Spring is almost here! Buds are slowly bringing branches back to life, and we can count down the days until the evenings are long and ripe for an al fresco Feierabendbier. Here’s everything expats in Germany should know about in March 2025:

1. Carnival celebrations continue on March 1

This weekend is carnival weekend! The carnival season is back after a break since opening on November 11. On Saturday, March 1, millions of revellers will flood the streets of western German cities to celebrate Fasching. 

Celebrations will continue until carnival closes for another year on Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch) on March 5.

2. Further public sector strikes likely

January and February saw public sector and transport workers across Germany go on intermittent warning strikes, which affected everything from Kitas, to rubbish collection and swimming pools.

Ver.di is demanding that public sectors receive an 8 percent rise in pay, among other things, and the union is yet to come to an agreement with government representatives on behalf of public sector employees.

On March 14, ver.di and government representatives will meet for the third round of negotiations. Unless an agreement is met before that, further strikes are likely in the first two weeks of March for the public sector and transportation. 

Follow IamExpat on social media for regular updates about industrial action affecting services in Germany.

3. EU citizens can apply for new UK ETA visa

Since January, non-EU citizens have to pay a 10-pound (11,95 euro) fee when they enter the United Kingdom. Starting in April 2025, the fee will also apply to EU citizens.

In preparation for any trips in April, EU and EEA nationals will already be able to apply for the documents in March.

The UK government estimates processing times of three days, but since you cannot enter the UK until your visa is processed and waiting times may vary, it is best to submit your application as early as possible.

You can find more information about the requirements and visa application process on the UK government website.

4. International Women’s Day on March 8

March 8 marks International Women’s Day, also known as Feministischer Kampftag (Feminist Day of Struggle). March 8 is a public holiday in one German federal state, Berlin. However, since the holiday falls on a Saturday in 2025, Berliners can’t count on an extra day off work.

Important to remember, however, that shops in Berlin will be shut on both March 8 and 9, so remember to stock up on food ahead of the weekend.

Feministischer Kampftag may only be a holiday in Berlin, but demonstrations will be held across the country. If you’re heading out to a demo, you’re in luck, sunshine and highs of 16 degrees celsius have been forecast.

5. Deutsche Bahn timetable changes

From March 9, Deutsche Bahn will run an extra direct long-distance train between Rostock and Stuttgart, via Berlin, Leipzig and Frankfurt. 

The train will leave Frankfurt on Saturdays at 12.14pm and arrive in Rostock at 6.36pm.

6. Berlin Hauptbahnhof to close during one weekend in March

Due to construction work, Berlin Hauptbahnhof’s eight underground platforms will be entirely closed for one weekend in March.

The platforms will be out of service from 10am on March 21 until 4am on March 24. Further closures will follow on Easter weekend in April. 

7. E-scooter and moped drivers need new plates

At the end of February, the blue insurance licence plates currently required on e-scooters and mopeds will no longer be valid.

Drivers will need to swap their blue plates out for the green plates issued by their vehicle insurance. These plates change annually so police can easily spot which riders have up-to-date insurance coverage.

8. Higher health insurance costs for pensioners

At the beginning of 2025, workers in Germany started paying higher additional contribution fees for their health insurance.

From March, these additional contribution increases will impact pensioners, too. If you’re retired, how much more you pay will depend on which health insurance plan you have, but your provider is obliged to inform you of any cost increases.

9. Mietpreisbremse will be extended in NRW

Since 2015, Germany has had a rent brake (Mietpreisbremse) to stop rents from going through the roof in certain areas. The Mietpreisbremse is applied in areas with a “strained housing market”. 

In Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, the Mietpreisbremse currently only applies to 18 municipalities. From March 1, it will apply to 57.

In these 57 municipalities, landlords will only be able to raise rents by a maximum of 15 percent every three years and can only charge rent 10 percent over the standard local amount for new rental contracts.

Head to North Rhine-Westphalia’s Ministry for Infrastructure and Digitalisation website to see if your local municipality is on the updated list.

10. German government negotiations continue

On February 23, German citizens went to the polls and voted for a new government. The centre-right Christian Democratic Union / Christian Social Union (CDU / CSU) won the election with 28,52 percent of the vote.

Now, the party’s leader and the man slated to be the next German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, must bring together a coalition government. Merz has already entered into discussion with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), but coalition talks are expected to last throughout March.

Merz has said he hopes to form a government by Easter, on April 20.

11. First day of spring falls on March 20

Is it almost time to fold away that big, bulky coat which got you through the German winter? We hope so. The first day of spring will arrive on March 20!

12. Clocks go forward in Germany

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for, more daylight! On Sunday, March 30, at 2am the clocks will turn forward to 3am. This means you’ll lose an hour of Sunday relaxation but can look forward to the evenings getting longer and longer until the summer solstice on June 21.

Thumb image credit: P Gregory / Shutterstock.com