Administrative services A-Z

Forms: yes

Online procedure possible: no

Written form required: yes

Personal appearance required: no

• Application for authorisation of new plantings of vines
• Certificate of geographical indication

If you practice viticulture, new vineyards usually have to be approved. To do this, you must submit an application to the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE).

Before applying, you must check whether you are allowed to grow wine on the land or whether there are other legal restrictions, for example due to nature conservation.

Depending on the federal state, it is possible that the cultivation area for new plantings is limited in certain areas. In the approval, steep slopes (slope gradient from 15 percent) are preferred. To do this, you must submit a certificate from the competent state authority.

Further evidence may be required if vineyards are eligible for country or quality wines with designation of origin (protected designation of origin, PDO or protected geographical indication, PGI).

Note that if you have a permit, you must plant the vineyards within three years. If you do not plant or only incompletely, the competent state authority can impose a fine of up to EUR 20,000 per hectare.

In some cases, you did not need a permit for new plantings. This only applies under certain conditions, for example if you grow house wine as a hobby.

• You are a tenant or owner of the area
• the area is not yet planted
• You have checked whether you are allowed to use the area for viticulture

• Proof that you have the requested area (land register extract, purchase/lease agreement or current extract from the EU vineyard register)
• for certain areas: Certificate from the competent state authority on the usable geographical indication (protected designation of origin, PDO/protected geographical indication, PGI) for federal states in which national ordinances with cultivation restrictions exist for areas outside the growing areas
• in the case of steep slopes: certificate from the competent state authority stating the respective slope

none

Note: If you have a permit, you must plant the vineyards within three years. If you do not plant or only incompletely, the competent state authority can impose a fine of up to EUR 20,000 per hectare.

You must apply for authorisation in writing:

• Download the "Application for approval of new plantings of grapevines" on the website of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE).
• For certain areas, in addition to the application, you must also apply for a "Certificate of Geographical Indication" from the competent state authority (this also applies to those countries in which there are restrictions imposed by state ordinances on the granting of permits for areas outside the growing areas).
• Complete the application completely, attach the required documents and send the application to the BLE.
• The BLE will then examine your application.
• After completing the examination, you will receive a notification from the BLE.

• Application: In January and February for decisions by 1 August of the year.
• Planting: within three years of authorisation.

Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE)
Unit 512
Deichmanns Aue 29
53179 Bonn, Germany

Phone: 0228 68452227
Fax: 030 18106845371
E-mail: pflanzrechte@ble.de

Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE)
Unit 512
Deichmanns Aue 29
53179 Bonn, Germany

Phone: 0228 68452227
Fax: 030 18106845371
E-mail: pflanzrechte@ble.de

Service hours:
Monday to Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

• Article 63(1) EU Regulation on the common organisation of the markets in agricultural products (No 1308/2013 of 17 December 2013)
• Article 1 (a) EU Delegated Regulation on the authorisation scheme for vine plants (No 2018/273 of 11 December 2017)
• Article 2(1) of the EU Implementing Regulation on the system of authorisations for vine plants (No 2018/274 of 11 December 2017)
• § 7c paragraph 1 Wine Act (WeinG)
• § 3 Wine Ordinance (WeinV)

• Information on the authorisation system for new vine plantings on the BLE website
• Information sheet on the implementation of the authorisation system for vine plantings on the BLE website
• Instructions for applying for a new planting of vines according to the EU authorisation system on the BLE website

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL)