The SOFA agreement is complemented by another agreement specifically for the six NATO states (including Britain and the United States) that have a permanent military presence in Germany, the Supplementary Agreement (or SA). The SOFA was signed in 1951, and the SA was signed in 1959 and last updated in 1998 at the end of the Cold War. With its 83 articles, the SA to SOFA is much more detailed than the SOFA itself (with 20 articles in Roman numerals – e.B. XX), and most often it is confused with the SOFA itself. The most important multilateral agreement is the Status of NATO Forces, which applies between NATO partners for operations on the territory of other NATO countries. States participating in NATO`s Partnership for Peace (PfP) may accede to the PfP Statute of Forces of 19 June 1995 (Federal Law Gazette 1998 II p.1340). This agreement extends the scope of the NATO Status of Forces to operations in PfP partner states. Military operations under the auspices of the European Union will now be governed by the EU Status of Forces, signed by the representatives of the Member States in Brussels on 17 November 2003 and ratified by Germany in June 2005. For each foreign mission, the status of the Bundeswehr is governed by a bilateral or multilateral agreement with the host country. The presence of armed forces of NATO States stationed in Germany on the basis of a special agreement is governed by the Status of NATO Forces (SOFA) of 19 June 1951 (Agreement between the Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Status of their Armed Forces, Federal Law Gazette 1961 II p.1190) and the SOFA Additional Agreement of 3 June 1950. August 1959 (Agreement supplementing the Agreement between the Contracting Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty on the Status of their Armed Forces vis-à-vis Foreign Armed Forces Stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany, Federal Law Gazette 1961 II p.1218). The supplementary agreement contains detailed regulations on all matters relating to troops stationed in Germany.
After German reunification, it was fundamentally revised by the agreement of 18 March 1993 (Federal Law Gazette 1994 II p.2594). You may have heard of “SOFA status”, but “SOFA” is not part of the furniture – it is an important set of demands and responsibilities that determine how we live and function as a military community in our host country, Germany. The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) is a treaty that defines the conditions under which the armed forces of a foreign NATO member state may operate in another NATO state, including legal issues such as: The SOFA forms the basis for the legal status of military personnel, US civilian employees and relatives living in Germany on command. As part of an additional agreement, staff in Germany also enjoy privileges that are not granted to other service members stationed throughout Europe. These agreements cover the status, entry and exit of the host country, military training on the territory of the host country, jurisdiction, law enforcement, taxation, import and export laws, driving privileges, employment, postal service, schooling, accommodation and much more. Marriage and divorce can be very different in Germany than in the United States. Marriage or divorce documents are not simply transferred or enforced between the German authorities and different states. Divorces, whether overseas or in the United States, can be very complicated, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for alimony, child support, division of matrimonial property, and legal fees. Ex-spouses could apply for a court order for money, ask your commander to enforce a separation agreement, or a military-grade obligation to provide for families.
Since the Legal Center cannot represent staff in divorces, you should contact a German lawyer. Some items are rationed because a separate agreement between the UK and Germany specifically limits the amount of cigarettes and tobacco, whiskey, gin and coffee a person can buy duty-free, which is why your NAAFI ration card must be filled out every time you buy these products. To ensure that the allocation for these products is not exceeded, they cannot be purchased duty-free in external stores: For example, if you make your weekly purchases at REWE with a duty-free order form, you cannot purchase rationed items (for example, a glass of coffee or a pack of cigarettes) as part of your duty-free “Big Shop”. Please keep in mind that if rationed items are included upon receipt of a larger duty-free purchase, the tax on the entire purchase (yes, the total weekly purchase amount!) must be refunded, not just the rationed item, and you may be subject to disciplinary action. Below are some frequently asked questions by many people about aspects of life under the SOFA agreement. .
