How does the licensing procedure in Saxony work, and what does it cost?

Status: June 2026. In Saxony, the Landesdirektion Sachsen decides on licences for cannabis associations, within three months after all substantively complete application documents have been submitted. Responsible is Referat 56 (Konsumcannabis, consumer cannabis unit). According to the Landesdirektion’s page (status 25 June 2026), the fees depend on the actual effort involved in the review, the on-site inspection and the application meeting.

The procedure in four steps

For the application, the Landesdirektion names two routes: online via Amt24, or as a PDF by email. For each member of the board and each authorised representative, it requires a criminal record certificate and a trade register certificate (Gewerbezentralregisterauskunft), each no older than three months. In addition come the health and youth protection concept (§ 23(6) KCanG) and the evidence of the prevention officer (§ 23(4) KCanG).

The procedure follows the Consumer Cannabis Act (KCanG). It can be divided into four steps:

1. You submit the application to the Landesdirektion. It must be submitted in writing or electronically.
2. The application contains all the information and evidence required by § 11(4) KCanG. It must be written in German.
3. The Landesdirektion checks the documents for completeness.
4. Once all substantively complete documents are in, the authority decides within three months, after reviewing the documents, carrying out an on-site inspection and holding an application meeting. It may grant the licence with conditions or refuse it (time limit under § 11(5) KCanG).

The time limit therefore only starts once the documents are complete. If you submit additional documents later, the start of the time limit is postponed.

What the application must contain

The list of information is set out in § 11(4) KCanG. It covers the information on the association and the evidence the authority needs for its review. The list is in the law itself, so you should read it in full before applying. An application with missing information delays the procedure, because the time limit only runs once the documents are complete.

The application must be submitted in writing or electronically (§ 11(4) KCanG). The language is German.

What the procedure costs

The fees depend on the actual effort involved in the review, the on-site inspection and the application meeting. The Landesdirektion states the overall costs on its website. Amounts can change, so it is worth looking there or asking Referat 56 before applying.

What the licence obliges you to do

A licence granted obliges the association to appoint a prevention officer, whom the board appoints (§ 23(4) KCanG). It must also draw up a health and youth protection concept (§ 23(6) KCanG).

Who can become a member

Only people who are at least 18 years old and have a residence or habitual abode in Germany can become members (§ 16(1) and (4) KCanG). A person may be a member of only one cannabis association (§ 16(2), second sentence, KCanG). An association may have at most 500 members (§ 16(2), first sentence, KCanG).

What applies outside an association

From the age of 18, possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis is permitted (§ 3(1) KCanG). At the place of residence or habitual abode, up to 50 grams of flowers is permitted (§ 3(2) No. 1 KCanG). Home cultivation is limited to a maximum of three cannabis plants at the same time (§ 9(1) KCanG).

Prevention in the procedure

Youth protection begins with the question of who has access to an association. On the enclosed premises of an association, people under 18 have no access (§ 23(1) KCanG). Consumption is prohibited in schools, on children’s playgrounds and in children’s and youth facilities, including within sight of them (§ 5(2) KCanG).

The Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) points out that the young brain is in an important stage of development. Consumption can affect this development. A health protection concept, as the law requires, addresses exactly this point.

What to watch for in the application

The time limit only runs once all substantively complete documents are in. If a detail under § 11(4) KCanG is missing, the authority cannot complete its review. The list in the law helps you assemble the documents, because it names all mandatory information.

The application must be submitted in writing or electronically and written in German. If documents are in another language, have them translated beforehand so that the time limit is not unnecessarily delayed.

What applies after the licence is granted

After the licence has been granted, the duties remain. The board appoints a prevention officer, and the health and youth protection concept is mandatory (§ 23(4) and (6) KCanG). Youth protection is therefore part of the association from the start.

What parents should know about a club’s surroundings

On the enclosed premises of an association, people under 18 have no access (§ 23(1) KCanG). The boundary is clear and easy to explain.

The Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) describes the young brain as being in an important stage of development. Parents with questions about use and children can call the Nummer gegen Kummer parents’ line on 0800 111 0 550.

What happens once the documents are in

As soon as the Landesdirektion has all substantively complete documents, the three-month time limit starts. Until the decision, the authority may ask further questions. Answering quickly keeps the procedure moving.

Whether a licence is granted depends on the information and evidence the law requires (§ 11 KCanG). The authority decides on that basis.

What you can do now

• Prepare the application completely before you submit it, so that the three-month time limit starts early.
• Read the fees on the Landesdirektion’s website.
• For follow-up questions, contact Referat 56 (Konsumcannabis) of the Landesdirektion Sachsen.
• For questions about your own use, call the Sucht und Drogen Hotline: 01806 313031.

For individual questions about penalties, possession or driving licences, a specialist lawyer can help. More on prevention is on the youth protection page. For Saxony-Anhalt, which names a different authority, see the article on Saxony-Anhalt.