Territorialprinzip

Territorialprinzip, or the territorial principle, is a foundational concept in public law describing how a state’s jurisdiction and legal order are primarily confined to its geographic territory. It rests on the notion of sovereignty anchored in territorial borders and governs how laws, enforcement powers, and public administration apply to persons and events within the state’s domain.

In criminal law, the Territorialprinzip means that offenses committed within a state's territory fall under that state's jurisdiction. Many legal systems supplement this with additional bases for extraterritorial reach, such as the Persönlichkeitsprinzip (personal principle) and the Schutzprinzip (protective principle), which allow prosecution for offenses with effects outside the territory or involving a state's citizens abroad.

Beyond criminal law, the Territorialprinzip informs public administration and civil law by structuring authority along geographic lines. Regulatory powers, policing, courts, and public services are typically organized within territorial units (such as states, regions, or municipalities), and laws are generally applied within those territorial borders.

In international law and constitutional practice, the Territorialprinzip expresses state sovereignty over its territory, including land, internal waters, airspace, and often adjacent zones. The principle interacts with mechanisms for cooperation, extradition, and cross-border regulation, which can create exceptions to strict territorial jurisdiction in response to global commerce, migration, or digital activity.

The Territorialprinzip is commonly contrasted with personal and protective principles of jurisdiction. Together, these concepts shape how states allocate authority, balance cross-border interests, and address enforcement in an increasingly interconnected world. See also Persönlichkeitsprinzip and Schutzprinzip.