Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
| Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) | |
Emblem of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution | |
BfV headquarters in Cologne | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 7 November 1950 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Germany |
| Headquarters | Cologne 51°01′10″N 6°53′29″E / 51.01944°N 6.89139°E |
| Employees | 4,414 (2022) |
| Annual budget | €469 million (2022) |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Federal Ministry of the Interior |
| Website | www.verfassungsschutz.de |
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (German: Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz or BfV, often Bundesverfassungsschutz) is Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency. Together with the Landesämter für Verfassungsschutz (LfV) at the state level, the federal agency is tasked with intelligence-gathering on efforts against the liberal democratic basic order, the existence and security of the federation or one of its states, and the peaceful coexistence of peoples; with counter-intelligence; and with protective security and counter-sabotage. The BfV reports to the Federal Ministry of the Interior and tasks and powers are regulated in the Federal Constitutional Protection Act (Bundesverfassungsschutzgesetz (BVerfSchG)). The last President was Thomas Haldenwang; he had been appointed in 2018 and left office in November 2024. The next president is supposed to be assigned by a new government following the 2025 German federal election.