The statutory deadlines
Germany runs producer responsibility with a register in three regimes. There is no German EPR for textiles, furniture, toys, DIY or sport — those exist in France, not here.
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPW 
VerpackDG § 68 
ZSVR VerpackDG § 19 VerpackDG § 22 
BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 207
| Date | What must happen | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-12 85 days ago | The representative duty applies Companies with no German establishment supplying packaged goods directly to German end users must appoint one. ZSVR: “Eine Befreiung von dieser Pflicht ist nicht möglich.” (“An exemption from this duty is not possible.”) | VerpackDG § 5 |
| 2026-09-12 54 days ago | Transition for newly obligated producers This transition applied only to producers newly required to register by the new law who were not already required to register under the previous VerpackG. It is not a general grace period for new sellers. | VerpackDG § 68 |
| 2026-11-12 in 7 days | Existing LUCID registrants must have named their representative 12 November 2026 is the deadline to update existing LUCID registrations under § 68(2), including representative details where required. It does not postpone the representative obligation that applies from 12 August 2026. | VerpackDG § 68 |
| 2026-12-31 in 56 days | Pre-existing system participations expire § 68(1): participations entered into before 12 August 2026 continue “längstens jedoch bis zum Ablauf des 31. Dezember 2026” (“but at the latest until the end of 31 December 2026”). | VerpackDG § 68 |
| 2027-05-15 in 191 days | Annual § 39(3) documentation due Producers who take back non-system packaging — typically B2B transport packaging — must document, by 15 May each year, what they placed on the market and what was taken back and recovered, broken down by material type and mass, in verifiable form, produced to the competent Land authority on request. | VerpackDG § 39 |
| 2027-05-15 in 191 days | Completeness declaration where required For the preceding year, file by 15 May where § 10 thresholds are met or an authority requires a declaration. Independent registered verification is required. | VerpackDG § 10 |
| 2027-06-01 in 208 days | Annual volume report below 10 tonnes Under § 9(2), qualifying producers below 10 tonnes in the preceding year report the calendar year’s system-participation packaging by 1 June of the following year. | VerpackDG § 9 |
| 2027-10-31 in 360 days | Other producer-responsibility organisations must be approved Privately organised bodies acting as a sonstige Organisation für Herstellerverantwortung may do so without § 22 approval only until 31 October 2027. From 1 November 2027 ZSVR approval is required. | ZSVR |
| 2027-12-31 in 421 days | Producers of non-system packaging must hold a ZSVR approval Until 31 December 2027 producers of non-system-participation packaging — typically B2B transport packaging — may continue without the § 19 approval. From 1 January 2028 it is required, unless an approved sOfH carries the responsibility for them. ZSVR expects to open applications only in summer and autumn 2027, because the electronic systems could not be designed before July 2026. | ZSVR |
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What non-compliance costs
VerpackDG § 66 sets three fine tiers. Note what is not in the list: § 66 never cites § 5, so there is no direct fine for failing to appoint a representative. The €200,000 tier covers failing to participate in a dual system under § 7(1) sentence 1 — and for a non-established direct seller, the only lawful route to a valid system participation runs through the representative.
| Maximum fine | Offence |
|---|---|
| up to €200,000 | Failing to participate in at least one dual system (§ 7(1) s.1) |
| up to €100,000 | Reporting, completeness-declaration and related breaches |
| up to €10,000 | Remaining offences under § 66(1) and (2) |
Sources: ZSVR — Bevollmächtigung · ZSVR — manufacturer vs producer · ZSVR — Systembetreiber · VerpackDG § 5 · VerpackDG § 6 · VerpackDG § 7 · VerpackDG § 19 · VerpackDG § 20 · VerpackDG § 22 · ZSVR — Zulassungsverfahren · VerpackDG § 39 · VerpackDG § 66 · VerpackDG § 68 · Regulation (EU) 2025/40 (PPWR) · ElektroG § 8 · ElektroG § 37 · stiftung ear — Bevollmächtigter · BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 207 · RIGK — VerpackDG solution · PACKLIANCE (RIGK · GVÖ · KBS) · VerpackDG § 9 · VerpackDG § 10 · VerpackDG § 13 · ZSVR — Erzeuger oder Hersteller? · ZSVR — Versand- und Onlinehandel · ZSVR — Versand- und Onlinehandel · 2eu.brussels — ENVI vote, 6 October 2026 · Packaging Insights — 6 October 2026 · ZDH — 6 October 2026 · Council of the EU — 24 June 2026 · Directive (EU) 2025/794 · Regulation (EU) 2024/3234 · Code de l'environnement, art. L. 541-10-9-1 · European Parliament Research Service — Extended producer responsibility: 2026 turning point · Council of the EU — Qualified majority · European Parliament — Legislative Observatory, 2025/0395(COD) · Council of the EU — 30 September 2026 · COM(2025) 982 final · European Parliament — Legislative Train · BMUKN — 7 September 2026 · European Commission — 11 August 2026 · packaging-compliance.de · take-e-way.de · get-e-right.de · ZSVR help — Authorising a representative · ZSVR help — Registering in LUCID · ZSVR help — Data reporting in LUCID · ZSVR help — Declaration of completeness · ZSVR help — Roles and responsibilities · ZSVR help — System participation · ZSVR — Mail order companies and online retailers · ZSVR — Guideline: when to submit which reports to LUCID (August 2026) · EPR Germany Rep — dual-system licence rates dataset, read 21 September 2026 · Etsy Seller Handbook — VerpackG requirements for shops selling to Germany · Etsy Seller Handbook — New EU packaging and EPR rules (3 September 2026) · Amazon — Extended Producer Responsibility compliance · eBay — Erweiterte Herstellerverantwortung bei Verkäufen in Deutschland · Kaufland Global Marketplace — EPR general information · OTTO Market — onboarding guide · rep-germany.de · verpackgo.com (Green Dot Rep) · ecosistant.eu · lizenzero.com (Interzero) · epr.eldris.ai · ZSVR — one million LUCID registrations (9 April 2024) · ZSVR — LUCID registration · maincompliance.de · ecocomply.ai · authoriseme.eu
Selling into Germany from abroad?
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