Germany Cracks Down on Age Verification Starting December 2025

Starting December 1, 2025, Germany will step up enforcement of age verification rules for adult sites and other 18+ platforms. State media regulators will be able to go beyond blocking websites, stopping banks and payment providers (PSPs) from processing payments for sites that don’t comply.

Germany Age Verification Requirements

Germany’s Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media (JMStV) requires that content harmful to minors—including pornography, online casinos, betting, alcohol and tobacco sales, or violent and sexual user-generated content—must be restricted to adults.

This obligation applies to all “telemedia” services, including websites, streaming platforms, and apps.

In practice, this means that online services with 18+ content must use an approved age verification system (AVS) before users can access their content. Only AVS approved by the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM), such as Gataca age verification solution, are legally valid.

The KJM requires all approved age verification systems to:

• Confirm identity: Make sure the person presenting proof of age is actually the individual associated with it.
• Minimize data: Collect only the information needed for age verification.
• Ensure security: Use encrypted, secure transmission for all data.
• Protect privacy: Fully comply with GDPR and German data protection laws.

What Changes on December 1, 2025?

From this date according to the Sixth Interstate Amendment to Germany’s media treaties, regulators can target payment flows, not just the website itself.

This means, banks and payment providers can be forced to block payments to adult sites that ignore age verification requirements or lack adequate AVS. Plus, non-German websites serving German users are in scope so mirror domains or routing tricks won’t protect against enforcement.

What Methods Are Allowed?

The KJM doesn’t mandate a single system but sets strict standards. Simple “age gates” or self-declared checks are not enough. The KJM’s AVS grid lists positively assessed systems, which are continuously updated.

For a long time, the classic solutions were POSTIDENT, ID upload or credit card verification, but these provide a bad user experience for users and are sensitive in terms of data protection.

There are now more innovative approaches that have been recognized by the KJM and which Gataca provides:

• Facial Age Estimation: A quick selfie confirms age with AI and liveness detection—no ID upload or personal data storage.
• Digital ID Wallets: Users verify once, then can instantly access sites with a click using a secure digital wallet.

How to ensure compliance with Gataca

Meeting Germany age verification requirements doesn’t have to be complicated. Gataca makes it easy with a fully compliant solution designed with the fastest and simplest user experience to drive top conversion rates when users reach the age verification step.

We offer KJM certified methods, so you can choose what works best for your business:

• Facial Age Estimation – Users take a quick selfie and our AI estimates their age and confirms they’re real through liveness detection. No ID uploads, no stored images, no personal data.
• Gataca App (ID Wallet) – Users complete a one-time ID check to receive a verified proof of age in their digital wallet. They can then share it with just one click to access instantly your site or anywhere digital ID wallets are accepted.

Both options use passkeys for returning visitors, making verification faster and safer.

This is aligned with the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) and the upcoming EUDI Wallet, which should be available by the end of 2026, ensuring your platform is not only compliant now but future-ready.