September 2026: 11 changes affecting expats in Germany

The seasons are changing in Germany, and so are tax advice laws, data regulations, state governments and train station rules. Here’s what you need to know about changes coming in September 2026:

1. New tax assistance association regulations

From September 1, Germany will introduce new rules for tax assistance associations (Lohnsteuerhilfevereine). From this date, associations will be able to give a broader range of people tax advice and offer members more extensive advice.

Currently, single employees who earn over 18.000 euros per year and couples earning over 36.000 euros cannot benefit from tax assistance association advice. However, these income thresholds will no longer apply from September 1.

2. No alcohol in train stations

In late July, Deutsche Bahn announced that it would ban alcohol consumption in train stations across Germany. The ban will be rolled out gradually from September 1, until it applies at all 5.400 stations from October 15, 2026.

The first stations to implement the ban from September 1 will be Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Berlin Gesundbrunnen, Kiel Hauptbahnhof and Braunschweig Hauptbahnhof.

Passengers will still be able to purchase alcohol in cafes and restaurants in German train stations and still drink alcohol on trains.

3. Summer holidays end in three states

In mid-August, schoolchildren in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia were the first to return to the classroom for the new school year. 

From September 2, pupils in North Rhine-Westphalia will also return, followed by pupils in Baden-Württemberg on September 14 and in Bavaria on September 15.

4. Elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin

On September 6, Germany will watch on as voters in Saxony-Anhalt head to the polls. The statewide election is much anticipated, with the latest polls forecasting the AfD to win 42 percent of the vote. 

If the party wins an absolute majority, it would be the first time that a far-right party, with a local branch officially considered “confirmed right-wing extremist” by intelligence services, would appoint a state premier and govern a federal state alone. 

What does the AfD have planned if it wins? Journalist and author Katja Hoyer gives an extensive overview in her recent piece The AfD on the Threshold of Power.

Then, on September 20, voters will head to the polls in Berlin to choose members of the city state parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus) and the composition of district councils (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung).

The latest Forsa poll forecasts The Left (die Linke) to lead with 22 percent, followed by the CDU and AfD with 18 percent each, and the Greens with 16 percent. If forecasts are correct, candidate Elif Eralp could become the capital’s first-ever Left mayor.

5. Parliament reconvenes

After a three-week summer break, parliament is to reconvene on September 7. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his CDU/CSU-SPD coalition are heading into the autumn with a lot on their plate.

Alongside the long-awaited election results from Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin, the government will hammer out the details of pension reform, a new sugar tax, income tax reforms, climate policy and plugging budgetary holes. IamExpat will cover all the important developments.

6. Warning Day on September 10

Germany had its first official Warning Day (Warntag) in September 2020, and since then, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance have tested Germany’s alert system annually in mid-September.

This year, Warning Day will take place on September 10. At 11am, sirens will sound, and people will receive warning alerts via cell broadcast and Germany’s warning apps, such as NINA. 

Alerts will also be broadcast on the radio and television and displayed on information boards in public spaces and on public transport. You do not need to do anything when you hear the siren sound.

7. New phase of EU Data Act

On September 12, the EU Data Act will enter a new phase. From this date, manufacturers operating in the EU will be obliged to design products that make personal data gathered by connected devices, such as appliances or smartwatches, more easily accessible to consumers.

8. Oktoberfest opens on the Wiesn

We’ve barely gotten to the bottom of our Stein and Oktoberfest is back. The world-famous beer festival opens on Theresienwiese in Munich on September 19 and will run until October 4, 2026.

Watch this space for more information on how expensive beers are likely to be at this year’s festival, and once the party is over, a round-up of how many libations were chugged and pig knuckles scoffed.

9. Autumnal equinox on September 23

While September 1 marks the meteorological start of autumn in Germany, we will have to wait until September 23 for the autumnal equinox, when daytime and nighttime hours are the same.

Brace yourself, because while the days will start to get longer from late December, it will basically feel like it is dark all the time until the clocks go forward in late March. Gemütlich?

10. GARAN-Label introduced in the EU

From September 27, EU manufacturers commercially advertising guarantees of over two years on entire products will be obliged to display a GARAN-Label on their products.

The GARAN-Label must display the manufacturer details, the guarantee terms and a clear notice that the consumer's statutory rights remain unaffected by the guarantee.

The new rules are intended to make more customers aware that a standard warranty period of at least two years applies to all new goods purchased in the EU.

11. New EU rules to prevent greenwashing

Another EU consumer rights law will take effect on September 27: the EmpCo Directive. The directive should prevent companies from advertising products using unsubstantiated environmental claims, also known as greenwashing.

For example, companies will have to back up claims that any products advertised as “environmentally friendly”, “climate neutral” or “sustainable” are actually green.