This list of common mistakes for first-time immigrants or tourists in Germany can lead to costly consequences.

This list only includes problems that I and some friends have experienced, and it is a bit more specific to Berlin than Germany in general. Suppose you are careful with your actions and aware of the local law when traveling. In that case, you need to know that some mistakes can lead to fines, even if they are made by your family or friends when they visit you.

Whenever one of these situations happens to me, it is like a Pandora’s box suddenly opening. It exposed me to a new bureaucratic world I did not even imagine.

To clarify, if you think that going home, your fines or penalties will disappear, the German government will find you and send you a polite letter asking you to pay your debt.

Schwarzfahren – To travel in the public transport without a ticket.

This is a classic in Berlin. In other countries, the entrance to metro stations is usually limited by some kind of gate where you must deposit your train ticket. In Germany, there are traditionally no barriers in buses or trains, which can give the wrong impression that the transport is free. Not carrying a ticket (or the correct, validated ticket) will lead to a 60€ fine. Trying to talk your way out of the situation, saying you are a tourist or a newcomer, usually won’t work, so spare yourself.

There are some nuances to this problem:

You do not have any tickets.

This is obvious and will lead to a fine if you are detained by a public transportation worker. Also, if you forget your ticket or lose it on the train, you would usually not be spared of the fine. Suppose you have a student’s ticket or any form of ticket with your name that is periodically renewed. In that case, you can start a complaint to get a refund for your fine or to avoid paying it in the first place.

You did not validate your ticket.

An additional complexity in Germany is that you need to buy your ticket and mark the time and place you start your trip in machines located inside buses, street trains, or on the platforms to board metros and S-Bahn. If you do not validate the ticket, you will pay the fine. I have heard about people talking their way out of this one, but I doubt these stories were real.

You don’t have the correct ticket.

The metro in Berlin has different areas. Usually, everything interesting is in the A and B areas. However, places like the airport and the outskirts, like the tourist hotspot Potsdam, are in area C. If you have an AB ticket and are detained by public transport personnel, you must pay the fine.

Jaywalking.

This is a bit of a cultural difference; many countries in Latin America and Asia do not prosecute traffic infractions done by people riding bikes or pedestrians. In Germany, you might see crossing red lights in big cities or late at night; however, don’t be fooled because if you are caught by the police, you must pay a fine of approximately 70€.

Smoking in prohibited places

Many people smoke in German cities, and unlike in America, it is even allowed to smoke inside bars and some restaurants. However, some places like hotels, hostels, libraries, schools, public buildings, institutes, hospitals, and airports will have smoke detectors that will automatically trigger an alarm and immediately call the fire department.

When this happens due to cigarette smoke, an investigation will be started, and the person(s) responsible will be fined up to 2000€. I have personally seen this situation happen with a group of teenagers from Spain smoking inside a low-cost hostel. The fire department came, and the hotel personnel told them the fine they needed to pay before leaving their room. Oh boy, they tried to remove this fine, but I think they needed to pay it anyway.

If you are unwilling to pay this kind of money for a smoke, just go outside by the sidewalk and enjoy your toxic waste alone.

Download illegal content online.

This one is tricky since the consequences of this act will take months to crystalize. Visitors to your place using your WiFi can also make you responsible for paying an absurd amount of money to a law firm.

The problem usually happens when downloading music, movies, software, or series using P2P services such as Kazaa, Aries, Torrents, soulseek, etc., using your WiFi. Some months later, you will receive a massive letter from a law firm defending the company owner of the thing you illegally downloaded. They will provide disturbingly specific personal data from the IP address, time, and device address used.

The compensations vary depending on the amount of content downloaded, and they will ask for any amount ranging from 600€-2000€ (that I have heard of, but I guess it could go higher).

After this, you will need to hire a lawyer specialized in this topic to try to get the compensation lower and explain why this happens. Imagine someone else was downloading the movie or series episode. In that case, you might get a small discount and a scary warning telling you you are compelled to warn visitors to avoid doing this activity. The amount of money asked for doing a second offense starts around 1500€ the last time I checked.

Online scams

This is not an offense you can commit but rather a scheme you can be a victim of. Scammer have been proliferating worldwide, and their methods have reached incredible degrees of sophistication. Be aware that Germany is no exception to this problem and that you can easily get scammed while trying to rent a new apartment, selling or buying things online on websites like eBay or Craigslist, and, of course, the classic phone scam. You should get phishing insurance and a bank account with good security standards like 2-factor authentication and an App that allows you to block your card. This is a whole topic by itself since there are many types of schemes, but the ones I have personally encountered are:

–          Scams while trying to rent apartments usually ask you for a deposit before you have a contract or even before you see the apartment to «secure» to be the tenant. If it is too good to be true, it is a scam. Be extremely careful and always talk with a local or a more experienced immigrant before depositing.

–          Scams while selling or buying things online. I love Berlin due to its sustainability. Everyone sells and buys used furniture, devices, and clothes. Back in 2017, when I arrived, eBay used to be a super chilled website with a quirky community with fast-paced deals to buy anything you could imagine. However, during the last year, I have seen a swarm of scammers offering you items that are too cheap to be true or even offering to pay you in shady ways. I was personally a victim of a phishing scheme in which I was supposed to use a new eBay payment system called «Direkt Kauf,» and I got an Email with a legit-looking appearance in my Email that led me to a pirate website (with an eBay domain). I ended up losing more than 1000€. As a spoiler, despite being differed charges done in 3 different countries that would be debited from my account 3 days after this happened, the banks in which I had the compromised cards (yes, 2) did nothing to avoid the transaction. Of course, I did not obtain any reimbursement.

This year, I have heard about 3 scams between my friends ranging from 1,000 to €3,000. Be careful with your data sharing online and try to be as discrete as possible on the mentioned websites.

Not having insurance for your bike/scooter.

This is another classic: thinking that Germany will be a safe place for anything. It is, in general, a super safe country. However, bikes are stolen like I have never seen, not even in Mexico City (where I lived and biked for around 8 years). I have seen such a prolific bike robber scene. The variety of materials they use to steal our beloved bikes is amazing. In my case, I got one stolen from my previous apartment with 2 locked doors and a heavy-duty HipLok lock. The person who did it used a portable electric saw to break it. Even in the research institute where I work, surrounded by cameras, and surveilled by security personnel, there are at least 2 robberies per year. If you are a bike lover like me and you will buy any bike over 50€, just insure it and read the conditions of your insurance. For example, most insurance companies will ask you to lock your bike in a designated place; some don’t cover robberies at night, and others won’t cover any thefts outside your home or workplace. Just read the conditions and try to get a service that covers robberies all over the city and around the clock.

Pro tip: Secure your bike properly with a lock of approximately 20% of the total cost of your bike and register your bike with the police to inform them who the cycle is and its characteristics in case you ever have it stolen.