December 2025: 9 changes affecting expats in Germany

Changes to the German pension system and Deutsche Bahn timetable mean you’ll need to keep your serious hat on for a few more weeks. Then it’s time for socialising, silliness and reflection as the Christmas season arrives and 2025 winds up.

1. Advent period begins

Advent begins on November 30, and continues on every Sunday during December until Christmas Day. The advent tradition is prevalent in Germany and you may see many Adventskränzen (advent wreaths) being sold in flower shops.

Adventskränzen have four large candles, representing the four advent Sundays leading up to Christmas. The first candle is lit on the first advent Sunday and on every subsequent day until the second advent Sunday, when two candles are lit and so on.

The beginning of advent also marks the beginning of Christmas market season in Germany. While some Christmas markets already open their gates in November, the season gets into swing in December. 

According to National Geographic, there are between 2.500 and 3.000 Christmas markets held in Germany every year. Not sure where to head? Check out our article on the 12 best Christmas markets in Germany for a comprehensive overview.

2. Pension supplement payments will change

Separate from the general statutory pension, some pensioners in Germany, including low-income pensioners and surviving dependents, receive a special pension supplement payment (Rentenzuschlag).

From December 1, Rentenzuschlag amounts will be recalculated. The Rentenzuschlag amount that a pensioner receives will no longer be based on the overall statutory pension payment they receive, but on their “pension points” (Entgeltpunkte). You can read more about the Entgeltpunkte system in our German pension insurance explainer.

Finally, from December 1, Rentenzuschlag payments will also be subject to deductions for health insurance contributions and long-term care insurance contributions.

3. No more cash pension payments

Another change is coming to the world of pensions in Germany this December, the Zahlungsanweisung zur Verrechnung (ZzV) will be scrapped. The ZzV allowed pensioners to pick up their pension payment in cash from branches of Postbank.

This will no longer be possible from December; all pensioners who are accustomed to receiving their payment in cash should make sure they have provided their pension insurer with their bank account details.

4. Remotely-controlled vehicles can be tested on public roads

From December 1, Germany will adopt the new Road Traffic Remote Control Regulation (StVFernLV). The new law means that remotely-operated vehicles, such as self-driving cars, can be tested on public roads in Germany.

Trained operators will no longer have to be physically present in the self-driving vehicles, but can be at a different location, for example in a control room. The change marks the beginning of a five-year trial phase which the German government has said will “enabl[e] innovation without losing sight of safety and responsibility”.

5. New Deutsche Bahn timetable from December 14

The Deutsche Bahn timetable changes every year in mid-December. From December 14, 2025, the national rail service will introduce more frequent and faster connections between large German cities.

Head to our article Deutsche Bahn releases new timetable and tickets for Christmas season for more information on the timetable changes.

6. Health insurance contributions to be raised

All statutory health insurance providers in Germany charge the same rate, 14,6 percent of your gross salary. Half of this payment comes from your income and the other half is paid by your employer. This will stay the same.

However, insurance providers can offer customers extra services (such as osteopathy and teeth cleaning) in addition to an extra payment, known as the additional contribution (Zusatzbeitrag).

Every year, around the second or third week of December, health insurance providers announce whether or not they will raise their Zusatzbeitrag payments, and if so, by how much. If you pay a Zusatzbeitrag, keep your eyes peeled for this news.

7. New consumer rights when buying online

From December 19, online retailers operating in Germany will be obliged to display a “revocation button”. The new law is intended to make it easier for customers to revoke or leave contracts with online retailers.

For example, you will no longer have to trace your way through your emails or website to revoke a contract, the online retailer will have to clearly display a "revocation button” on its homepage.

8. Christmas holidays begin

Schoolchildren in Germany begin their Christmas holidays on different days depending on where they go to school. Children in Hamburg will be the first to begin their holidays, which start on December 17 and end on January 2. Schoolchildren in Schleswig-Holstein will follow, their holidays start on December 19 and end on January 6.

On December 22, school children in Berlin, Brandenburg, Saarland and Saxony will go on holiday until January 2. Children in Thuringia will also start their school holiday on December 22, but their holiday will last until January 3.

On December 22, schoolchildren in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Bremen, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony-Anhalt will all go on holiday until January 5. 

Finally, also on December 22, children in North Rhine-Westphalia will go on holiday until January 6, in Rhineland-Palatinate until January 7 and in Hesse until January 10, 2026.

Adults can look forward to enjoying the public holidays on December 25 and 26, which luckily fall on a Thursday and Friday this year. Remember that all shops and supermarkets will be closed on the afternoon and evening of December 24 and many will be closed all day on December 25.

Another reminder! Make sure to take all your remaining 2025 holidays off work, in most cases it is not possible to carry them over to 2026 or have them paid out by your employer.

9. Time to celebrate the New Year!

After you’ve opened the presents and eaten your weight in potatoes, it will be time to ring in the New Year! ZDF’s televised New Year broadcast will be moving from Berlin to Hamburg this year, but another celebration will happen at the Brandenburg Gate in its place - and tickets are free. You can find out more about the event here!

Have a lovely Christmas and Guten Rutsch!