Germany: what changes from August 2026

Updated:
05.10.2026

August in Germany is a month when several very different rules take effect at once: two Krankenkassen raise their contributions, old cards held by family members of EU citizens lose their validity, and the AI Act article on labelling AI-generated content becomes applicable. We have gathered what really changes someone’s plans and expenses.

Krankenkasse contributions are rising — and that opens a right to switch

Kündigung by 31.08.2026, change of Krankenkasse — from 01.11.2026. A contribution increase does not shorten the notice period

There is one detail about the Sonderkündigungsrecht that costs people time. Under § 175 Abs. 4 SGB V an increase lifts the mandatory minimum membership period, but it does not shorten the notice period. If the increase applies from 1 August, you can give notice up to 31 August, yet membership ends under the general rule — at the end of the second following calendar month. So the new Krankenkasse starts on 1 November, not straight away.

You do not need to file a separate notice with your old Krankenkasse: the notification from the new one replaces the Kündigung.

Half a percentage point on its own is no reason to rush. But it is a convenient moment to check what you pay and what you get for it: with the GKV reform under way, rates and rules are changing across the whole market. State health insurance is set up so that the basic services are the same everywhere — the difference lies in the Zusatzbeitrag and the additional programmes.

Documents, appliances, AI

From 3 August, Aufenthaltskarten and Daueraufenthaltskarten held by family members of EU citizens lose their validity if they do not match the uniform EU format
Right to repair: for purchase contracts concluded from 31 July 2026, the manufacturer must repair the item within a reasonable period
From 2 August, Article 50 of the AI Act applies — AI-generated content must be labelled in machine-readable form
From 12 August, new EU packaging requirements apply, including limits on PFAS in food packaging
For solar panels commissioned from 1 August, the tariff for surplus power falls by about 1 %

On the cards, the main thing is not to panic. The right of residence does not disappear, only the document loses its force, and this affects only third-country nationals who are family members of an EU citizen (cards under § 5 FreizügG/EU). Ordinary Aufenthaltstitel under the AufenthG are not affected. Holders of old cards should book an appointment at the Ausländerbehörde to exchange them.

With repairs it is worth knowing the limits. The law does not introduce free repair once the guarantee has expired: under § 479b BGB the manufacturer repairs the item “free of charge or for a reasonable fee”. What is genuinely useful is something else — if repair is chosen instead of replacement within the warranty period, the limitation period for claims is extended by 12 months (§ 475e BGB). The rule does not apply to all appliances, only to the product groups listed in the annex to the EU directive.

The line about cosmetics — “from August the ingredient lists will get longer” — also needs qualifying: 56 fragrance allergens have been added to the previous 24, around 80 in total, but products placed on the market earlier may legally be sold until 31 July 2028. So new labels will not appear all at once.

Find out more — statutory health insurance in Germany.

Check the terms of your health insurance

More details

Children, school, training

From the 2026/2027 school year there is a legal claim to all-day care for first-graders — eight hours on weekdays, extended to the next school year annually
19 new Ausbildung programmes in construction trades: energy efficiency, building renovation, examination in two stages
Minimum Ausbildung pay for those starting in 2026: 724 € in the first year, 854 € in the second, 977 € in the third, 1.014 € in the fourth
School supplies payment: 130 € on 1 August and 65 € on 1 February — 195 € per school year
From 1 August, admission to integration courses partially resumes

Two caveats change the picture on all-day care. The eight hours under § 24 Abs. 4 SGB VIII include lesson time, they are not added on top of it. And the federal states may close facilities for up to four weeks a year — so “the entitlement applies during the holidays too” is not true without reservation.

The idea is a good one. The question is the same as ever: will there be enough places, and who pays for it?

For integration courses, priority goes to holders of a residence permit under § 24 AufenthG, as well as to German citizens and citizens of other EU states with insufficient German. Applications should be submitted online via the Bundesportal; they are processed in order of receipt and only if complete — incomplete ones are rejected.

Find out more — request a suitable offer.

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Work, transport, enforcement

TVöD: part of the Jahressonderzahlung can be exchanged for up to three extra days off — check the application deadline with your employer
Mandatory continuing education has been abolished for Immobilienmakler; for Wohnimmobilienverwalter it remains in place
Collectively agreed pay from 1 August: DB staff under the agreement with the GDL +2.5 %, Kfz-Handwerk +3.3 % in the NordOst collective bargaining region, painters’ apprentices +50 €
Public transport fares are being updated by VMT, KVV, MDV and other associations; in Magdeburg, marego is not raising fares but reforming the tariff — some prices go down
From 3 to 9 August the Speedweek takes place — a week of intensified speed checks

A separate word on biometrics at airports, which was widely written about. The law has indeed been passed: the new § 19e LuftVG permits voluntary facial recognition at check-in, baggage drop-off, security control and boarding, the data is deleted no later than three hours after departure, and the usual document-based processing remains available as an equivalent procedure. But this is a permissive provision: whether to introduce it is for airlines and airports to decide. Nothing switched itself on in August.

One more correction to what went round the channels: there is no pay rise in the main construction sector on 1 August. The latest step came in April — plus 3.9 % in the west and 5.3 % in the east, with the rates being aligned; the current agreement runs until the end of March 2027.

Which of these affects you?

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Frequently asked questions

My Krankenkasse has raised its contribution — how quickly can I move to another one?

You can give notice up to the end of the month in which the higher contribution is first charged. But the notice period stays the general one: membership ends at the end of the second following calendar month. With an increase from 1 August, that means switching from 1 November.

I have an old Aufenthaltskarte as a family member of an EU citizen. What should I do?

From 3 August 2026, cards that do not match the uniform EU format lose their validity as a document. The right of residence itself remains — you need to contact the Ausländerbehörde for a new card. Ordinary Aufenthaltstitel under the AufenthG are not covered by this rule.

Does the right to repair mean that appliances will be repaired free of charge?

No. The manufacturer must repair the item within a reasonable period, but by law either free of charge or for a reasonable fee. The law does not introduce free repair after the guarantee has expired. The rule applies to contracts concluded from 31 July 2026 and to a limited list of product groups.