In accordance with Section 18 of the German Narcotic Drugs Act ("Betäubungsmittelgesetz", BtMG), all participants in the trade with narcotic drugs who have been issued a licence in accordance with Section 3 BtMG, are obligated to submit regular notifications on all movements and manufacturing processes in that connection. These notifications shall be submitted to the BfArM for the preceding calendar half-year by 31 January and 31 July. This does not apply to notifications in connection with the cultivation of narcotic drugs; such notifications only have to be submitted once by 31 January for the preceding calendar year.

The notification obligation starts when the licence is issued and does not end until it expires or is waived. Even if there was no activity with regard to participation in the trade in narcotics within a reporting period, it is still necessary to submit a notification, in such cases a so-called "Fehlanzeige" (nil notification) on the corresponding form.
Notifications are to be submitted on the forms (available in German only,) issued by the BfArM - depending on the nature of the trade in narcotics.