On 25 September 2026, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat approved a comprehensive reform of the Federal Police Act (Bundespolizeigesetz). The law, whose core dated back to 1994, gives the Federal Police new surveillance tools, broader investigative powers and a stronger role in migration control.
In the Bundestag the bill passed a second, roll-call vote: 322 members voted in favour, 134 against and 118 abstained. An earlier vote in July had been ruled invalid because the so-called chancellor majority was required. The Bundesrat approved the reform the same day.
The new powers will apply first and foremost at railway stations, airports and border areas — the Federal Police’s traditional areas of responsibility.
Key changes include:
real-time automated facial recognition in special danger situations (the search for an abducted child was cited as an example);
telecommunications surveillance, including the location of mobile devices and monitoring of messenger communications, to combat extremism and people-smuggling;
the right to apply directly to a court for deportation detention or departure custody when a person under a final expulsion order is found in the Federal Police’s area of responsibility;
random and suspicionless checks in weapons- and knife-ban zones at stations and on trains;
video analytics and artificial intelligence to detect suspicious movements — for example if someone draws a knife or raises a fist;
the use of the Federal Police’s own drones for surveillance and technical measures against hostile drones.
The law also allows the Federal Police in certain cases to conduct investigations at stations themselves rather than handing suspects over to state police.
The reform was driven by Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). The CDU/CSU–SPD coalition argued that police powers needed to be adapted to current threats. The Greens and The Left voted against the bill, citing risks to civil liberties. The law will enter into force the day after its official publication.
