Last updated: By Kumar Ashish, German Campus
Your 2-minute update on the week in Germany, 26 October to 1 November 2026, in plain English. Only what matters if you study, work or plan to move here.
- ✊ Gen Z protests in more than 30 cities: peaceful by day, riots at night in some cities
- 🎫 Deutschlandticket goes up to €66.80: DB customers must agree by 30 November
- 📦 New €2 customs fee on parcels from outside the EU
- 🩺 Faster recognition for foreign doctors and easier hiring of international researchers
- 📝 Stricter German test (DTZ) rules now apply
- 🗓️ Also new in November: buy now, pay later rules, family ticket, holidays
✊ Gen Z protests: over 100,000 young people on the streets
On Saturday, 31 October 2026, the youth alliance “Gen Z regelt” called for demonstrations in more than 30 German cities. According to the organisers’ first count, more than 100,000 people took part. The protesters demanded more money for schools and universities, an affordable life, social security and climate action, and they protested against military conscription and spending cuts. The alliance says it is non-partisan and was inspired by student protests in France, Belgium and Spain.
Police counted about 8,000 people in Frankfurt, up to 5,000 each in Berlin and Munich, up to 2,800 in Bremen and around 2,500 each in Dresden and Düsseldorf. During the day, most marches were peaceful. In the evening, after the rallies had ended, violence broke out in several cities. In Frankfurt, shops on the Zeil were looted, windows were smashed and a weapons shop was attacked. Police used water cannon, and Hesse’s interior minister Roman Poseck spoke of around 100 left-wing extremist violent offenders. Police reported more than 30 arrests in Frankfurt. There were also clashes, fireworks and attacks on police officers in Cologne, Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen. In Berlin, a separate evening demonstration that was not part of “Gen Z regelt” ended with 27 lightly injured officers and 56 arrests.
The organisers say they had no influence on what happened after the official rallies and distance themselves from violence. The alliance has announced further protests for 20 November, when Europe-wide youth demonstrations are planned. The national school students’ conference (Bundesschülerkonferenz) and Fridays for Future are planning their own demonstration on the same day.
👉 What it means for you: Peaceful protest is legal in Germany for everyone, including international students. But being caught up in a riot, or ending up in a police investigation, can cause serious trouble with your residence permit or a future citizenship application. If you think about joining on 20 November, read our Gen Z protest guide for international students first. Stay with the official march, keep your distance from anyone looking for trouble, and go home as soon as the rally ends.
Sources: Tagesspiegel · hessenschau · Al Jazeera · buten un binnen
🎫 Deutschlandticket goes up to €66.80: DB customers must agree by 30 November
From 1 January 2027, the Deutschlandticket will cost €66.80 a month instead of €63, about €45 more per year. If you bought your subscription from Deutsche Bahn, the price increase is not automatic: you must actively agree to the new price in your customer account on bahn.de or in the DB Navigator app by 30 November. If you do not respond, your subscription ends on 31 December. Other transport companies handle the change in different ways, so check the emails from your provider.
👉 What it means for you: If you have a Deutschlandticket from DB, open the DB Navigator app this week and confirm the new price, unless you want to cancel. If you use a semester ticket from your university, this deadline does not apply to you, but ask your student union (AStA) whether the price of your ticket changes next semester.
Sources: Berliner Zeitung · Federal Government
📦 New €2 customs fee on parcels from outside the EU
Since 1 November 2026, customs charges a handling fee of €2 per customs category for online parcels from non-EU countries worth up to €150. It comes on top of the flat €3 duty that has applied to these small parcels since July 2026. This mainly affects cheap orders from platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress.
👉 What it means for you: That “cheap” order from abroad can now cost several euros more than the price you see. Compare it with local discount stores first. Our student shopping assistant shows the cheapest shops near you.
Source: Federal Government
🩺 Faster recognition for foreign doctors and easier hiring of international researchers
New rules this month make the recognition of foreign qualifications for doctors, dentists, pharmacists and midwives faster and more digital. The government stresses that the professional requirements stay the same, only the procedure gets quicker. In addition, a reform of the Science Freedom Act (Wissenschaftsfreiheitsgesetz) brings more flexible pay at research institutions and less paperwork when hiring international researchers.
👉 What it means for you: If you studied medicine or pharmacy outside the EU and want to work in Germany, the wait for your recognition (Approbation) should become shorter. If you plan a PhD or a research job, German research institutions now find it easier to hire you. Read our PhD in Germany guide.
Source: Federal Government
📝 Stricter German test (DTZ) rules now apply
As we reported last week, the new pass rules for the “Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer” (DTZ) apply from 1 November 2026. Candidates now have to complete both written sections: B1 in one and at least A2 in the other. Leaving the writing part empty is no longer possible.
👉 What it means for you: If you have a DTZ date coming up, practise writing as well as listening and reading. Check your level with our free German level test. Details are in last week’s news.
Source: asyl.net
🗓️ Also new in November
- Buy now, pay later: During November, small loans of up to €200, for example from “pay later” services, come under consumer credit rules for the first time. A digital agreement, such as an email confirmation, is enough to sign them, so read before you click.
- DB family ticket: Since 1 November, the Familienticket is a permanent offer. One or two adults and up to four children aged 6 to 14 can book a long-distance round trip in Germany together, with seat reservations included.
- Holidays: Reformation Day on 31 October and All Saints Day on 1 November both fell on the weekend this year. Saxony has one more holiday this month, the Day of Repentance and Prayer on Wednesday, 18 November. Curious why shops in the north were closed on Saturday? Read our Reformation Day guide.
Source: Federal Government
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