By the end of this year, December 2026, all the sending and receiving services of De-Mail will be completely shut down. Yes, it is true. Do not be surprised. The clunky UI, lack of strong encryption, and high maintenance & usage costs were already pushing this government initiative back. However, the final blow came right after the government amended the Online Access Act (OZG).
After that, public offices start decommissioning mailboxes to save the budget. Private investors pulled out their money, and finally, the last date for De-Mail was announced. If you are reading this blog, this means you have a De-Mail mailbox and are looking for ways to safely migrate your documents to another IMAP platform before you lose access to them permanently.
De-Mail Shutdown Timeline | How Much Time Do You Have?
All the major De-Mail providers have discontinued the De-Mail mailbox services. Francotyp-Postalia Digital Business Solutions is the only provider that is active in 2026. But they, too, are saying goodbye to De-Mail permanently this year.
However, shutting down an email service that has been active for more than a decade takes time. It will take months to close the portals and remove the public mailboxes from the servers. The official proposed timeline for discontinuing De-Mail is:
| 31st December 2026 | All Email Sent/Received Services Will Be Deactivated |
|---|---|
| March 2027 | Users Can Only View and Back Up Existing Emails |
| After March 2027 | After March 2027 |
Manual Methods to Migrate De-Mail Mailboxes
There is no saving for the De-Mail. However, you can save your emails containing important documents uploaded on De-Mail by transferring them to another IMAP server with these manual methods.
- Export and Import Emails:Log in to your De-Mail provider and use the native backup option to extract all the required emails. You can extract all the emails or selective ones. After that, migrate the emails to an IMAP server on which you have an account.
- Import to Gmail: If you have a Gmail account, you can use the Gmail’s in-built feature to safely import emails to Gmail from De-Mail. To do this:
- Log in to Gmail. Click on Settings > See all settings > Accounts and Import
- Click on the Import mail and contacts option and complete the process.
- Use an offline email client: Another method you can try is to utilize an IMAP-supported email client to move emails from De-Mail to another IMAP account. For this:
- Download Outlook, Thunderbird, or another email client.
- Add both De-Mail and your preferred IMAP destination account.
- Copy emails from De-Mail and paste them into the destination mailbox folder.
Hidden Risks with Manually Migrating De-Mail Mailbox
The free methods listed above have some limitations that may become a problem during migration.
Lose Legal Credibility: Moving emails manually will alter the metadata of emails. This turns the emails into unacceptable proof as per data compliance laws. This kills the very reasons why a user created an account on De-Mail.
Operation Freezes or Fails: Copying and pasting multiple emails at the same time may freeze the process. Moreover, to verify how many emails are migrated, you must manually count them.
Not Suitable for Bulk Mailbox Transfer: Moving a single mailbox is fine. But migration of multiple mailboxes using the manual method is not recommended.
Lack of Email Filtering Options: Using methods like Gmail import feature, you can either migrate all the emails or none. The manual methods do not have advanced email filters.
Destroys the Original Folder Hierarchy: If your De-Mail account is years old, there will be nested folders in the mailbox. Manual methods will not maintain the source De-Mail folder structure in the destination.
IMAP Migration Tool: The Right Way to Migrate De-Mail Mailboxes
To migrate multiple De-Mail accounts in a single operation while retaining the deep folder hierarchy, you must use a dedicated IMAP migration tool. A specialized email migration tool is built to handle small (1 or 2) or large-scale (1000+) mailbox migration.
Kernel Migration for IMAP is a professional email migration tool that allows you to transfer emails, attachments, and folders between any IMAP-enabled account. The tool is best for individuals who want to securely migrate important emails while keeping the metadata and integrity of attachments as it is.
Why is De-Mail Being Discontinued?
De-Mail has been helping the citizens and government of Germany for more than 15 years. So, why did they suddenly decide to shut it down? Multiple factors contribute to the discontinuation of De-Mail.
The OGZ Amendment: After the Germany government announced the Online Access Act (OZG), public offices begin to drop out of De-Mail. This is the number one reason why it is shutting down.
Restricted Access
A De-Mail user cannot send or receive emails to a standard POP or IMAP-enabled account. Communication is restricted to other De-Mail account holders. Moreover, the platforms were missing several features that users want in 2026.
Low User Base with High Maintenance Cost
Despite being a government-backed initiative, De-Mail has a very low user base. However, the cost of maintaining the servers is high. A low userbase means fewer users buying the subscription. This puts a heavy burden on private providers, making them unable to continue with this service model.
Availability of Other Government Platforms
De-Mail is not the only platform that the German government uses do administrative work. Other services like BundID, eBO, etc., are also capable of doing most of the work that De-Mail can do. Moreover, these other services are easier and faster to use.
Not User-Friendly
It was created to help people, but it lacks a user-friendly interface. Users find it complex to navigate through the web portal. Not everyone is technically sound enough to easily manage their De-Mail account.
De-Mail vs Standard IMAP Account?
De-Mail was created for a different goal in mind. It is different from a standard IMAP account like Gmail, Yahoo, Proton Mail, etc. Check out this table to know the basic difference between the two:
| Parameter | De-Mail | Standard IMAP |
|---|---|---|
| Core Idea Behind It | Built for secure legal communication and document sharing. | General email communication platform for standard users. |
| Account Creation Process | Not simple. The user is required to submit government-validated proofs. | Very simple. Anyone can create an account in just a few minutes. |
| Legally Reliable | Highly reliable. Every message sent on De-Mail is encrypted and follows strict data compliance laws. | Messages serve as proof but are not considered or accepted as legal proof in courts or other government services. |
| Scope of Communication | A De-Mail account is restricted to only communicate with another verified De-Mail account. | Send or receive messages with any IMAP-supported email server worldwide without restrictions. |
| Pricing | Since it’s a government service, users must pay a premium or subscription fee (10.00 to 15.00 €) to keep the account active. | Most IMAP providers offer a free account to the public with limited features, along with a paid plan for more advanced features. |
What’s Next After De-Mail?
Some users are wondering how they will legally bind the documents if they do not have a De-Mail account. Do not worry. The government understands this problem and has already developed different portals to make sure the public does not suffer.
- Individual users can use the BundID ( a.ka. The Digital Citizen Account) for any administrative work. This ID is managed by government and falls under the Online Access Act (OZG 2.0). So, it is a trustworthy platform.
- The businessman and working professional can use the eBO platform for secure communication with the government offices, like courts. Any message sent through eBO is legally verified and audited.
De-Mail is Dead: Transfer Your Emails Today
Do not wait until March 2027 to migrate your emails. To secure your mailbox, take action now. For a single mailbox containing a few emails, the manual method will work. But to migrate mailboxes in bulk and keep the folder structure intact, use the professional IMAP migration tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
A. Yes, but you can only forward a De-Mail email to another De-Mail account. Email forwarding to standard IMAP-enabled accounts is prohibited in De-Mail.
A. You will not be able to access even a single email from the De-Mail server. After March 2027, all user mailboxes will be purged from every De-Mail server. To keep your emails accessible, either back up or migrate them.
A. No, De-Mail is not free. It’s a government service that can only be used after paying a subscription fee, which is usually around 10.00 to 15.00 €. Furthermore, users must also pay a fee for account verification before they can use it. High cost is among the reasons why this service has such a low user base.
A. It depends on your requirements. For individuals who want to archive the De-Mail mailbox data on another server, they can use the IMAP email transfer tool. However, if your requirement is only to export emails and save them offline, then you need an IMAP backup tool.
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