Germany · Freedom of Information

Germany's Freedom of Information Act, from request to the administrative court

AccessPoint runs Informationsfreiheitsgesetz (IFG) requests — the one-month standard, the §§3–6 exemptions, the BfDI's advisory review, and Widerspruch objections before the administrative court — pre-configured for Germany and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

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Germany at a glance

Response standard
Access should be provided within one month (§ 7 IFG)
Advisory review
Call upon the BfDI, the Federal Commissioner, as an ombudsman — advisory, not binding (§ 12)
Exemptions
The §§ 3–6 protections — public interests, the decision-making process, personal data, and IP and trade secrets
Charges
Fees under the IFGGebV — from €15 up to a €500 cap, plus expenses; basic information is free (§ 10)
Oversight
Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI)
Languages
English and German

Built for Germany

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

The IFG request lifecycle

Intake to disclosure under the Informationsfreiheitsgesetz — the one-month standard, third-party consultation, the §§ 3–6 exemptions, and objection handling — all built on Microsoft 365.

BfDI advisory review

When access is refused, anyone can call upon the Federal Commissioner (BfDI) under § 12. AccessPoint assembles the file for the Commissioner's ombudsman review and tracks the matter through to the authority's decision.

The one-month clock

Access should be made available within one month of the request; where third parties must be heard, the timeline extends. AccessPoint computes the due date and reminds you before it lapses.

Exemptions and redaction

Apply the §§ 3–6 protections line by line — special public interests, the official decision-making process, personal data, and intellectual property and trade secrets — on a colour-coded, audit-trailed redaction record.

IFGGebV charges

Charge under the Information Fees Ordinance (IFGGebV) — from €15 up to a €500 cap plus expenses, with basic information free — and issue the fee notice with the decision.

In your own tenant

Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.

Advisory oversight, and sixteen Länder besides

In Germany, the Commissioner advises — it doesn't order — and the IFG is only the federal half of the map.

The federal Informationsfreiheitsgesetz gives a right of access to information held by federal authorities, answered within a month. If access is refused, anyone can call upon the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI), who reviews as an ombudsman and issues recommendations — advice, not binding orders — while the administrative court has the last word after a Widerspruch. And the IFG binds federal bodies only: each of the sixteen Länder runs its own freedom-of-information or transparency law. AccessPoint runs both halves on one platform.

BfDI advisory review The Commissioner mediates and recommends; the court, not the BfDI, compels access.
Federal and Länder The IFG covers federal bodies; each of the sixteen Länder has its own law.
One-month standard Access made available within a month, computed from intake.

Configured out of the box

Installing the de-ifg configuration pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • The Informationsfreiheitsgesetz (IFG) as the legal-authority and citation spine
  • The German federal-holiday calendar and the one-month response due-date rules (§ 7)
  • BfDI ombudsman review — assembling the file and tracking the Commissioner's recommendation (§ 12)
  • The §§ 3–6 exemptions — public interests, decision-making process, personal data, and IP and trade secrets — colour-coded for redaction
  • The IFGGebV fee schedule — the €15–€500 range plus expenses, with basic information free (§ 10)
  • Widerspruch objection and Verpflichtungsklage workflow to the administrative court (§ 9)
  • Länder switch — swap the federal IFG for a Land information-freedom or transparency law
  • IFG correspondence templates in German, with English available, and German timeliness tracking

Germany Questions

When must a German federal authority respond to an IFG request?
Access should be made available within one month of the request (§ 7 IFG); where third parties must be consulted or the request is complex, the timeline can extend. AccessPoint computes the one-month point and reminds you before it lapses.

What makes the German regime distinctive?
Two things. Oversight is advisory: anyone refused access can call upon the Federal Commissioner (BfDI), who mediates and recommends as an ombudsman under § 12 — a Widerspruch and the administrative court decide with binding force. And the IFG binds federal bodies only; each of the sixteen Länder runs its own information-freedom or transparency law. AccessPoint runs both.

What can a federal authority charge?
Fees follow the Information Fees Ordinance (IFGGebV) — from €15 up to a €500 cap, plus expenses — while basic information is provided free (§ 10). AccessPoint computes the fee to the ordinance and issues the notice with the decision.

Where does data reside?
Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant. Requests, documents, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud, no vendor access, and no cross-border data transfers.

Run the Informationsfreiheitsgesetz in One Platform

Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, pre-configured for Germany. No credit card required.

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