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Ελληνικά📚 Glossary — 220 German official terms explained
220 German official terms — simply explained
15 terms found
GEZ (Rundfunkbeitrag) (Broadcasting fee)
Broadcasting fee of €18.36 per month per apartment — finances ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio. Every household must pay.
Shortly after registration, the GEZ letter with payment demand arrives.
Daily life
Gebührenordnung (Fee Regulation)
Legal regulation that specifies the costs for administrative acts (e.g., passport issuance, residence title).
The fees for the residence title are determined by the fee regulation.
Authorities
Gehaltsabrechnung (Salary statement)
Monthly settlement by employer showing gross salary, deductions (tax, social insurance) and net salary.
On the salary statement you can see how much income tax was deducted.
Work
Geldwäsche (money laundering)
Criminal concealment of the origin of illegally obtained money — large cash transactions are subject to reporting requirements.
Due to anti-money laundering laws, you must show ID for cash payments over €10,000.
Law
Gerichtsvollzieher (bailiff)
Court officer who conducts enforcement of judgments — garnishments, evictions, service of process.
The bailiff came to collect the debts.
Law
Geringfügige Beschäftigung (Marginal employment)
Minijob with earnings up to €538 per month (2024) — largely exempt from social insurance.
My minijob at the supermarket is considered marginal employment.
Work
Gesundheitsamt (Health department)
Municipal public health authority — infection control, hygiene supervision, health certificates.
To work in gastronomy, you need a health certificate from the health department.
Health
Gewerbe (Trade/Business)
Self-employed commercial activity that must be registered with the trade office.
Anyone operating an online shop must register a business.
Finance
Gewerbeanmeldung (Business registration)
Mandatory registration of a business with the competent trade office — prerequisite for any commercial activity.
Business registration costs between €15–60 depending on the city.
Finance
Gewerkschaft (trade union)
Labor union that negotiates collective agreements and represents workers' interests (e.g., ver.di, IG Metall).
As a union member, I receive free legal protection in labor disputes.
Work
Girokonto (current account)
Bank account for daily transactions — salary, rent, transfers, direct debits.
Everyone in Germany has a right to a basic bank account (checking account).
Finance
Grundbuch (Land register)
Public register at the district court documenting property ownership, mortgages and encumbrances of real estate.
When buying a house, the new owner is entered in the land register.
Housing
Grunderwerbsteuer (real estate transfer tax)
One-time tax on the purchase of land or real estate — depending on the federal state, 3.5–6.5% of the purchase price.
In Hamburg, the property acquisition tax is 5.5% of the purchase price.
Finance
Grundsicherung (basic income support)
Social benefit for people who cannot afford their own living expenses — basic income support or old-age security.
Anyone who receives insufficient pension in old age can apply for basic income support.
Finance
Grundsteuer (Property tax)
Annual tax on real estate — paid by the owner but often passed on to the tenant through additional costs.
Property tax appears as a line item in my additional costs statement.
Finance