Terms & Conditions

General Terms and Conditions of the Artistic Establishments of the Berlin Opera Foundation

1. Scope of validity

The Terms and Conditions apply to legal relations between visitors, on the one hand, and the Stiftung Oper in Berlin (Berlin Opera Foundation) in respect of its artistic institutions (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Komische Oper Berlin and Staatsballett Berlin). Where the term ‘Berlin Opera Foundation’ is used in the following, this also refers to its artistic institutions.

These terms and conditions form part of the contract entered into upon the purchase of tickets.

These terms and conditions also apply to subscibers and visitor organisations and their members, if not waived by a separate agreement.

2. Schedules and start times

The valid schedules and start times can be found in the official publications of the Berlin Opera Foundation.

The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to alter the schedules and casts.

The Berlin Opera Foundation accepts no responsibility for information on posters or other publications.

3. Entrance fees

The Berlin Opera Foundation publishes the current ticket prices and displays them at the box offices.

Discounts are granted to eligible groups at the box offices of the venues upon presentation of appropriate proof that allows for the unambiguous identification of the eligible person – i.e. in particular in conjunction with photo ID. Discounted tickets are valid only in conjunction with this proof. Visitors who have purchased a reduced-price ticket are required to present the relevant proof upon entry. If proof cannot be provided, the difference to the full ticket price must be paid.

4. Provision of tickets

Advance ticket sales for a season take place in advance at the times specified in the publications of the Berlin Opera Foundation. The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to limit the number of tickets allocated per purchaser in individual cases. People with severe disabilities may be given priority.

Ticket orders in writing will be processed from the start of the advance sale period on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. There is, however, no right to have orders processed on this basis. Telephone ticket orders will be accepted from the start of the advance sale period.

If payment for ordered tickets is not received within the stipulated time limit, these tickets will be made available for resale. Pre-paid tickets can be sent by post on request. Both the costs and the risks of sending them by post will be borne by the purchaser.

Purchased entry tickets may not be resold for commercial purposes without the prior consent of the Stiftung Oper in Berlin. If contravened, the Stiftung Oper in Berlin reserves the right to legal recourse. Furthermore, the Stiftung Oper in Berlin is entitled to refuse to sell entry tickets in future to those contravening the aforementioned prohibition.

The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to alter or amend existing ticket sale regulations. They will be published and made known at the ticket offices by the Berlin Opera Foundation.

5. Ticket refunds

Sold tickets will not be refunded, nor will compensation be paid for expired tickets, except in the cases listed below.

The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to alter casts and cast alterations do not entitle ticket holders to have their tickets refunded.

If a different work is performed from the one advertised at the time of purchase, the ticket may be returned before the start of the performance, and the ticket price will be refunded.

If a performance is cancelled without a replacement, the ticket price will be refunded:

For tickets purchased directly from the Stiftung Oper in Berlin – i.e. from the organiser – the refund will be processed within 30 days of the originally scheduled performance date. Non-digital tickets must be presented at the box office or sent to the box office within this period. For tickets purchased through third-party providers, ticket holders must contact the relevant third-party provider directly within 30 days to request a refund.

If a performance is ended prematurely, patrons are entitled to have their tickets refunded only if the performance is cut short before half of the scheduled performance time has elapsed.

A performance being cut short only entitles the holder to a refund of the ticket price. Here too, the following applies to tickets purchased directly from the organiser: refunds will be issued within 30 days of the originally scheduled performance date. Non-digital tickets must be presented at the box office or sent to the box office within this period. For tickets purchased through third-party providers, ticket purchasers must contact the relevant third-party provider directly within 30 days to request a refund.

Beyond the entitlement to a refund of the ticket price as set out in the preceding paragraphs, the visitor shall not be compensated for any further expenses or damages.

6. Lost tickets

If a ticket gets lost by a visitor, this visitor will be provided with a replacement ticket at the ticket office, if a believable account is given of which ticket was purchased. The holder of an original ticket takes precedence over the holder of a replacement ticket.

7. Entry

The audience cloakrooms and foyers are ordinarily opened one hour before the beginning of a performance.

No one is entitled to enter after the performance has begun. If a patron is denied entry on account of his or her lateness, he or she has no right to have his or her ticket refunded.

