The periods under the Radiation Protection Act
Section 85 (2) of the German Radiation Protection Act (StrlSchG) sets how long records, X-ray images, digital image data and other examination data must be kept: ten years for examinations of adults, and for minors until they turn 28. For treatments, that is radiotherapy, the period is 30 years. The person responsible for radiation protection at the practice or hospital is accountable.
Patient record and professional code
Independently of this, the patient record must be kept for ten years after the end of treatment under Section 630f (3) of the German Civil Code (BGB), unless other rules set a different period. The professional codes of the medical chambers also name ten years. Where several periods apply, the longer one counts.
Statutory accident insurance: often 15 years
In the treatment procedures of the statutory accident insurance, the insurers require longer periods. For the injury type procedure (VAV) and inpatient procedures, medical records and X-ray images must be kept for at least 15 years. Whether this also applies to the outpatient transit physician procedure (D-Arzt) is not answered consistently at the moment; the regional DGUV association can clarify it.
What digital archiving requires
Section 127 of the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV) describes how data must be kept digitally. Throughout the period, data must be available within a reasonable time and immediately readable, without information being changed or lost. It must be clear who created the data and when, and changes must remain traceable with author and time. Personal data, report, image data and process data must remain linkable at all times. All data used for the diagnosis must be kept. Compression is allowed only if the diagnostic value is preserved.
Passing on data and closing a practice
When a practice passes images on to other physicians, the data must match the original data, be readable for the recipient and be suitable for diagnosis. If a practice closes, the competent authority can order that the records be deposited with a body it designates.
How Pacsy supports this
Pacsy stores studies as original DICOM data in data centres in Germany, with role-based access rights. Which periods apply to your organization is your decision as the person responsible for radiation protection; we plan storage and archiving with you accordingly. This overview reflects the situation in October 2026 and is not legal advice.
Further reading: § 85 Strahlenschutzgesetz (gesetze-im-internet.de)
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