Germany is moving to implement new rules that would prohibit financial institutions from providing payment services to adult sites deemed to have inadequate age verification systems, with enforcement set to begin on December 1, 2025. These measures also aim to facilitate government action against websites mirroring the content of such sites.

Regulatory Framework and Implementation Timeline

The heads of government of the German federal states agreed on proposed amendments to Germany’s Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Human Dignity and Minors in Broadcasting and Telemedia earlier this month. These amendments are expected to be officially approved by the heads of government in March before being sent to the German state parliaments for ratification. XBIZ reported in 2023 that Germany’s Broadcasting Commission of the Federal States initially proposed these amendments with the stated aim of protecting minors.

Starting December 1, 2025, Germany will implement new rules prohibiting financial institutions from providing payment services to adult sites deemed to have inadequate age verification systems. The new measures will also make it easier for the government to target websites mirroring the content of such sites. The heads of government of the German federal states agreed on these new measures in proposed amendments to Germany’s Interstate Treaty on the Protection of Human Dignity and Minors in Broadcasting and Telemedia (JMStV) in late 2024. These amendments were later officially approved by the heads of government and ratified by the German state parliaments.

German tech news site NetzPolitik reports that a formal administrative procedure will be carried out in cases where media regulators seek to cut off funding to adult sites. This procedure will provide payment service providers an opportunity to comment before the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM) renders a decision on blocking payments for specific sites. Government media regulators will also be able to institute “network bans” against “mirror” sites more expeditiously than before. Blocked sites like xHamster, Pornhub, and YouPorn have previously used mirror sites as a workaround, circumventing network bans by altering their domains.

Marc Jan Eumann, chair of the Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media, explained earlier this month that regulations targeting payment processors would force them to cut ties with "some" adult websites that fail or refuse to meet the country's age verification requirements. Eumann stated, "Only if the porn providers lose reach and revenue can we get them to give in when it comes to the protection of minors in the media."

Age Verification Requirements and Enforcement

Germany has been increasing efforts to enforce age verification requirements following a campaign by the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia. This authority has targeted adult sites as part of a campaign to enforce JMStV provisions requiring that pornographic sites accessible in Germany meticulously verify visitors’ ages via methods such as ID or biometric facial scans. Last month, a German high court upheld a “network ban” on Aylo-owned adult sites. As AVN previously reported, the Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate in late July upheld a network ban on Aylo-owned websites Pornhub and YouPorn within Germany's digital space for failure to comply with age verification rules. This higher administrative court's order serves as a win for state-level media and digital regulators who are pushing the payment processor regulations.

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. 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, minimize data collection to only what is needed for age verification, ensure secure and encrypted data transmission, and fully comply with GDPR and German data protection laws. From December 1, 2025, 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.

Broader Implications and Industry Response

The proposed amendments also impose new rules requiring content filtering at the operating system level based on age labeling by websites and apps. Sites and apps that do not institute mandated labels would automatically be blocked when filtering is enabled. Major tech companies, including Microsoft and Google, are decrying these provisions as impractical, infeasible, and incompatible with European Union laws. German tech news site Heise Online has called for the European Commission to intervene. German adult industry attorney Marko Dörre called the amendments "a huge attack on the adult entertainment industry." Dörre stated that "German lawmakers have lost all sense of proportion."

While the OS-level filtering aspects of the amendments are facing sharp criticism from influential stakeholders, it is unclear whether successful resistance to those provisions would also block implementation of the payment and content mirroring provisions specifically targeting adult sites.

Key Facts

  • Germany plans to prohibit financial institutions from providing payment services to adult sites with inadequate age verification systems.
  • Enforcement of these new rules is set to begin on December 1, 2025.
  • The amendments also aim to facilitate government action against websites mirroring content from non-compliant adult sites.
  • The Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media (KJM) will make decisions on blocking payments after a formal administrative procedure.
  • New rules will require content filtering at the operating system level based on age labeling by websites and apps.
  • Major tech companies like Microsoft and Google have criticized the OS-level filtering provisions as impractical and incompatible with EU laws.