ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio have agreed to waive the license fee for flood victims. The procedure is “quick and unbureaucratic”.
Those affected by the flood disaster can, under certain conditions, be exempted from their license fees with immediate effect. “The contribution service from ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio expresses its condolences to all those affected, especially those who have lost relatives due to the flood, and assures that their concerns will be dealt with quickly and unbureaucratically,” says one Message from Sunday.
Specifically, the following rules apply: If an apartment, a permanent establishment or a motor vehicle is temporarily unusable, there is the option of temporarily deregistering the relevant contribution account for this period. All it takes is a phone call. If the apartment, house, business premises or vehicle is destroyed, the obligation to contribute ends and the account can be canceled immediately. A short written notification to the contribution service is sufficient for this. Permanent deregistration is possible without proof. In both cases, however, the contribution service checks on the basis of official official information whether the account is actually a potentially affected address. According to the information, deregistration is possible up to six months retrospectively from July 1, 2021. Affected contributors would have until the end of the year to contact the service point.