Germany is one of the most fax-reliant countries in Europe. According to a survey by Bitkom, Germany's digital industry association, 82% of companies with 20 or more employees still use fax, and roughly a quarter use it "very often." While that frequency has declined slightly in recent years, the numbers remain strikingly high for a country that is otherwise a leader in engineering and technology. For many German businesses and institutions, fax is not a relic -- it is an active, trusted part of daily operations.
A major reason for fax's persistence in Germany is the country's strict approach to data protection. The Bundesdatenschutzgesetz (BDSG) and the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO in German) impose rigorous requirements on how personal and business data is transmitted. Many organizations view fax as a straightforward way to meet these obligations, particularly when sending sensitive documents that require a verifiable delivery trail. The transmission receipt that accompanies every fax provides proof of delivery that email cannot easily match, which matters in a business culture that values thoroughness and documentation.
Government agencies are among the heaviest fax users. The Finanzamt (tax office), Bürgeramt (citizens' registration office), and Ausländerbehörde (immigration office) all maintain active fax lines and routinely accept or require fax submissions for official paperwork. Courts, notaries, and public administration offices across the country rely on fax for legal filings, notifications, and correspondence. For citizens and businesses dealing with German bureaucracy, having the ability to send a fax is often not optional -- it is a practical necessity.
The legal profession reinforces this pattern. German law firms regularly use fax for contracts, court submissions, powers of attorney, and client correspondence. Faxed documents carry legal weight in German courts, and the Sendebericht (transmission report) is widely accepted as evidence of timely delivery. This is particularly important for deadline-sensitive filings where proving the exact time of submission can have significant legal consequences. For tips on preparing legal documents for fax, see our guide on how to fax legal documents online.
Healthcare and financial services round out the picture. Hospitals, clinics, and medical practices use fax to exchange patient records, referrals, and prescriptions -- driven by the same data protection concerns that shape the rest of German business communication. Banks, insurance companies, and financial advisors use fax for account documents, claims, and compliance-related correspondence where a secure, auditable transmission method is expected.
Despite this deep institutional reliance, Germany is gradually modernizing. The government's Digitalisierungsstrategie aims to move more public services online, and younger, digitally native companies increasingly prefer email and cloud-based tools. Online fax services bridge this gap by allowing users to send and receive faxes digitally -- maintaining compatibility with traditional fax infrastructure while eliminating the need for physical machines. For details on international number formatting, including how to handle German area codes, see our guide on how to send an international fax online.
JustFax Online makes it easy to send a fax to Germany from anywhere. Upload your document -- PDF, PNG, JPEG, or TIFF -- enter the German fax number with the country code +49 (dropping the leading zero from the area code), and send. No account, no subscription, no app required. You pay a flat rate for the first four pages, with additional pages priced separately. If delivery fails after all retry attempts, you are not charged. To get started, see our step-by-step guide to sending a fax online.