September 2025: 6 changes affecting expats in Germany

It’s back-to-school season in Germany! As pupils return to the classroom and politicians return to the Bundestag, here are the changes we can all expect in the coming weeks:

1. Bundestag will return from summer recess

On September 10, members of the German Bundestag will return from their summer break. The first topic on the agenda will be a draft law to implement the EU’s new battery regulations, which aim to unify battery production and disposal across the bloc.

In the afternoon, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) and Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) will take questions from government deputies.

2. Stronger data protection rules for networked devices

“Smart devices”, home appliances that are connected to the internet, such as smart TVs, robot vacuums, smart home heating systems, or fitness trackers, collect vast amounts of data about their users. From September 12, smart device users in Germany will be entitled to more information about the data companies collect about them.

Smart appliances typically collect data about the times of day you perform certain activities, the duration of these activities, your voice, the advertisements you click on and those you don’t, your location, your heart rate, your sleep cycle, your menstrual cycle, and much more.

This personal information is brought together as a “data package” and is sold by data brokers to advertisers, researchers, banks, insurance companies, healthcare companies, and, according to a New York Times report, “almost anyone willing to pay”.  The legislation coming in September is part of the EU’s new Data Protection Act.

3. Government to present Deutsche Bahn reforms

On September 22, the Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) will present a plan to reform Germany’s national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn.

Starved of government funding and plagued with delays as a consequence, Schnieder fired Deutsche Bahn boss Richard Lutz in mid-August. The minister says the government has already agreed upon the reform outline and promised to deliver “thoroughness and diligence before speed".

4. Spotify to increase prices

At the beginning of August, Spotify announced that it would raise the monthly price of subscriptions for users in Germany. The new prices will apply from September.

A “premium individual” subscription will cost 12,99 euros rather than 10,99 euros. The cost of the “duo” subscription will increase from 14,99 to 17,99 euros per month. The cost of a “family” subscription will rise from 17,99 to 21,99 euros per month. Despite the price rise, users will not get access to any additional services.

5. 190th Oktoberfest begins

On September 20, the 190th Oktoberfest will kick off on the Theresienwiese in Munich. The festival, the largest folk festival in the world, will run until October 5. 

The price of a typical Oktoberfest Maßkrug litre of beer will go up again this year and cost between 14,50 and 15,50 euros, depending on which brewery tent you visit.

Like most places in Germany, cash has long been the preferred payment method at Oktoberfest, with long lines for cash points found at the entrance of the festival grounds. In 2025, Oktoberfest will take a step further into the future, with one of the beer tents set to exclusively accept cashless payments.

Heading to Oktoberfest for the first time this year? Check out our ultimate guide to Wiesn!

6. Autumn will arrive on September 22

September 22 marks the beginning of autumn in Germany this year. The beginning of autumn is marked by the equinox, when day and night hours last exactly the same amount of time. Germany loves logically squishing words together, and the German for autumn equinox is Herbst-Tagundnachtgleiche (literally, “autumn-day-and-night-same”).

This also marks the harvest season. Cucumbers, pumpkins, potatoes, beetroots, red and green cabbage, spinach, onions, turnips and corn are all among the seasonal vegetables for this time of year in Germany.