021 local elections, the city’s constitutional court has ordered an official revote for February 2023. Berlin court... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Dresden picked for Lonely Planet's top global destinations in 2023

The state of Saxony might not be high up the list of tourist destinations in Germany, but popular travel guide Lonely Planet is encouraging people to think again: its state... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German winter gas supplies now at 100 percent capacity

As temperatures drop and winter hits Germany it has been announced that the country’s gas storage facilities have now reached full capacity.  German gas storage at full capacity... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Germany lowers voting age to 16 for future EU elections

The German Bundestag has approved a motion to lower the legal voting age to 16 for elections to the European Parliament, on the basis that the younger generation is particularly... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Germany to introduce 200-euro cinema and concert pass for 18-year-olds

The German government has announced it will follow in France’s footsteps by introducing a 200-euro culture pass for 18-year-olds to use at cinemas, museums and concert halls ... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German government nationalises Russian gas giant subsidiary

On Monday the German government announced that it would nationalise SEFE, the daughter company of billion-dollar Russian energy corporation Gazprom. Germany nationalises Russian... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Bürgergeld citizens’ income reform rejected by the German Bundesrat

The German government's planned overhaul of the controversial Hartz IV social benefits system has been halted as the reform fails to pass a Bundesrat-level vote. Bürgergeld... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German property prices sink for the first time in 12 years

According to estimations by the Association of German Bond Banks (VDP), the cost of buying a house in Germany has sunk for the first time since 2010. Meanwhile, rents continue to... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

5 things freelancers and self-employed expats need to know about their taxes

Germany is famous for its bureaucracy. And - guess what - the burden for freelancers is even bigger. But don’t panic! Melchior Neumann from the freelance tax app Kontist lays down... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Deutsche Bahn services cut by Swiss rail due to repeated delays

Deutsche Bahn ICE train services between German cities and the Swiss alpine city of Chur will be cut from December 11, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has announced. Deutsche Bahn’s ... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Berlin’s 17-million-euro seesaw unity memorial to be unveiled in 2023

After years of planning and unmet deadlines, Berlin’s new moving unity memorial is expected to be unveiled next year. Berlin unity memorial to open in 2023 A new freedom and... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Majority of Germans condemn the protest methods of climate activists

After a series of protests against sluggish government climate policy, a survey has found that a large majority of Germans are unsympathetic to activists’ tactics. Majority of... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German words expats should know: Assi

Question: what word can you use to describe something that’s a bit crummy, low-quality, annoying, lazy, bad - or even a person who embodies some or all of these things? Answer:... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Which German states are the happiest in 2022?

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, an energy crisis and high inflation rates, Germans are pretty happy in 2022! Germans happier in... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

KFC app suggests customers mark Kristallnacht anniversary with cheesy fried chicken

US fast food chain KFC has apologised after its German app suggested customers should commemorate the Kristallnacht anti-Semitic pogrom by ordering food. KFC app alert tells... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Health Minister Lauterbach says Germany must reduce overnight hospital stays

Germany's health minister, Karl Lauterbach, wants to reduce non-urgent hospital stays in an attempt to relieve overworked doctors and medical staff. Lauterbach calls for fewer... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

German government announces biggest child benefits rise in history

From next year, parents in Germany will receive higher child benefit payments, the federal government has announced. The FDP has called it the biggest child benefits hike in... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago

Majority of Germans want to boycott Qatar World Cup, survey finds

Amid a series of fan protests and revelations of homophobic comments made by Qatar’s World Cup ambassador, an online survey has revealed that the majority of Germans support a... | Continue reading


@iamexpat.de | 1 year ago