Germany has officially mandated the OpenDocument Format (ODF) and PDF/UA as the only permitted document standards for public administration at every level of government. The requirement comes from the Deutschland-Stack framework, published by the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernisation, and explicitly excludes proprietary formats like Microsoft’s .doc, .ppt, and .xls.
The framework targets 2028 for full rollout. Beyond document formats, it prioritizes open source solutions, European providers, local data storage, and interoperability across federal, state, and municipal government systems. The broader goal is reducing vendor lock-in and building what Germany is calling a sovereign digital infrastructure.
The Document Foundation’s executive director described the mandate as binding, saying it confirms that open, vendor-neutral formats are fundamental infrastructure for democratic public administration.
The move fits into a wider European push for digital sovereignty, aligning with the European Interoperability Framework and the Cyber Resilience Act. Germany isn’t the first European country to push in this direction, but a binding federal mandate covering all levels of government is a meaningful step beyond policy recommendations.

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Germany has mandated OpenDocument Format (ODF) and PDF/UA as the only permitted document standards across all levels of public administration, under the Deutschland-Stack framework published by the Federal Ministry for Digital and State Modernisation. Proprietary formats like Microsoft's .doc, .ppt, and .xls are explicitly excluded. The framework targets full rollout by 2028 and prioritizes open source solutions, European providers, local data storage, and interoperability to reduce vendor lock-in and build sovereign digital infrastructure. The Document Foundation called the mandate binding and described open formats as fundamental infrastructure for democratic governance. The move aligns with broader European digital sovereignty efforts including the European Interoperability Framework and the Cyber Resilience Act.

Germany mandates ODF and PDF/UA for all public administration under Deutschland-Stack