ABSTRACT

German law does not recognise the legal principle of domicile. Emphasis is placed instead on the residence of the parties. Residence is treated as being the place in which a person stays and lives without the intention of returning elsewhere.9 A person who resides in Germany must actually be living there and register his residency at the local police station. A person’s residency can be provided on request by the local Ordnungsamt. If the accident happened in Germany but the defendant is not resident there, proceedings must be commenced in either the place of accident or residence of the defendant.10