Emergency contraception (EC) is available without prescription in Germany: local pharmacies and family planning clinics distribute EC, EC is included in Germany’s drug reimbursement policies, and recommendations for pharmacists are available.
- Sexual & reproductive health background information
- Accessibility & prescription status
- Cost
- Guidelines & common practices
- EC use
Sexual & reproductive health background information
| Female population aged 15-49 | Mean age at first sexual intercourse | Mean age at birth of first child | Total fertility rate | % use of modern contraceptive methods | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 17,516,0001 | 15.92 | 29.23 | 1.384 | 76%5 |
| Year | 2015 | 2005 | 2010 | 2012 | 2011 |
Accessibility & prescription status
Since 2015, LNG EC and UPA EC can be purchased without a prescription from pharmacies in Germany.
Cost*
| Type of EC | Approximate Cost | Brand(s) Available |
|---|---|---|
| LNG | € 18 | PiDaNa |
| LNG | € 17 | Unofem |
| LNG | € 16 | Postinor |
| UPA | € 30 | ellaOne |
| UPA | € n/a | Femke 30 mg |
| UPA | € n/a | Lencya |
| UPA | € n/a | Ulipristal Aristo 30 mg |
| UPA | € n/a | Ulipristalacetat AL 30 mg |
*Prices listed in November 2021
Women up to 22 years of age can obtain EC pills free of cost when prescribed by a doctor (the statutory health insurance assumes the costs). However, a contribution (a prescription fee of about 5 euros) applies for women over 18th.(a) In any other cases, EC pills are paid out of pocket.
Guidelines & common practices
In January 2015, the Federal Pharmacy Chamber (BAK), published EC dispensing guidelines for pharmacist6. This were updated in 2021: BAK – Bundesapothekerkammer. Rezeptfreie Abgabe von oralen Notfallkontrazeptiva („Pille danach“). Handlungsempfehlungen der Bundesapothekerkammer. 7(b) The paper by Schulz M. et al8 summarised these recommendations.
In March 2018 the Federal Association of German Pharmacists’ Associations (Bundesvereinigung Deutscher Apothekerverbände, ABDA) published a new edition of the guide: https://www.abda.de/aktuelles-und-presse/newsroom/detail/pille-danach/.
Dispensing EC to girls under the age of 14 years is not recommended without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Between ages of 14 and 18, the pharmacist decides whether to dispense EC or not.10
EC use
| Ever use of EC | EC use in the last 12 months | % with no prescription | Repeated use of EC in last 12 months | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 13%5 | 3,9% | n/a | n/a |
| Year | 2011 | 20159 | n/a | n/a |
Data on EC knowledge and use among 14- to 25-year old girls and women is available here: Scharmanski, S. & Hessling, A. (2021). Emergency Contraception. Youth Sexuality 9th Iteration. BZgA Fact Sheet. Cologne: Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA). https://doi.org/10.17623/BZgA_SRH:fb_JUS9_en_emergency_contraception.
Pharmacy access and practice
a) A simulated patient study in Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania found variable counselling quality and inconsistent adherence to guideline-based recommendations in community pharmacies. (Langer B, Grimm S, Lungfiel G, Mandlmeier F, Wenig V. The Quality of Counselling for Oral Emergency Contraceptive Pills-A Simulated Patient Study in German Community Pharmacies. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Sep 15;17(18):6720. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186720. PMID: 32942744; PMCID: PMC7559115.)
b) A subsequent mystery caller study in Berlin confirmed heterogeneity in availability and counselling practices, including differences in how staff assess need and recommend products. (Lungfiel, G., Mandlmeier, F., Kunow, C. et al. Oral emergency contraception practices of community pharmacies: a mystery caller study in the capital of Germany, Berlin. J of Pharm Policy and Pract16, 68 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40545-023-00565-w)
c) A nationwide mystery caller study extended these findings and provided a broader assessment of EC provision across Germany, showing that while EC is widely obtainable, pharmacy practice varies in availability checks, counselling content, and pricing behaviour. (Kunow, C.; Bello, M.A.; Diedrich, L.; Eutin, L.; Sonnenberg, Y.; Wachtel, N.; Langer, B. A Nationwide Mystery Caller Evaluation of Oral Emergency Contraception Practices from German Community Pharmacies: An Observational Study Protocol)
d) Related publications from the same research programme further demonstrated significant price variation across pharmacies due to free OTC pricing and identified inconsistencies in counselling quality and instances of unnecessary recommendations in EC provision. (C.Kunow, C.Priepke, and B.Langer, “Availability of Oral Emergency Contraception in German Community Pharmacies—A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Mystery Caller Study,” Health Science Reports9 (2026): e72050, https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.72050.)
Sources
1 United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision, New York, 2013.
2 Durex Global Sex Survey Results 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2013, from http://www.durex.com/en-jp/sexualwellbeingsurvey/documents/gss2005result.pdf.
3 Statistisches Bundesamt. Geburten in Deutschland 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2013, from https://www.destatis.de/DE/Publikationen/Thematisch/Bevoelkerung/Bevoelkerungsbewegung/BroschuereGeburtenDeutschland0120007129004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile.
4 European health for all database (HFA-DB), World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Total fertility rate. Retrieved 18 June 2013, from http://data.euro.who.int/hfadb/.
5 Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung BzgA. Contraceptive Behaviour of Adults 2011. Cologne. Retrieved 16 July 2013, from http://publikationen.sexualaufklaerung.de/index.php?docid=2272&pk_campaign=RelatedContente.
6 Bundesapothekerkammer (BAK) 28.1.2015: Rezeptfreie Abgabe von Notfallkontrazeptiva (“Pille danach”). http://www.abda.de/themen/apotheke/qualitaetssicherung0/leitlinien/leitlinien0/.
7 Bundesapothekerkammer (BAK). Rezeptfreie Abgabe von oralen Notfallkontrazeptiva („Pille danach“). Handlungsempfehlungen der Bundesapothekerkammer. Berlin: BAK; 2021.
8 Schulz M, Goebel R, Schumann C, Zagermann-Muncke P. Non-prescription dispensing of emergency oral contraceptives: Recommendations from the German Federal Chamber of Pharmacists [Bundesapothekerkammer]. Pharm Pract (Granada) [Internet]. 2016Sep.29 [cited 2020Dec.16];14(3):828. Available from: https://scielo.isciii.es/pdf/pharmacy/v14n3/guidelines.pdf
9 Kiechle, M., Neuenfeldt, M. Experience with oral emergency contraception since the OTC switch in Germany. Arch Gynecol Obstet 295, 651–660 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-016-4253-0
10 Bundesministerium für Gesundheit. (n.d.). Emergency contraception: what you need to know about the “morning after” pill. gesund.bund.de. Retrieved June 4, 2026, from https://gesund.bund.de/en/notfallverhuetung#dispensing
Last update: June 2026
Previous updates: February 2025, November 2021, January 2021, December 2020, July 2015