Terms of Use
Last updated: [June 15, 2026]
These Terms of Use govern the use of whatsupgermany.com, an editorial platform operated by the person identified in our Legal Notice (Impressum). By accessing or using the website, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.
These Terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Disclaimer, and Legal Notice (Impressum).
1. The platform
WhatsUp Germany is an English-language editorial platform that translates, contextualises, and explains German news, regulations, and official information for internationals living in or relocating to Germany. The platform publishes editorial articles, distributes a newsletter, and provides interactive tools, including a Net Salary Calculator and a Cost of Living Calculator.
Access to the platform and its content is provided free of charge. We reserve the right to introduce paid features in the future. Where a feature requires payment, separate terms will apply to that feature and will be presented to you before purchase.
2. Eligibility
The platform is directed at adults. By using the site, you confirm that you are at least 16 years of age. If you are under 16, please do not use the site or provide any personal data through it.
Use of the platform is permitted for personal informational purposes and for any lawful purpose not restricted by these Terms.
3. Permitted use
You may use the platform to read articles, sign up for our newsletter, use the interactive tools, and contact us through the contact form. You may share links to articles on social media and in private communication, provided that the link directs to the original article on whatsupgermany.com.
Short excerpts of our content may be quoted for purposes of reporting, commentary, or review, in accordance with § 51 of the German Copyright Act (Urheberrechtsgesetz), provided that WhatsUp Germany is credited as the source with a visible link to the original article.
4. Prohibited use
When using the platform, you agree not to:
- Reproduce, copy, redistribute, sell, sublicense, or publicly display any of our content beyond what is permitted by mandatory provisions of copyright law or by Section 3 above, without our prior written consent.
- Use any automated means, including scrapers, crawlers, or harvesters, to access, monitor, or copy content or data from the platform, except for the operations of public search engines following our robots directives.
- Use the platform or its content to train, fine-tune, or otherwise inform the development of artificial intelligence or machine-learning models.
- Take any action that imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure, including denial-of-service attempts, brute-force probing, or automated submission to our forms.
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the platform, to other accounts, or to any connected systems, including by circumventing security or authentication measures.
- Use the platform in any manner that infringes the rights of any third party, including intellectual property, privacy, or personality rights.
- Use the platform to transmit unsolicited commercial communication, malware, or other harmful code.
- Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity, when communicating with us or through any part of the site.
5. Intellectual property
The platform, including its articles, translations, illustrations, brand assets, logos, design, layout, source code, and interactive tools, is protected by German copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. All rights are reserved to WhatsUp Germany or to its respective licensors, unless expressly stated otherwise.
The WhatsUp Germany name and logo are trademarks of the operator. Use of these marks, including in headlines, link previews, or third-party publications, requires our prior written consent, except for editorial reference and quotation in line with usual press practice.
Where third-party material, including stock photography from Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay, is used on the platform, the licensing terms set out in our Disclaimer apply.
6. Tools and calculators
The interactive tools available on the platform, including the Net Salary Calculator and the Cost of Living Calculator, are provided for general orientation. They produce indicative results based on assumptions that may not fit every individual situation, and they are not a substitute for advice from a qualified tax, financial, or other professional.
By using a tool, you acknowledge that the result is informational only, and that you will not rely on it as the sole basis for any binding decision. The full position on tool outputs and on the absence of professional advice is set out in our Disclaimer.
7. Newsletter
Sign-up to our newsletter is voluntary. By signing up, you provide your email address (and optionally your first name) so that we can send you the newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time through the unsubscribe link in any newsletter, or through our contact form.
The processing of your email address for newsletter purposes is described in our Privacy Policy. Our use of double opt-in for confirmation is a deliberate protection for both you and us.
8. External links and third-party content
The platform includes links to external websites operated by third parties, including official German government portals, news outlets, and partner platforms. These links are provided to support the editorial purpose of our content. We do not control the linked sites, do not endorse their content unless expressly stated, and accept no responsibility for material accessed through them.
Where an article contains affiliate links or has been produced in cooperation with a third party, this is disclosed in the article in accordance with the labelling framework set out in our Disclaimer.
9. Disclaimer of warranties
The platform and its content are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Within the limits permitted by German law, we make no warranty, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, currency, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of the content provided.
Every effort is made to keep the platform available without interruption. However, we accept no liability for periods during which the platform is temporarily unavailable due to maintenance, technical issues, or events beyond our reasonable control. The detailed editorial accuracy position is set out in our Disclaimer.
10. Limitation of liability
Our liability for content and use of this platform is limited to cases of intent and gross negligence. This limitation does not apply where German law does not permit it, including liability under the Product Liability Act and liability for injury to life, body, or health. For breach of essential contractual obligations through ordinary negligence, liability is limited to damages that were foreseeable at the time the relationship was established.
11. Your responsibility for misuse
If your use of the platform breaches these Terms or applicable law and gives rise to a third-party or regulatory claim against us as a result, you are obligated to indemnify us against any resulting damages and reasonable legal costs, to the extent permitted by law.
12. Suspension of access
We may, at our discretion and without prior notice, suspend or restrict access to the platform or to specific features, where:
- Use of the platform is in breach of these Terms or of applicable law.
- The platform is subject to a security threat or to abusive automated access.
- Continued access creates a material risk to the rights or property of any person.
Where appropriate, suspension will be lifted once the underlying issue is resolved.
13. Changes to these Terms
These Terms may be updated to reflect changes in the platform, in our services, or in the applicable legal framework. The “Last updated” date at the top of this document indicates when the most recent change was made. Material changes will be communicated through a notice on the platform or, where appropriate, through the newsletter.
Continued use of the platform after a material change to these Terms constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to a revised version, please stop using the platform.
14. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable under applicable law, the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not be affected. The invalid or unenforceable provision shall be replaced by a provision that comes as close as legally possible to the economic purpose of the original.
15. Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, to the exclusion of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).
Where you use the platform as a consumer with habitual residence outside Germany, the mandatory consumer protection provisions of your country of residence remain unaffected by the choice of German law.
For users who are not consumers within the meaning of § 13 BGB, the place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with these Terms is the place of business of the operator, as identified in our Legal Notice (Impressum). For consumer users, the legal venues set by mandatory law remain unaffected.
16. Contact
For questions about these Terms, please contact us through our contact form at whatsupgermany.com/contact-us.
17. Related documents
These Terms form one part of the legal framework governing your use of the platform. The complete framework consists of: