Offshore software development from Nepal for teams in Germany
A shared morning: Kathmandu's afternoon covers the start of the German working day, and summer time adds an hour to it.
Time difference between Nepal and Germany
| Your zone | 9:00 am for you | 5:00 pm for you | Kathmandu opens, your time | Kathmandu closes, your time | Shared hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin / MunichCET | 1:45 pm | 9:45 pm | 5:15 am | 1:15 pm | 4 hours 15 minutes |
| Berlin / MunichCEST | 12:45 pm | 8:45 pm | 6:15 am | 2:15 pm | 5 hours 15 minutes |
Kathmandu times shown for a 10:00–18:00 working day in Nepal against 09:00–17:00 in Germany. Berlin / Munich is 4 hours 45 minutes behind Kathmandu on CET. That leaves 4 hours 15 minutes of the working day in common. Convert other hours in the Nepal time converter and overlap calculator.
Working with a team in Nepal from Germany
When the German day starts, Kathmandu is past its midday with most of the afternoon still ahead, and it closes early in yours. That puts the shared hours where most teams hold standups, reviews and planning anyway, and leaves the German afternoon for work that can wait a day for an answer.
The contract type is worth settling before the first sprint. German law separates a Werkvertrag, where the supplier owes a finished result that the buyer formally accepts, from a Dienstvertrag, where the supplier owes the work itself. Either can govern a software project, and the choice changes what the shared morning is for: acceptance testing and defect lists under one, planning and pairing under the other.
Holidays need two calendars. German public holidays are set state by state, so a team split between Munich and Hamburg does not share every day off, and Nepal's longest holiday season arrives in the autumn. Putting both on one shared calendar in the first week avoids a release date that lands when half the people are away.
German project practice separates the Lastenheft, the buyer's statement of requirements, from the Pflichtenheft, the supplier's plan for meeting them; DIN 69901-5 defines both. If yours is written in German, decide early whether it gets translated or answered in German.
Worth knowing in Germany
- BDSG § 40
Supervised by your state
The GDPR applies alongside the Federal Data Protection Act, under which private companies answer to the data protection authority of their own federal state. Nepal has no EU adequacy decision, so personal data sent there needs a safeguard such as standard contractual clauses.
Sources: BDSG § 40, European Commission
- § 631 BGB
Werkvertrag or Dienstvertrag
Under a Werkvertrag the contractor must produce the promised work and the client must accept it once it conforms (Abnahme, § 640). A Dienstvertrag, under § 611, commits the contractor only to the promised services.
- 3 October
Holidays set by each state
Public holidays in Germany are laid down in each federal state's own holiday law. German Unity Day on 3 October is the exception, made a public holiday by federal law through the Unification Treaty.
Each fact links the source it was checked against. Page last updated .
Offshore development questions from Germany
What is the time difference between Germany and Nepal?
- Kathmandu is 4 hours 45 minutes ahead of Berlin in winter and 3 hours 45 minutes ahead during summer time. Germany changes its clocks on the last Sundays of March and October; Nepal never does.
How many working hours does a German team share with Kathmandu?
- 4 hours 15 minutes of a 9:00 am to 5:00 pm day in winter and 5 hours 15 minutes in summer, against 10:00–18:00 in Kathmandu. In winter the Kathmandu day ends at 1:15 pm Berlin time, so standups and reviews belong in your morning.
Do we need standard contractual clauses for a team in Nepal?
- For personal data, usually yes. Nepal has no EU adequacy decision, so a transfer there needs a GDPR safeguard, and standard contractual clauses are the common one. Development against synthetic test data involves no personal data and falls outside the transfer rules.
Werkvertrag or Dienstvertrag for an offshore software project?
- Either can govern it. A Werkvertrag makes the supplier owe a finished result that you formally accept (Abnahme); a Dienstvertrag makes it owe the work itself. A fixed scope with a defined deliverable fits the first; an ongoing team working through a backlog fits the second.
Which authority supervises a German company's data protection?
- The data protection authority of the federal state where the company is based. Under § 40 of the Federal Data Protection Act, private companies answer to their own state's authority rather than a single national regulator.
Offshore development guides for buyers in Germany
Software development services
The same catalog applies wherever you are — see all services for detail, or the frequently asked questions for how an engagement starts.
Offshore software development for other countries
- United KingdomEurope · 3 hours 15 minutes shared
- NetherlandsEurope · 4 hours 15 minutes shared
- United StatesAmericas · no shared hours
- CanadaAmericas · no shared hours
- United Arab EmiratesMiddle East · 7 hours 15 minutes shared
- Saudi ArabiaMiddle East · 6 hours 15 minutes shared
- QatarMiddle East · 6 hours 15 minutes shared
- AustraliaAsia-Pacific · 2 hours 45 minutes shared
- SingaporeAsia-Pacific · 4 hours 45 minutes shared