Sending a fax to a German landline
In Germany, it's the +49 country code and variable-length numbers: drop in a PDF and Faxeroo handles the rest. The first page is free; sending two pages or longer costs €3.99 incl. VAT, with real-time transmission tracking.
Every German locality has its Vorwahl, a city code opening with a zero and running two to five digits: Berlin 030, Hamburg 040, Munich 089, Frankfurt 069, Cologne 0221. The subscriber number follows, often extended by a Durchwahl — the direct extension. Business fax numbers frequently end in -99 or -20, set off from the rest by a hyphen: that suffix belongs to the number itself and has to be included when copying it.
Germany is among fax's European strongholds. Government agencies display it at the foot of their decisions; medical practices, pharmacies, health insurance funds, and law firms use it every day. For a private individual, it's the tool for tight deadlines: sending, for example, a timestamped objection to an administration before the deadline expires.
Select Germany, then copy the number with its Vorwahl zero, without the +49, joining the direct-extension digits: the format the form expects is detailed in the table below.
A single page goes out free; any thicker send costs €3.99 incl. VAT, regardless of the number of sheets. And to prove a document went out on time, PDF delivery receipts cost €2.99 incl. VAT and are billed only after delivery is confirmed.
Germany: the number format to enter
| Field | Data |
|---|---|
| International dialling code | +49 |
| ISO code | DE |
| Accepted format | Each number starts with 0, then carries between 6 and 11 digits (a 2- to 5-digit area code plus the subscriber number); 015, 016 and 017 are mobile prefixes |
| Line example | 03012345678 |
| Region | Europe |
Germany: sample numbers, accepted or rejected
| Number tested | Verdict | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 030 1234567 | Valid | Berlin |
| 089 12345678 | Valid | Munich |
| 0711 123456-99 | Valid | Stuttgart |
| 0151 23456789 | Rejected | Mobile number: beyond the reach of a fax |
| 30 1234567 | Rejected | The leading zero is missing |
| 49 30 1234567 | Rejected | Dialling code given without a + or 00 in front |
Area codes of the main cities
| City or line type | Dialling code |
|---|---|
| Berlin | 030 |
| Hamburg | 040 |
| Munich | 089 |
| Cologne | 0221 |
| Frankfurt am Main | 069 |
| Stuttgart | 0711 |
Germany: organisations that still receive faxes
- The Finanzamt, the Jobcenter or the Ausländerbehörde: many official letters still list a fax line under their letterhead, right next to the Aktenzeichen, the case number to quote.
- Medical practitioners, pharmacies and home care services still exchange referral letters, test results and prescription requests by fax — despite e-prescriptions becoming mandatory in 2024.
- Courts and public prosecutor's offices accept faxes from private individuals; it is the race against procedural deadlines that drives sending, with a transmission report kept on file.
- Health insurers, along with banks and other insurance providers, may on occasion take signed forms and cancellation notices via fax: verify in advance which channel their terms and conditions allow.
No organisation number is published here: take the one from your latest letter, or from the official website.
The official digital channel
Every German profession has been assigned its own digital channel: beA for lawyers, eBO — the mailbox for citizens and organisations — for contacting the courts, ELSTER for tax matters, KIM for secure exchanges between healthcare providers, and a BundID account for a wide range of online procedures. Each one demands prior identification; fax asks for no such thing.
Germany: time difference and office hours
| Time zone | UTC+1 in winter (CET), UTC+2 during daylight saving time (CEST): the time zone shared by Paris and Brussels |
|---|---|
| Difference from Paris | No time difference: Paris, Brussels and Berlin all show the same time |
| Usual hours | Offices generally operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Many government offices open to the public only in the morning, plus one extended afternoon — usually Thursday; many medical practices close on Wednesday afternoons. |
Germany: questions about sending
- Why do German phone numbers vary in length?
- Because the area code spans 2 to 5 digits and the subscriber portion adapts to match: major cities pair short codes with long numbers, small municipalities the opposite. After the leading zero, the form takes between 6 and 11 digits.
- Should you copy the hyphen and the digits at the end of the number?
- Yes, without hesitation: this suffix is the direct-dial extension, the direct line where the fax machine answers within the company or administration. Leave it out and your transmission reaches the switchboard instead. The hyphen itself can stay as is — the form doesn't mind.
- Does a fax sent to a German court count legally?
- For a litigant, yes: Section 130 of the ZPO, the German Code of Civil Procedure, explicitly mentions fax. The legal profession, however, is directed to beA. Send well ahead of the deadline; and keep the transmission report safe.
Send a fax to Germany
The other six countries
Countries covered
This topic
- Countries covered
- Dial code +34 — Nine digits starting with 8 or 9, province included; a 6 or 7 at the start indicates a mobile number
- Dial code +39 — Retain the leading 0, then enter between 5 and 10 digits; any number beginning with 3 is a mobile
- Dial code +351 — Nine digits starting with 2, area code included; numbers starting with 9 are mobiles
Keep reading
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