The Deutschlandticket - Germany-wide local transport for €63 a month (2026)

With a valid Deutschlandticket you can travel without limit, nationwide, on:

• city and regional buses, trams, U-Bahn and S-Bahn;
• regional trains (RB, RE, IRE and similar) in second class;
• other local public transport included in the participating transport associations' fares, which in Berlin includes the FEX airport express to BER.

Some on-demand services (call buses, shared taxis) may charge a surcharge on top. In the Berlin-Brandenburg area the ticket also covers some cross-border bus services, for example to Słubice in Poland, but not regional trains into Poland beyond the last stop in Brandenburg.

• Long-distance trains such as ICE, IC and EC are excluded in principle. A few regions open specific long-distance sections to Deutschlandticket holders; such exceptions are announced locally, so do not assume them.
• Long-distance buses and private long-distance trains are not local public transport.
• First class. In the Berlin-Brandenburg area you can buy a first-class upgrade ticket that is valid together with the Deutschlandticket, but only inside that area.
• Lines run mainly for tourists or as heritage services.
• Other people. Nobody aged 6 or over travels free with you.
• Bikes. You need a separate bike ticket.

The nationwide rules say children under 6 travel free, while bikes and dogs follow the local rules wherever you are.

In the Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) area, a Deutschlandticket holder can take along free of charge any number of children under 6, a pram, luggage and one dog. A bike always needs a bike ticket (in Berlin AB a single bike ticket costs €2.70 in 2026). If you only use regional trains, a nationwide bike day ticket for local trains also works.

Elsewhere in Germany the dog and bike rules can differ, so check the local transport association's conditions before you travel.

The ticket costs €63 per month from 1 January 2026. It was €58 per month until the end of 2025. The federal government has said it will contribute €1.5 billion a year until 2030, with the states contributing the same amount.

The price is set jointly by the federal government and the states and has changed in past years. On 30 September 2026 the federal states' transport ministers set the price for 2027, for the first time using an agreed cost index: from 1 January 2027 the ticket costs €66.80 per month. The Jobticket price rises to €63.46 before the employer subsidy (with the minimum 25% subsidy you pay at most €46.76) and the Deutschlandsemesterticket to €40.08. If the price changes, the seller debits the new amount automatically; you can cancel if you no longer want it.

You can buy the ticket from any participating transport company or association anywhere in Germany; the official list of authorised sellers is at deutschlandticketverkaeufer.de. In Berlin, BVG, S-Bahn Berlin and Deutsche Bahn sell it, among others, and it is available in several apps.

• Formats. A chip card (in the Berlin-Brandenburg area, the VBB-fahrCard) or a phone ticket in the seller's app.
• Payment. Monthly. Chip cards in the Berlin-Brandenburg area are paid by direct debit from your bank account; phone-ticket sellers may also offer other cashless methods.
• Start date. Subscriptions normally start on the first of a month. BVG asks you to order online by the 20th of a month for a start on the first of the next. In the Berlin-Brandenburg area you can also start in the current month at a customer centre, but you pay the full monthly price with no reduction for days already gone.
• Delivery. A phone ticket can take up to 48 hours to appear in the app the first time. After that, the next month's ticket is loaded towards the end of each month, so keep the app updated and your phone online.
• Already have a VBB subscription? You can switch to the Deutschlandticket during the contract without penalty.

The ticket is not transferable. It shows your name (barcode tickets also show your date of birth) and is only valid together with official photo ID, such as an ID card, passport, residence permit card or driving licence. Children and teenagers under 16 can use a school ID. Without a valid ticket or ID at an inspection you can be charged the penalty fare of the local transport company; in Berlin that is €60 (2026).

The subscription has no minimum term and can be cancelled monthly. Under the nationwide terms, you must cancel by the 10th of a month for it to end at the end of that month; in the Berlin-Brandenburg tariff a cancellation received by the 10th takes effect at the end of that month unless you give a later date. Some sellers accept cancellations later in the month, so read your seller's terms. After cancellation, the ticket stays valid until the end of the last day of the month, up to 3:00 the next morning.

If you cannot travel for a long time because of illness, a refund is possible when a doctor, hospital or health insurer certifies more than 21 consecutive days of inability to travel. Apply to your seller within one week after the ticket's validity ends.

Employers can sign an agreement with a transport company and offer the ticket as a Jobticket. If the employer pays at least 25% of the regular price, the transport company adds a 5% discount. In the Berlin-Brandenburg area in 2026 the Jobticket costs €59.85; with the minimum employer subsidy of €15.75 you pay at most €44.10 a month. Employers can pay more, up to the full price.

The Jobticket is personal and only available through employers that have such an agreement. Ask your HR department.

Tax. Employer subsidies for public transport between home and your first place of work are tax-free, but the tax-free amount reduces the commuting allowance (Entfernungspauschale) you can claim in your tax return. See the guide to German tax basics.

Universities can sign a contract so that all their students who must pay for a semester ticket receive the Deutschlandsemesterticket. It costs 60% of the regular price (in 2026 the equivalent of €37.80 a month), is usually paid with the semester fee, runs for the whole semester and cannot be cancelled monthly. It is a personal digital ticket. The price for a semester is fixed eight months before the semester starts. Check with your university's student union which ticket you have.

Since 1 July 2026, the state of Berlin subsidises the Deutschlandticket Zuschuss Ausbildung for certain groups with their school, workplace or posting in Berlin, including full-time vocational students, people doing a voluntary social or ecological year or federal volunteer service, and civil-service trainees in the lower grades. They pay €37.80 a month (2026). Trainees in dual vocational training get the same price as a Jobticket where their employer has a Jobticket contract.

If you receive certain social benefits in Berlin, the Berlin-Ticket S for zones AB costs €27.50 a month (2026), which is cheaper than the Deutschlandticket for travel within the city.

At 2026 prices in Berlin, the Deutschlandticket costs less than 16 single AB tickets (€4 each) and €50 less than a monthly AB ticket (€113). Consider alternatives if:

• you travel only occasionally; single or 4-trip tickets may be cheaper;
• you want to share a ticket or take another adult along in the evenings and at weekends; the transferable VBB-Umweltkarte allows this, the Deutschlandticket does not;
• you are entitled to a cheaper social, school or student ticket.