Safes and German DGUV Regulation 25: why the opening delay matters

Wherever cash is taken regularly – at the shop till, in hospitality, at the petrol station or at a public-sector pay office – the cash holding is not only an asset but also a robbery risk for staff. This is exactly where the German DGUV Vorschrift 25 "Überfallprävention" (robbery prevention) comes in: it obliges companies in Germany to organise cash handling in such a way that the incentive for robberies is sustainably reduced. A central building block is time-delayed access to stored banknotes – in the safe world usually called an "opening delay" or "blocking period".

What is DGUV Vorschrift 25?

DGUV Vorschrift 25 "Überfallprävention" is an accident prevention regulation of the German statutory accident insurance (model version: August 2020). According to the DGUV, it replaces "the previous regulations 25 and 26 'Kassen' (cash desks) as well as regulation 20 'amusement arcades, casinos and slot-machine halls of casinos'" and comes into force "at the individual accident insurance institutions following a resolution of the respective assemblies of representatives and official announcement". Its scope is broad:

"(1) This accident prevention regulation applies to
a. credit, financial services and payment institutions,
b. gambling venues,
c. retail outlets, and
d. cash desks and pay offices of the public sector,
in which insured persons • handle cash, • handle other means of payment, or • have access to valuables."

Source: DGUV Vorschrift 25 "Überfallprävention", § 1 (1) (model regulation, August 2020), publikationen.dguv.de (translation; original in German: DGUV Vorschrift 25)

So it is not only banks that are covered, but explicitly also retail and wholesale ("retail outlets") – and with them a very large number of businesses handling cash every day.

Storing banknotes: what § 12 specifically requires

For safe practice, the core of the regulation is § 12 "Verwahrung von Banknoten" (storage of banknotes). It places two requirements on the security container itself – resistance to forcible opening and protection against removal:

"(2) Security containers used to store banknotes must offer sufficient resistance to forcible opening and must be secured against simple removal."

Source: DGUV Vorschrift 25, § 12 (2) (translation; original in German: DGUV Vorschrift 25)

And – decisive for this topic – the duty to apply a time delay:

"(3) For authorised persons who are regularly present on the premises, access to stored banknote holdings must be time-delayed. The time delays may only be capable of being changed by persons authorised to do so."

Source: DGUV Vorschrift 25, § 12 (3) (translation; original in German: DGUV Vorschrift 25)

The logic behind this: if even the staff present cannot access the cash holding immediately, a robbery loses its appeal. In addition, § 19 of the regulation requires businesses to point out access-preventing and time-delaying equipment at customer entrances and checkout workstations "permanently, clearly recognisably and in an easily understandable manner" (translation; original in German: DGUV Vorschrift 25) – the deterrent is meant to be visible to potential offenders.

At least 5 minutes: the blocking period under DGUV Regel 108-010

How long the time delay must be is specified for retail by DGUV Regel 108-010 "Überfallprävention in Verkaufsstellen" (robbery prevention in retail outlets, April 2021):

"The blocking period or time delay for insured persons regularly present on the premises must, as a rule, be at least 5 minutes."

Source: DGUV Regel 108-010, section 3.3 (on § 12 DGUV Vorschrift 25) (translation; original in German: DGUV Regel 108-010)

The rule also defines what the blocking period means: "For time-lock containers, the blocking period is the time that must be waited after entering the code until the lock releases access to the contents of the container." As one possible technical implementation it explicitly names "an electronic lock with a time-delay mechanism or an adjustable blocking period". On resistance to forcible opening it states: "Sufficient resistance to forcible opening is given if the time needed to access the contents is comparable to the set blocking period or time delay." (All quotes: translation; original in German: DGUV Regel 108-010.)

Securing accepted cash immediately: the deposit principle

Besides storage, the regulation also covers the moment directly after cash is accepted:

"(1) Banknotes accepted by insured persons must be secured immediately against access by unauthorised persons."

Source: DGUV Vorschrift 25, § 11 (1) (translation; original in German: DGUV Vorschrift 25)

For storage, DGUV Regel 108-010 mentions, among other things, "time-lock containers" and "deposit containers directly at the till" – and makes clear: "An unlocked simple drawer, such as a furniture drawer, is not suitable for accepting banknotes." (Translation; original in German: DGUV Regel 108-010.) This is exactly the principle a deposit safe with a flap implements: surplus notes are skimmed off and deposited during ongoing operation, without the safe having to be opened.

Practical example: deposit safe with deposit flap (model 10424)

How these requirements can be implemented technically is shown by our deposit safe with deposit flap – VdS class 2 PIN code (model 10424). This safe is compliant with DGUV Vorschrift 25 and is therefore also suitable for areas of use in which this regulation is required for the secure storage of cash. The properties relevant to the regulation at a glance:

Time delay: The VdS-certified electronic combination lock (Tecnosicurezza EM 3550 with T6530/B keypad) offers a programmable opening delay of 1–99 minutes as well as an opening window of 1–19 minutes – so the minimum blocking period of 5 minutes named in DGUV Regel 108-010 can be set. Code management uses an admin code (owner) and separate user codes; in addition, a dual-code mode (opening under the four-eyes principle) and a silent alarm transmission option are provided.

Resistance to forcible opening and protection against removal: The body is built to security level B in accordance with VDMA guideline 24992, double-walled with a total wall thickness of 40 mm (3 mm outer wall, 1.5 mm inner wall) and a door made of 6 mm hardened steel; wall and floor anchoring including fixing material is possible – addressing the requirement of § 12 (2) to secure the container "against simple removal".

Depositing without opening: Via the deposit flap (deposit opening 70 × 225 × 190 mm), takings, cash bags or keys can be deposited at any time; an anti-retrieval device prevents deposited items from being taken out by unauthorised persons. With external dimensions of 450 × 280 × 300 mm, a volume of 28.35 litres and a weight of 31.4 kg, the model is designed for use directly in the checkout area; the contents can be insured for up to €10,000.

With its adjustable opening delay and the deposit flap, model 10424 implements the requirements of § 11 and § 12 of DGUV Vorschrift 25. Which measures are required in an individual case follows from the company's risk assessment (§ 4 DGUV Vorschrift 25) and, where applicable, from the requirements of the competent accident insurance institution – this article does not replace legal advice or case-specific security consulting.

Conclusion

DGUV Vorschrift 25 makes time-delayed access to stored banknotes mandatory in Germany; DGUV Regel 108-010 specifies a blocking period of, as a rule, at least 5 minutes for retail outlets. A deposit safe with a flap and a programmable opening delay – such as model 10424 from DiaDorn – combines both requirements: immediate securing of accepted banknotes by deposit and time-delayed removal via the electronic lock.

Sources

1. DGUV Vorschrift 25 "Überfallprävention" (model regulation, August 2020), DGUV publications database (in German): publikationen.dguv.de (PDF)
2. DGUV Regel 108-010 "Überfallprävention in Verkaufsstellen" (April 2021, in German): PDF
3. DGUV press release "Überfällen vorbeugen" (2021, in German): dguv.de
4. Product page DiaDorn model 10424 (retrieved 2026-06-12): diadorn.de