Courts of Germany
Five separate branches of courts, each with its own federal supreme court, plus a Federal Constitutional Court that stands apart from them all.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Ordinary courts (civil and criminal)
Administrative courts
Labour courts
Social courts
Finance (tax) courts
Stands apart from the chain of appeals
Worth knowing
- Each of the five federal supreme courts is the final court for its own branch.
- Individuals can bring a constitutional complaint to the Federal Constitutional Court once ordinary remedies are exhausted.
- Most of the lower courts are run by the Länder (states), while the federal supreme courts are federal.
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Read the Germany profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Sources
Other systems
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.
