Generel
If a delay of at least 20 minutes is expected at the destination, the journey can be continued on the same route or via a different route, the journey can be continued at a later time or a different train that does not require a reservation can be used.
In the event of train delays and cancellations of a train, your rights are regulated by law. The basis for this is Regulation (EU) 2021/782 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2021 on rail passengers' rights and obligations (recast).
Passenger rights have applied uniformly to rail transport in Germany and Europe since 2009. You are granted the same rights with all railway companies. The regulations apply exclusively to compensation in the area of rail transport services (from S-Bahn to ICE).
There is no entitlement to compensation for delays caused by underground trains, trams, buses or taxis.
Regulation (EU) 2021/782 stipulates that complaints must be submitted within 3 months of the incident. Please therefore assert your passenger rights within this 3-month period.
As DB, we are acting in an accommodating manner until further notice and will continue to accept and process passenger rights complaints even after the 3-month period has expired. We are basing this on the previously known 12-month period.
You will usually receive feedback from the Passenger Rights Service Centre by post or email within one month.
The actual processing time can vary from case to case and depends, among other things, on the complexity of the case in question and the general volume of applications at the Passenger Rights Service Centre.
You will receive the compensation as a bank transfer to the account specified in your application.
We can also issue a DB voucher on request. You can select this option in your passenger rights claim. The voucher is valid for 3 years.
In cases of reimbursement claims, e.g. if the journey is cancelled at the departure station or in the case of additional receipts such as taxi receipts or hotel bills, we are obliged to make a cash payment. It is not possible to issue vouchers in these cases.
Yes, in this case you can also submit your application directly to the Service Centre Passenger Rights (SC FGR). Please note the following:
- Has your train been cancelled or delayed by 60 minutes or more? In this case, your request for compensation will be processed directly by Interrail/Eurail. If you submit your claim to the SC FGR, your request may be forwarded to the Interrail/Eurail support team. Interrail/Eurail requires your e-mail address for final processing, so please include it directly in your application. This will avoid any additional requests for missing data/information.
Alternatively, you can also apply for compensation directly from Interrail/Eurail. You can do this conveniently online at https://www.interrail.eu/de/support/delay-compensation.
- Have you incurred additional costs (e.g. for an alternative means of transport or an overnight stay) due to a cancellation of a train or a train delay? In this case, your application for a refund of these costs will be processed directly by the SC FGR.
The informal letter must contain all relevant information about the customer and the irregularity of their journey. Relevant data are:
- Your address
- Date of journey
- Description of the planned train connection
- Details of the actual itinerary
- Account details, if applicable
- Signature
Privacy statement: The personal data is collected, processed and used automatically exclusively for processing and control purposes, as well as for plausibility checks between the companies involved, unless the customer has explicitly consented to its use for customer service purposes.
The train attendants on long-distance services / regional transport attendants confirm a delay of 60 minutes or more for the train for which they are responsible by making an imprint on the form.
DB Information counter staff and staff at DB Travel Centres will confirm a delay if they can verify it on the basis of available data. The confirmation is made by affixing a bar code or stamp in the field provided on the form.
You can only apply for reimbursement of necessary expenses due to a delay (e.g. bus, taxi, hotel) from the Passenger Rights Service Centre (DB Dialog, Passenger Rights Service Centre, 60647 Frankfurt am Main).
In addition to the ticket or a copy of the ticket, the original receipts for the expenses incurred must be sent in.
If you are not satisfied with a decision made by the Passenger Rights Service Centre (SC FGR), please address your appeal directly to the Passenger Rights Service Centre. Your case will then be (re)examined.
Contact details Service Centre Passenger Rights:
Telephone: 030 586020920 (Germany)
Address:
DB Dialog GmbH
Servicecenter Fahrgastrechte
60647 Frankfurt am Main
If you are not satisfied with the processing of your objection (by the SC FGR), you can contact an arbitration board.
Yes, passenger rights also apply to international journeys from abroad to Germany. Regardless of who caused the delay, the following applies to international tickets: The railway company that issued the ticket processes the delay case.
In principle, compensation claims are always processed by the railway company that issued the ticket. You can usually recognise the issuing railway company by the logo on the ticket.
Deutsche Bahn and the non-federally owned rail companies in Germany have introduced a standardised procedure for processing compensation claims.
The Service Centre for Passenger Rights (SC FGR) is the central service provider for processing compensation applications. In addition to Deutsche Bahn, numerous other railway companies have their customers' passenger rights claims processed by the SC FGR. If you would like to know exactly which railway companies these are, you can find an overview here (in german).
