LiveDE · Tier 1
Germany.
An English cold sequence into Germany almost never works. Named cold email is unlawful without prior consent, buyers won't take the call in English, and procurement will ask which entity is invoicing them. Here's how we book meetings there anyway.
This is operational guidance, not legal advice. We review every campaign with local counsel before launch.
- Languages
- German
- Call window
- 09:00–17:00
- Europe/Berlin
- Lead time
- ~3 weeks
- Statute
- UWG §7
What's legal here
No cold email without prior consent, even B2B. Calling requires documented presumed consent. Social DMs count as email (OLG Hamm, 2023).
| Channel | Stance |
|---|---|
| Email (named) | Prohibited |
| Email (generic) | Prohibited |
| Phone | Conditional |
| LinkedIn / social | Prohibited |
Why teams fail here
- English cold email into named contacts — unlawful and ignored.
- US-style high-velocity dial without presumed-consent grounds.
- Invoicing from a US entity without a German VAT story for procurement.
- Treating DACH as one market with one sequence.
Related markets
Austria
AT · German
Call window · 07:00 UTC – 15:00 UTC
- Email: prohibited (TKG 2021 §174)
- Phone: prohibited (TKG 2021 §174)
- Social: conditional (TKG 2021 §174)
Switzerland
CH · German, French, Italian, English
Call window · 07:00 UTC – 15:00 UTC
- Email: conditional (UWG Art. 3(1)(o))
- Phone: permitted (UWG Art. 3(1)(o))
- Social: permitted (UWG Art. 3(1)(o))
Netherlands
NL · Dutch, English
Call window · 07:00 UTC – 15:00 UTC
- Email: prohibited (Telecommunicatiewet 11.7)
- Phone: conditional (Telecommunicatiewet 11.7)
- Social: conditional (Telecommunicatiewet 11.7)
France
FR · French
Call window · 07:00 UTC – 16:00 UTC
- Email: permitted (CPCE L.34-5 / CNIL)
- Phone: permitted (CPCE L.34-5 / CNIL)
- Social: permitted (CPCE L.34-5 / CNIL)