Persons concerned, third parties and near relatives are exempted from fees. A small administrative fee is charged for the production of copies and for the number of copies made.
Petitions from public offices are processed free of charge. Private offices are generally obliged to pay fees.
Requests submitted by scholars and journalists conducting historical and political research are obliged to pay fees. Journalists and scholarly studies conducted on behalf of federal and state public offices are exempted from fees.
The legal basis for fees and expenses is provided by the Stasi Records Act (PDF, 189 KB, Accessible file) and Cost Ordinance (in German only).