Background
What is the DDG?
The Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz (DDG)is Germany’s national implementation of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), which entered into force in May 2024, replacing the older Telemediengesetz (TMG). Its §5 directly inherits and codifies the Impressum obligation: every provider of commercially motivated digital communications — including email newsletters and marketing messages — must make a complete legal notice readily accessible.
The DSA harmonises platform obligations across the EU, but §5 of the DDG is a specifically German addition, extending the Impressum requirement beyond websites to cover email. If your email reaches recipients with German addresses — whether B2B or B2C — DDG §5 applies to you, regardless of where your company is headquartered.
Key law
Digitale-Dienste-Gesetz, §5 — Anbieterkennzeichnung
Replaced the TMG §5 Impressum obligation in May 2024. All commercial digital service providers must publish a complete Impressum in every commercial communication.
Requirements
Impressum requirements in emails
DDG §5 mandates the following information in every commercial email. Missing even one field is sufficient grounds for a competitor complaint (Abmahnung) or a regulatory fine.
Company name and legal form
Acme GmbH
Full postal address
Musterstraße 12, 10115 Berlin, Germany
Contact email address
info@acme.de
Contact phone number
+49 30 12345678
Trade registry number (HRB/HRA)
HRB 123456 B (Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg)
VAT identification number
DE123456789
Managing director (Geschäftsführer)
Max Mustermann
Sole traders (Einzelkaufleute) without registry entry must still provide their full name and address. Freelancers (Freiberufler) should include their professional chamber or supervisory authority where applicable.
Consent
UWG §7 — Double opt-in
Germany’s Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (UWG, law against unfair competition) §7 goes further than the GDPR baseline and establishes double opt-in (DOI) as the de facto legal standard for email marketing. Sending unsolicited commercial email to any person without explicit prior consent is an unlawful harassment under §7 (2) Nr. 3 UWG.
Single opt-in — where a user enters their email and is immediately added to a list — is considered insufficient by German courts. The confirmation email sent in the double opt-in flow is itself exempt from §7 restrictions because it is a necessary service communication to verify consent.
NOT compliant
- ✕ Single opt-in signup
- ✕ Pre-ticked consent boxes
- ✕ Bundled consent with T&Cs
- ✕ Purchased email lists
Compliant
- ✓ Double opt-in with confirmation email
- ✓ Explicit, granular consent checkbox
- ✓ Consent timestamp logged server-side
- ✓ Easy unsubscribe in every email
Automated checks
What MailRadar checks
MailRadar parses your email footer automatically and verifies each DDG §5 field. Every check below produces a pass, warning, or fail result with a specific explanation.
Postal address — street, city, postcode, and country must all be present
Email address — a reachable contact address in the footer
Phone number — at minimum a geographic or national number
Trade registry reference — HRB or HRA number with court name
VAT ID format — DE followed by exactly 9 digits
Managing director — at least one named individual
Enforcement
Penalties
Germany has a uniquely aggressive enforcement culture for Impressum violations. Two separate mechanisms operate in parallel:
€50,000
Maximum regulatory fine
DDG §3 and the associated Bußgeldvorschriften set a maximum administrative fine of €50,000 for missing or materially incomplete Impressum information. Repeated violations can result in fines per occurrence.
Abmahnung
Competitor lawsuits
Any competitor can file an Abmahnung (cease-and-desist) for an Impressum violation under UWG §8. These letters demand immediate compliance and often include lawyer fees of €800–€2,500 plus damages. “Abmahnvereine” (warning associations) actively monitor for violations.
Important note
German courts have consistently held that the Impressum obligation applies to the email itself — not just the sender’s website. A valid Impressum on your website does not satisfy §5 if the information is absent from your email footer. Each commercial email must stand alone.
Template
How to fix it — complete Impressum template
Copy the template below into your email footer. Replace every placeholder in brackets with your actual information. All fields are required for DDG §5 compliance; do not omit any line unless it genuinely does not apply to your legal form.
Email footer template
plain text--- [Company name] [Legal form, e.g. GmbH / AG / UG (haftungsbeschränkt)] [Street and house number] [Postcode] [City], Germany E-Mail: [contact@yourdomain.de] Tel.: [+49 XXX XXXXXXX] Registergericht: Amtsgericht [City] Registernummer: HRB [XXXXXX] Umsatzsteuer-Identifikationsnummer gemäß §27a UStG: DE[XXXXXXXXX] Geschäftsführer: [First name Last name] ---
For Einzelkaufleute (sole traders): replace the registry block with your full personal name and, if applicable, your Steuernummer. For Freiberufler with a professional body (e.g. Rechtsanwaltskammer), add a line identifying that body and your membership number.
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