Online Civil Court Procedure
User-friendly, easy filing of claims
Before people in Germany even think about taking a matter to court, the value involved generally has to be around 2,000 euros at least. People hesitate due to high costs and potential financial risk with relatively little benefit. As a result, many monetary claims are never enforced in court.
We are working with the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) to develop a solution for testing an online civil court procedure. The idea is to allow for simple, user-friendly, easy assertion of claims, especially small claims.
We are testing two approaches:
- Development of digital input systems to assist citizens in preparing monetary claims.
- Development of specific query dialogs for matters involving airline passenger rights.
Our hope is that simple formalities for filing online claims will shorten processing times and ultimately also enhance trust in democracy and the rule of law. At the same time, we want to improve communication during proceedings via a platform. The aim is not only to enable citizens, but also to make the work of the courts more efficient. The project is a part of the German Digital Strategy (German only) and the Pact for Digital Government and Democracy (German only).
Special features
- Close cooperation with courts for joint testing and development activities
- Insights gleaned in this project contribute to legislation geared toward real-world practice
- The online procedure is intended to test new forms of digital communication and procedural workflows in civil proceedings. The legal framework for this was established by the bill on the development and testing of an online procedure in civil jurisdiction (OVErpG). The law came into force on 23 December 2025 (published in the Federal Law Gazette).
Facts and figures
Cooperation within the federal judicial ecosystem (with stakeholders including constituents, lawyers, state judicial administration bodies, academia)
To date, 194 interactions with citizens and experts in 33 usability and concept tests (as of March 2026)
March 2025: Launch of the digital claim for air passenger rights
April 2026: Start of the practical trial of the online procedure with the launch of the digital payment claim
Dr. Marco Buschmann, Federal Minister of Justice ret.
Online procedures in the civil courts and digital clearinghouses for legal petitions create tools for obtaining modern access to the judicial system. (…) This not only makes it easier for people to reach the judicial system, but also strengthens constituents’ trust in democracy and the rule of law.
Read more about this project