If you send a ticket to SC FGR from a railway company that does not participate in the joint procedure, this is not a problem. In this case, the SC FGR will of course forward your request to the relevant railway company. Tip: To shorten the processing time, it is best to contact the railway company that issued your ticket directly.
In principle, we recommend using the existing application channels such as the digital Passenger Rights Application Form or the Passenger Rights Claim Form.
However, if you use the EU application form for refunds and compensation, please follow the corresponding instructions and notes on the form. Send the completed form including all necessary tickets and supporting documents to:
Postal:
DB Dialog GmbH
Servicecenter Fahrgastrechte
60647 Frankfurt am Main
Deutschland
or by e-mail: kundendialog@bahn.de | Please state the following in the subject line (if possible): Passenger rights: EU application form
Alternatively, you can also hand in the form at a DB Travel Center.
Please note the following regarding the processing of your application at the Servicecenter Fahrgastrechte:
- If you have used the German-language version of the EU application form, you will receive your reply in German. If you have used another available language version, you will receive an answer in English.
- You will usually receive the compensation as a bank transfer to the account specified in the application. Important: Payment to another account (PayPal or Apple Pay etc.) is not possible.
We can also issue a DB voucher on request. The voucher is valid for 3 years. We are obliged to make a cash payment in the event of claims for reimbursement, e.g. if the journey is cancelled at the departure station or additional receipts such as taxi receipts or hotel bills. A voucher issue is excluded in these cases.
Yes. If your train was significantly delayed or cancelled, you can apply for compensation.
If your booked connection is no longer available or changed, you can use alternative connections without changing your booking. Your ticket is no longer linked to the booked connection. This does not apply for connections with mandatory reservations.
Legal regulations
The following applies to single tickets: if you arrive at your destination station 60 minutes or more late, you will receive compensation of 25 per cent of the fare paid for the single journey; if you arrive 120 minutes or more late, you will receive 50 per cent. For tickets for the outward and return journey, the compensation is calculated on the basis of the fare paid for the outward or return journey. If the fare for the outward and return journey is shown as a total, the compensation is calculated on the basis of half the fare paid.
The following applies to season tickets for local and long-distance transport: if you are 60 minutes or more late at your destination station, you will receive the following flat-rate compensation:
- Long-distance season tickets: 5 euros (2nd class), 7.50 euros (1st class)
- Season tickets for local transport: 1.50 euros (2nd class), 2.25 euros (1st class)
- BahnCard 100: 10 euros (2nd class), 15 euros (1st class)
In total, a maximum of 25 per cent of the value of the season ticket is compensated.
You also have the option of adding up cases of delay of 20 minutes or more and submitting them collectively. The cases of delay to be added together must be within the period of validity of the season ticket.
Please note: Compensation amounts of less than 4 euros will not be paid out.
For train selected tickets (saver fares), this train connection is cancelled in the following cases:
- in the event of an expected delay at the destination of:
- at least 20 minutes for national journeys
- at least 60 minutes for international journeys
- in the event of cancellation of a train
- in the event of a stop cancellation
- if you do not reach your connecting train due to DB's fault
- if the train departs early due to a timetable change
Train selected cancelled means:
- For journeys with long distance tickets: You can use all DB long distance trains (ICE, IC/EC) and local trains (RE, RB, IRE, S-Bahn) with your original ticket.
- For journeys with local train tickets: You can use another local train. If you are travelling on a higher-value train (e.g. IC/EC, ICE), you must purchase an additional ticket. You can have the costs reimbursed via the Passenger Rights Service Centre. This rule does not apply to significantly reduced fares (e.g. Deutschlandticket, Länder-Tickets).
- You can use a later connection of your choice (e.g. later on the same day of travel, one day later or in three weeks' time. This is possible up to one year after the original date of travel).
- For long-distance journeys, you can also take an earlier connection on the same day of travel.
- You have a free choice of travel route. The journey to the destination stated on the ticket can therefore also take a different route.
- Within Germany, you do not need an additional certificate for cancelling the train selected. However, you can have a certificate issued on explicit request (e.g. on the train, in the travel centre or at the DB Information counter).
In the event of an expected delay at the destination station
- of 20 minutes or more for national journeys
- or 60 minutes or more for international journeys
of your ticket you can:
- continue your journey on the same route or on a different route at the next opportunity
- continue the journey at a later time
- use other trains that do not require a reservation (you must first pay for any required ticket and can then have it refunded; significantly reduced fare tickets may be exempt from this)
Tickets for train selected (e.g. Sparpreis) are automatically cancelled.
- If you have a ticket for local transport (RE, RB, IRE and S-Bahn) but would like to use a higher-value train (e.g. long-distance trains, i.e. IC/EC, ICE), you must first pay for the additional ticket required. You can then have the costs reimbursed via the Passenger Rights Service Centre. This rule does not apply to significantly reduced fares (e.g. Deutschland-Ticket, Länder-Ticket, Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket).
