Germany's Federal Intelligence Service.
Description based on the Crypto Museum's crypto glossary.1
The BND Act (BNDG) states in § 1(1): “Der Bundesnachrichtendienst ist eine Bundesoberbehörde im Geschäftsbereich des Bundeskanzleramtes. Einer polizeilichen Dienststelle darf er nicht angegliedert werden.” (“The Federal Intelligence Service is a higher federal authority within the remit of the Federal Chancellery. It may not be attached to a police agency.”). Under § 1(2), the BND collects and analyses the information needed to obtain knowledge about foreign countries that is of significance for Germany's foreign and security policy.2
According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb), the BND was founded on 1 April 1956; for decades it was based in Pullach near Munich, and in 2019 its headquarters moved to Berlin. The BND Act dates from 1990; in 2020 the Federal Constitutional Court ruled the provisions on foreign internet surveillance unconstitutional, which forced an amendment in 2021.3
More in the service card: BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst).
Sources
- Crypto Museum, Crypto glossary
- Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de), Gesetz über den Bundesnachrichtendienst (BNDG), § 1
- Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, April 1956: Gründung des Bundesnachrichtendienstes, 31.03.2026
Checked: 4 November 2026