Terms of Service
Last updated: 26 August 2026
Scope
These Terms govern your use of german-heritage.com, operated by Benjamin Baumann trading as Archive & Co., Seestadt 2, 84130 Dingolfing, Germany. By using this website you agree to them. If we take you on as a client, a separate written service agreement governs that engagement and takes precedence over these Terms wherever the two differ.
Our Services
Archive & Co. provides genealogical research, archival document procurement, coordination of certified translations, and administrative preparation for German citizenship by descent. This website is an information resource and a first point of contact. Completing the eligibility check or booking a call does not create a service contract. A contract comes into being only when we send you a written offer and you accept it.
No Legal Advice
Archive & Co. is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice within the meaning of the German Legal Services Act (RDG). Nothing on this website, in the eligibility check, or in our consultations constitutes legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship arises from using this site or engaging us. Decisions on citizenship rest solely with the competent German authorities, in particular the Federal Office of Administration in Cologne. For legal questions about your specific situation, consult a licensed lawyer.
Using This Website
You may use this website for lawful purposes only. You agree not to submit false or misleading information through our forms, attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the site or its systems, interfere with its operation, or use automated systems such as bots or scrapers to collect data from it without our written permission.
The Eligibility Check
Our eligibility check applies a fixed set of rules to the answers you give and shows a preliminary indication of which statutory route may apply to your family. It is not a determination of citizenship, it binds neither us nor any authority, and its accuracy depends entirely on the accuracy of your answers. A questionnaire cannot account for adoptions, unmarried parents, misremembered dates, or records that contradict family memory. Treat the result as a starting point for a conversation, not as a legal assessment.
Fees and Payment
Our fees, the scope of work, and the payment schedule are agreed individually and set out in the written service agreement. This website does not process payments and displays no binding prices. Any figure mentioned on this website or during a consultation is indicative until it appears in a signed agreement. Third-party costs such as archive fees, apostilles, certified translations, and authority charges are passed on at cost unless the agreement says otherwise.
Right of Withdrawal
If you are a consumer, you may withdraw from a service contract within 14 days without giving reasons. The period begins on the day the contract is concluded. To withdraw, send us a clear statement by email or post; you do not have to use a particular form. If you ask us to begin work before the period ends, you owe a proportionate amount for the work already performed at the time you withdraw. Your right of withdrawal lapses once we have fully performed the service, provided you expressly consented to us beginning and acknowledged that you would lose the right upon full performance. We refund any payments within 14 days of receiving your withdrawal, using the same means of payment you used.
No Guarantee of Outcome
Genealogical research depends on records that may have been destroyed, may never have existed, or may contradict what your family believes. We cannot guarantee that the documents your case needs exist or can be obtained. Decisions on citizenship, and the time they take, rest solely with the German authorities. We do not guarantee any particular outcome or processing time. Our fees are for the work we perform, not for a result.
Liability
We are liable without limitation for damage arising from injury to life, body or health, for damage caused intentionally or through gross negligence, under the German Product Liability Act, and where we have given a guarantee. For slight negligence we are liable only where we breach a material contractual obligation, meaning an obligation whose fulfilment is essential to the proper performance of the contract and on whose fulfilment you may regularly rely. In that case our liability is limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract. Any further liability is excluded. This website may link to third-party services over which we have no control, and we assume no responsibility for their content, availability or practices.
Intellectual Property
All content on this website, including text, graphics, logos, images and our research methodology, is the property of Archive & Co. or its licensors and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property law. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify or create derivative works from it without our prior written consent. Research results and documents we deliver to you are for your own use in your citizenship matter and may not be resold or published.
Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms. The version published on this page applies to your use of the website from the date shown at the top. Changes do not affect contracts already concluded: those remain governed by the service agreement and by the Terms in force when the contract was made.
Governing Law and Contact
These Terms are governed by German law. If you are a consumer habitually resident outside Germany, this choice of law does not deprive you of the protection of mandatory provisions of the law of your country of residence. Statutory places of jurisdiction remain unaffected. If any provision of these Terms is or becomes invalid, the remainder stays in force. We are not obliged and not willing to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board. Questions about these Terms: Benjamin Baumann, Archive & Co., Seestadt 2, 84130 Dingolfing, Germany, office@german-heritage.com.