German rail claim form: filing for a delayed train the right way
The form is short, but a wrong time or a missing receipt can delay it by weeks. Here is how to get it through first time.
Compensation
€44.95
120 minutes or more: 50% of the fare.
From 20 minutes of expected delay you may take another train; a taxi or other transport up to €120 if you would arrive at least 60 minutes late between midnight and 5 a.m., or if the last connection is cancelled.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · law as of October 22, 2026 · 4,008 airports (OurAirports)
Compensation, refunds and taxi or hotel costs are claimed from the company that issued your ticket. With Deutsche Bahn that means online through your account or the app, at a travel centre, or with the passenger rights form (Fahrgastrechte-Formular) that DB publishes as a PDF. You need the ticket or its order number, the travel date, the destination station, the scheduled and actual arrival times and the train numbers, including the connecting train if you missed one. Attach receipts for expenses. Season ticket holders collect cases within the ticket’s validity and submit them together, because amounts under €4 are not paid out. If a foreign railway issued a cross-border ticket, that railway is responsible; DB otherwise forwards claims, which takes time. The regulation provides three months after the journey, and payment must follow within one month. If the railway refuses, the söp arbitration body handles the case free of charge.
The form, field by field
| Field | What goes in | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket | order number, or original or copy | return direction entered instead of the delayed one |
| Date and destination | as printed on the ticket | a change station instead of the destination |
| Scheduled arrival | timetable at the start of the trip | a time from a later replanned journey |
| Actual arrival | arrival at the destination station | arrival of the first late train |
| Train numbers | every train used | connecting train missing |
| Expenses | taxi, hotel, supplement, with receipts | receipt without date or time |
| Payment | bank transfer or voucher | no box ticked |
Online is fastest, because the railway matches ticket and delay automatically. DB links the PDF form on its passenger rights page; once completed, hand it in at a travel centre or post it to the passenger rights service centre (Servicecenter Fahrgastrechte).
Season tickets and the Deutschlandticket
With season tickets, collecting pays. For every trip at least 60 minutes late, note the date, trains and times, and submit the cases together within the ticket’s validity. On local transport the flat amount is €1.50 per case in second class, so three cases are needed to reach the €4 payout threshold. The amounts are on the train delay compensation page.
Other railways and international tickets
The company that issued the ticket is always the one to claim from. A ticket from a regional transport association or a private railway goes to that company. Cross-border trips follow the same rule: if a foreign railway sold the ticket, it handles the claim; DB forwards misdirected claims, which can take weeks. The legal basis is Article 19 of Regulation (EU) 2021/782, supplemented in Germany by the Railway Traffic Regulations.
Deadline, payment, arbitration
The regulation sets three months after the journey; DB says it currently accepts later claims too. Payment is due within one month. After a refusal or no answer, turn to the söp, which arbitrates free of charge for passengers. How long claims remain enforceable after that is covered under deadlines.