Changes To German Laws Mostly Please Expat Residents

Expats living and working in Germany should note a number of changes to German regulations, beginning right now.

If you’re an expat in Germany looking for an inexpensive, safe means of personal transport, this legislation will please you. At last, E-scooters will finally be allowed onto German roads, albeit at a speed limit of just 20 kms per hour. Also, the scooters will be forbidden from all pavements, as they’re a risk to pedestrians however slowly they’re being driven. Driving licenses are mandatory but helmets need not be worn.

Bans on diesel cars being driven in cities are creeping slowly across the country’s conurbations, with Berlin the latest mega-city to be affected. Starting on July 1, cars with emissions badges covering categories one through five are to be forbidden from using any one of 15 sections of road in the capital. Expat drivers affected might well be better off buying an E-scooter, although allowing enough extra time for journeys might cause problems!

Expats renting accommodation in Germany’s densely-populated North-Rhine Westphalia state will be happy to hear rent increases are to be limited to 20 per cent over a period of three years. Those living in Dusseldorf, Cologne, Leverkusen, Troisdorf, Bruhl, and Siegburg will be even happier, as their rent increases over three years will now be limited to only 15 per cent. However, if any expats are working as security guards, a response to a number of attacks by security personnel won’t make their day, as they’ll have to be part of a German Police register along with their employers.