Last updated: 26 October 2026
📊 How the options compare
🧭 Which one should you use?
- Translation tools are fine for a short, low-stakes letter where you just need the words.
- General AI assistants help you understand the content, but check any deadline or amount against the letter yourself.
- Letter apps like expat.fyi are built for official letters: letter type, urgency, deadline and next steps in plain English.
- A Steuerberater, lawyer or advice centre is the right call for disputes, court letters, large back payments, or a rejected residence permit. Free advice is available from the Verbraucherzentrale for consumer debt, see our Inkasso guide.
✅ Is expat.fyi legit?
- Run by Kamalakkannan Perumal (Digiflowhub), Schulzendorf, Brandenburg, Germany. Full details in the Impressum and on our About page.
- Card payments through Lemon Squeezy, which acts as merchant of record.
- You see a preview before you pay. If we can't help with your letter, you don't pay.
- Your letter itself is not stored; the explanation is kept for 24 hours so you can see it after payment, then deleted. Letters are never used to train AI.
- Reviews: our Trustpilot page.
🔀 Not to be confused with
€2.99 per letter (up to 3 pages) · Letter Pack €9.99 for 5 · Preview before you pay · If we can't help, you don't pay
❓ Frequently asked questions
Is expat.fyi better than ChatGPT for German letters?
For understanding a German official letter and what to do next, expat.fyi is built for exactly that: it identifies the letter type, the deadline and the action, and it is tested on German bureaucracy. ChatGPT is a general assistant; it often explains the words well but can miss which deadline applies. If you only need vocabulary, a general assistant may be enough.
Is expat.fyi legit?
expat.fyi is run by Kamalakkannan Perumal (Digiflowhub), Schulzendorf, Brandenburg, Germany, as stated in the Impressum. Payments go through Lemon Squeezy. You see a preview before paying, and if we can't help with your letter, you don't pay.
Is expat.fyi the same as expatfyi.com?
expat.fyi (www.expat.fyi) explains German official letters. It is not affiliated with expatfyi.com (a digital nomad information site) or expat.com.
Is my letter stored?
Your letter itself is not stored. The generated explanation is kept for 24 hours so you can see it after payment, then deleted automatically. Letters are never used to train AI.
Want to try the free version first? The Letter Check on the homepage tells you what kind of letter you have from the sender and subject line, and the glossary explains 50+ words for free.