8. Cloakroom

Large bags, rucksacks, suitcases, coats, thick jackets, umbrellas, walking sticks (except for walking aids), large carrier bags and other bulky items may not be brought into the auditorium and must be left in storage for the duration of the performance.

Bringing food and drink into the auditorium and consuming them there is strictly prohibited. To enforce this rule, the Berlin Opera Foundation may carry out spot checks in accordance with its right of access.

Animals will categorically not be supervised.

In the event of serious breaches, the person in breach may be denied access to the relevant event by the artistic directors, who may call upon their agents, in particular the evening staff, to enforce this.

The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to charge a cloakroom fee.

Items left in the cloakroom are insured in accordance with the insurance terms and conditions displayed. Visitors to the Deutsche Oper Berlin may only hand in furs for storage at the cloakrooms specifically designated for this purpose, subject to payment of an insurance fee.

Supervised property will be returned upon presentation of cloakroom tags without further proof of ownership. If no tag is presented, cloakroom items left for supervision will be returned only if the visitor gives a believable account of his or her entitlement to the items.

If the visitor receives the wrong items, items are damaged, or the cloakroom tag got lost, this must be reported immediately to the cloakroom personnel. If a tag is lost, the visitor is liable for replacement costs.

9. Lost property

Lost property of any description found in the performance venues of the Berlin Opera Foundation must be handed in to the house (performance venue) or cloakroom personnel. Lost property will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of §§ 978 ff. of the German Civil Code (BGB).

10. Householders’ rights

Householders’ rights are attributed to the Directors, who entrust their employees, in particular, their evening personnel, to exercise these rights. The instructions of the personnel at the performance venues must be followed.

Visitors may be refused entry to the venues if there is reason to believe that they will disrupt the performances or cause a nuisance to other visitors. Visitors may be ejected from the performance in progress if they disrupt it, cause a nuisance to others or have taken a seat for which they do not hold a valid ticket. Admission may also be refused to visitors who breach these General Terms and Conditions. Such visitors shall have no entitlement to a refund of the admission fee already paid or to any other compensation for damages or expenses.

Persons preventing the sale of tickets or upsetting patrons can be sent out of the performance venues. It is not permitted to offer tickets for sale in the ticket office halls or anywhere else in the performance venues or their premises.

It is not permitted to take seats other than those indicated on the tickets. If a visitor changes seats without entitlement, the Berlin Opera Foundation can charge the visitor the difference between the paid ticket price and the ticket price for the seat occupied, send the visitor to the seat marked on the ticket, or send the visitor out of the performance.

Mobile phones, watches and any other technical devices with acoustic signals must be switched off for the duration of the performance.

Smoking in the performance venues of the Berlin Opera Foundation is permitted only in designated areas.

11. Image and sound recording

Visitors are forbidden to make image and/or sound recordings of any kind. Visitors can be sent out of the performance venues for violations of this rule.

If image and sound recordings during a performance are carried out by persons authorised by the Berlin Opera Foundation, the visitors agree, by their presence at the performance, that their images and words may be recorded, and that they have no right to remuneration if these are broadcast or published.

12. Liability

The Berlin Opera Foundation, its representatives and its employees accept no liability for damages of any kind suffered by patrons of its performance venues, except for those caused by malice or gross negligence. Liability for injury to life, limb and health remains unaffected, if the damages in question could ordinarily have been expected.

13. Data privacy

The personal order data can be collected, processed and used for the purpose of customer care by the Berlin Opera Foundation (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Komische Oper Berlin und Staatsballett Berlin) if the visitor has given his consent during the purchase process. Customer care is defined as taking measures intended to supply the customer with significant information and thus further provide the customer with specific benefits. The customer was informed that he can at any time revoke this agreement without prejudice. Berlin Opera Foundation affirmed that data privacy is absolutely ensured and that the data will not be transmitted to third parties.

14. Term of validity

These General Terms and Conditions will come into force on 1st September 2026. At the same time, the General Terms and Conditions of the Berlin Opera Foundation valid up to that point will expire.

15. Concluding clause

Should any stipulation of these General Terms and Conditions be invalid, the legal validity of the remaining Terms and Conditions will remain unaffected.

This English translation of the General Terms & Conditions is a service of the Stiftung Oper in Berlin. Thus the current German version is solely legally binding.