The Federal Office of Justice, with its over 1,400 members of staff, is a higher federal authority that belongs to the remit of the Federal Ministry of Justice. As a versatile authority with a broad range of tasks, the Federal Office of Justice is a contact point and first port of call for legal matters in relations with other EU Member states and the international community at large.
The Federal Office of Justice is home to a number of Germany’s central legal registers, and thus responsible for the Federal Central Criminal Register, the Central Register of Proceedings conducted by Public Prosecution Offices, and the Central Trade and Industry Register. As records authority, it is also responsible for exchanging information from criminal records with its counterparts in other countries. In its capacity as consumer protection authority, the Federal Office of Justice is home to the Air Transport Arbitration Body. At the same time, it is responsible for authorising private arbitration bodies so that they can act in consumer protection disputes.
Other responsibilities include that of Central Authority in cross-border child maintenance matters and proceedings under the International Family Law Procedure Act, the tasks of the Federal Central Authority for cross-border adoption and that of Federal Central Contact Point in the European Judicial Network in Civil and Commercial Matters, as well as collecting bank account information to allow debts owed to be pursued across borders.
The Federal Office of Justice is also involved in extradition, enforcement and legal assistance in criminal matters, and acts as Federal Central Contact Point in the European Judicial Network in Criminal Matters. It offers financial assistance in the form of hardship payments to the victims of terrorist and extremist acts and pays compensation to those convicted of consensual homosexual acts under Sec. 175 of the German Criminal Code that have since been decriminalised.
It supports the Federal Ministry of Justice in judicial and consumer research, and in promulgating statutes and documenting legal provisions. As central service provider in judicial matters, the Federal Office of Justice's responsibilities include making claims on the part of the German Federal Government, as well as prosecuting regulatory offences and enforcing the resultant punishments.
The Federal Government's external reporting body at the Federal Office of Justice processes reports made by whistleblowers. By reporting to the Federal Government's external reporting body, whistleblowers can ensure that grievances and legal infringements in companies and authorities are uncovered, investigated, prosecuted and stopped. In addition, the Federal Office of Justice is in charge of the register of representative actions.
Interested in taking a look at the Federal Office of Justice’s publications?
A selection of publications is available here:
Federal Office of Justice Information Brochure
Federal Office of Justice 2023 Figures
Federal Office of Justice Magazine 2022
An overview of further publications and Federal Office of Justice information material can be found by navigating to "Infomaterial".