If an overnight stay is necessary due to a cancellation of a train or a delay, or if it is unreasonable to expect you to continue your journey on the same day, you will be reimbursed reasonable accommodation costs.
The prerequisite is that the railway company does not provide overnight accommodation and you are unable to contact the railway company for reasons for which the railway company is responsible (contacting the DB sales office, DB Information counter or staff on the train used).
If the railway company provides you with overnight accommodation, this will take precedence over any self-organised alternative. Should you nevertheless organise your own overnight accommodation in this case, you will not be entitled to reimbursement of the costs incurred.
Regulation (EU) 2021/782 (Article 19(10)) stipulates that in certain cases, railway undertakings do not have to pay compensation for delays.
On the one hand, these are exceptional circumstances, such as major natural disasters. An ordinary storm does not fall into this category. Therefore, as a rule, you will continue to receive full compensation for delays under passenger rights.
On the other hand, these are circumstances caused by the behaviour of a third party. These include, for example, trespassing on the tracks, cable theft, police operations or bomb disposal. In such cases, the railway company reserves the right not to pay compensation for delays in accordance with the regulation.
A strike is explicitly not one of the cases mentioned in the regulation. In the event of a strike, you will therefore continue to receive full compensation under passenger rights.
If you use several tickets for your journey, each ticket constitutes an independent contract of carriage. In this case, any passenger rights are not determined for the entire journey, but for each ticket separately.
The situation is different if you only have one ticket for your journey. In this case, you are entitled to compensation for the entire travel chain, even if trains from different railway companies are used.
If it is foreseeable that you will arrive at the destination printed on your ticket at least 20 minutes late, you have the following option:
- The for train selected is cancelled and you can use another train that does not require a reservation.
- The journey can be continued at the next opportunity or at a later date.
- The ticket is valid for the journey to the original destination, even with a different route alignment.
Please note: If you have a local train ticket (RE, RB, IRE and S-Bahn) but would like to use a higher-value train (e.g. long-distance trains, i.e. IC/EC, ICE), you must first pay for the additional ticket required. You can then have the costs reimbursed via the Passenger Rights Service Centre. This rule does not apply to significantly reduced fares (e.g. Deutschland-Ticket, Länder-Ticket, Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket).
In addition, if the railway company does not inform you within 100 minutes of the scheduled departure time of a delayed or cancelled train or a missed connection of the options available to you for your onward journey, you also have the right to continue your journey by other rail employees (e.g. Flixtrain, Nightjet), a long distance bus or a regional bus.
Any necessary, appropriate and reasonable costs incurred as a result will be reimbursed to you via the Passenger Rights Service Centre.
The costs for the use of a taxi, aeroplane or private pick-up will not be reimbursed in this case.
If your scheduled arrival time is between 0 a.m. and 5 a.m. and you expect a delay of at least 60 minutes at the destination station of your ticket, you will be reimbursed the cost of another means of transport up to a maximum of 120 euros.
This also applies if a train is cancelled if it is the last scheduled connection of the day and the destination station can no longer be reached by midnight without using another means of transport.
The prerequisite is that the railway company does not provide any other means of transport and that you are unable to contact the railway company for reasons for which the railway company is responsible (contacting the DB sales office, DB Information counter or staff on the train used).
If the railway company provides you with another means of transport, this has priority over a self-organised alternative. Should you nevertheless use a self-organised means of transport in this case, there is no entitlement to reimbursement of the costs for this.
The maximum amount of 120 euros does not apply in cases of assistance within the meaning of Article 20 (2) c) and (3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/782.
In principle, passenger rights also apply to rail services operated by the rail associations (e.g. S-Bahn, RE or RB). There is no entitlement to compensation for delays caused by underground trains, trams, buses or taxis.
The associations are also free to make further arrangements.
The responsibility for handling passenger rights is regulated individually by each transport association. Holders of tickets from a transport association should enquire with the respective association about the passenger rights regulations that apply there.
Claims
You have the following options for asserting your claims:
Digitally in your customer account on bahn.de or in the DB Navigator app
To do this, the ticket for the journey for which you wish to submit your claim must have been purchased via this customer account or be stored in the customer account. The ticket on file can also be a BahnCard 100 or another season ticket.
- To submit your passenger rights claim in your customer account for single tickets: Go to the "My journeys" tab (bahn.de) or the "Travel" menu item (DB Navigator). If you are not yet logged in, do so. Select your "Past journeys". You will find your booked tickets there. Select the relevant journey for which you want to submit the application. Scroll down in the journey details and click on "Apply for compensation" (bahn.de) or click on the "Further actions" button (DB Navigator) and then "Apply for compensation". Click on the "Apply now" button to start the application. Follow the next steps.
