A · Mediation + amicable divorce
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- Mediation
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- Court
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- One lawyer
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- Notary
Divorce in Germany
Compare two routes to a divorce in Germany – whether you live in Munich or elsewhere: mediation followed by an amicable divorce (one lawyer), and a contested divorce (two lawyers). Court, lawyer and notary fees are calculated from the statutory German fee tables.
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| Case value of the divorce | Route A | Route B |
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| Costs | Route A | Route B |
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For orientation only, not legal advice. Based on the German fee acts FamGKG, RVG and GNotKG as in force from 1 June 2025. Court: 2.0 fees for the divorce (no. 1110 KV FamGKG), 0.5 per proceeding about the children (no. 1310); per lawyer a 1.3 procedural fee and a 1.2 hearing fee plus €20 expenses and 19 % VAT; notary 2.0 fees from table B (no. 21100 KV GNotKG). Not included: settlement fees, appeals, notarising further agreements (e.g. transferring property). Mediation costs depend on your situation; the initial consultation (30 minutes) is free.
Court and lawyer fees for a divorce in Germany depend on the case value (Verfahrenswert). It is three times the couple’s combined monthly net income (at least €3,000, § 43 FamGKG), plus part of your assets and, for each pension right, a value for the pension equalisation (§ 50 FamGKG). The court fees follow from this value under the FamGKG and the lawyers’ fees under the RVG – the calculator uses the tables in force since 1 June 2025.
The big difference is whether you agree: in an amicable divorce one lawyer is enough and the court only decides on the divorce itself. In a contested divorce each spouse needs their own lawyer, and every disputed issue – maintenance, equalisation of gains, custody or contact – raises the case value or leads to separate proceedings. Mediation helps you settle these questions together beforehand.
It depends mainly on your income and assets. In the example from my guide (net incomes of €4,000 and €1,000, a flat worth €200,000), mediation plus an amicable divorce costs around €7,700, a contested divorce around €11,150.
As a rule, costs are split (§ 150 FamFG): each spouse pays half of the court fees and their own lawyer. In an amicable divorce with one lawyer, you can agree to share that lawyer’s fees.
Yes, the divorce petition has to be filed by a lawyer (§ 114 FamFG). If you agree on all the consequences of the divorce, one lawyer is enough; the other spouse simply consents.
My hourly rate for divorce mediation is €150 plus VAT, considerably less for people on a low income. Often 8 to 16 hours are enough, including the final agreement. The initial consultation (30 minutes) is free.
Yes. On a low income you can apply for legal aid (Verfahrenskostenhilfe, §§ 76 ff. FamFG). The state then covers court fees and your own lawyer’s fees, in full or repayable in instalments.
Let’s find out in a free initial consultation – 30 minutes, without obligation, also online, in English or German.