Archive
Audience: Active Duty
For active-duty US service members and DoD civilians under SOFA Article 67 status.
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Kindergeld for an American-German Family: Which Path You Can Actually Claim
Who this is for: American-German families where one spouse is a US citizen and the other is a German national, living in Germany. It covers the two statutory tracks (the Bundeskindergeldgesetz (BKGG, the federal child-benefit residual statute) and the Einkommensteuergesetz (EStG, the German income tax act) § 62 path), why the Bundeskindergeldgesetz NATO-Truppe (NATO force…
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Kfz-Steuer for US Trucks in Germany: How the KraftStG § 8 Formula Works in 2026
As of April 2026: if you live in Germany and your name is on a German civilian vehicle registration (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, the vehicle registration certificate), you owe Kfz-Steuer (Kraftfahrzeugsteuer, the German motor-vehicle tax) every year. The bill is set by a federal formula in the Kraftfahrzeugsteuergesetz (KraftStG, the motor-vehicle tax act): the assessment lives…
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Anmeldung in Germany: The 14-Day Rule and What to Bring to the Bürgercenter
As of May 2026: if you move to a German address and you do not hold NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) status, you have 14 days to register with the local Meldebehörde (registration authority). That is the Anmeldung Germany 14-day rule, set by Bundesmeldegesetz (BMG, the Federal Registration Act) §17 Absatz 1. The SOFA…
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US Class I-V vs German ECE-R55: Practical Hitch Ratings Guide
As of May 2026: the conversation about US hitch ratings ECE-R55 Germany at the KMC Stammtisch table runs in two languages and three different units, and the units do not match up the way people think they do. US Class I through V is one way to classify a receiver hitch. ECE-R55 (the United Nations…