- To submit your passenger rights claim in your customer account for your BahnCard 100 or season ticket: For a BahnCard 100, first select the "BahnCard" section in your customer account. Click on "Options" for the BahnCard for which you are applying and select "Apply for compensation". Then click on "Request compensation" in the "Passenger rights" tab and follow the next steps. If you have a season ticket, go to the menu item "Season tickets & season tickets" in your customer account. Select the corresponding season ticket for which you would like to submit a passenger rights claim. Click on "Apply for compensation" in the "Passenger rights" section.
With the Passenger Rights Claim Form
Alternatively, you can also apply for compensation using the Passenger Rights Claim Form. You can obtain the form from the service staff on the train, at the DB Information counter or at the DB Travel Centre. You can download the form as a PDF (see below).
Complete the form step by step. The form helps you to provide all the data required for processing and thus enables your application to be processed quickly.
Please enclose any supporting documents. We need your ticket or a copy of your ticket to process your application. If your ticket does not have a price printed on it, please also enclose proof of cost (exception: BahnCard 100).
When everything is complete, send the form and supporting documents by post to the following address:
DB Dialog GmbH
Servicecenter Fahrgastrechte
60647 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Alternatively, you can also hand in the documents at a DB Travel Centre or your point of sale.
If you have incurred additional costs on your journey due to a delay or cancellation of a train, you can apply for reimbursement directly with your regular passenger rights claim. This is possible both in the digital application and with the Passenger Rights Claim Form.
Procedure in the digital application in the customer account:
The following field is displayed within the digital application: "I had additional expenses due to the delay | I was unable to use my reservation". Tick this box and follow the next steps. Enter the required details for the receipts you wish to submit and upload the receipts. Please have the image or PDF files ready. Please also ensure that the receipt files are legible and complete (all receipt content must be visible, e.g. including the information in the header and footer of a receipt). If the quality/readability of the files is insufficient or the files are incomplete, this can delay processing. In this case, we would then require the original receipts, which you would have to submit by post.
For any queries, subsequent submissions or checks, please keep your original documents at least until your application has been finalised.
Procedure with the Passenger Rights Claim Form:
First fill in all the necessary information about your journey in the Passenger Rights Claim Form. Please then enclose the other supporting documents (invoices, receipts, etc.), ideally in the original, and send all documents together to the following address:
DB Dialog GmbH
Servicecenter Fahrgastrechte
60647 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Alternatively, you can also hand in the documents at a DB Travel Centre or your point of sale.
If reserved seats could not be allocated or allocated seats could not be kept available or could not be used due to train delays, you are entitled to a refund of the reservation fee paid. This applies to both seats and bicycle parking spaces.
Procedure in the digital application in the customer account:
To do this, first select the main ticket for your journey in your customer account and start the online application.
If you had no other disruptions (e.g. delay), enter "Delay less than 60 minutes". In the next step, a new message box will appear with the following sentence: "I had additional expenses due to the delay | I was unable to use my reservation". Tick the appropriate box here and follow the next steps.
Alternatively, you can also request a refund of the reservation fee in writing (informally). Please send your request to the following address:
DB Dialog GmbH
Servicecenter Fahrgastrechte
60647 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
If the request button for passenger rights is not displayed for an order, the following possible explanations exist:
- The travel date for the booking is in the future, so no passenger rights can be claimed yet. As soon as the validity date of the booking is reached, the button will appear and you can claim your passenger rights.
- You have already applied for compensation for this booking. It is therefore not possible to apply again.
- Your ticket has been cancelled, therefore no passenger rights can be applied for.
The application deadline has been exceeded. You can assert claims up to 1 year after the expiry of the period of validity of the associated ticket at the latest. After this period has expired, you can no longer apply for compensation.
After you have submitted your application, an application confirmation will appear with your individual case ID and you will receive a confirmation of receipt by e-mail (if requested). As a rule, you will then receive feedback on your application by post or e-mail within one month.
There is currently no information on the processing status of your case in the customer account. However, you can see that a passenger rights claim has been submitted for your journey. Here you will also find your individual case ID.
The case ID is a reference number. Each passenger rights claim submitted is given a case ID that enables it to be clearly assigned.
If you submit your compensation claim digitally, you will receive your case ID immediately after submitting the claim. You can see this, for example, in the confirmation email or in the customer account for the trip itself.
The case ID is also listed in the final letter you receive from the Passenger Rights Service Centre. When making a bank transfer, this number will also be given as a reference.