Overview
- Germany’s Justice Ministry opened a test of fully online civil cases at six Amtsgerichte in Nürnberg, Schöneberg, Bremen, Hamburg‑Mitte, Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig.
- Only payment claims up to €10,000 qualify, since larger disputes go to the regional courts known as Landgerichte.
- People can file through new digital systems, with an online assistant on service.justiz.de guiding users and submissions sent via the secure Mein Justizpostfach mailbox, according to Hamburg’s justice authority.
- The cases run in a lean format that can skip in‑person hearings, allow video participation, ease evidence handling and deliver judgments electronically.
- The ministry plans to expand the pilot in stages to 18 courts in ten states by early October and will refine the process using feedback from participants.