Navan Deepens Investment in German Market with Enhanced Deutsche Bahn Capabilities

In the world of European business travel, rail isn’t just an alternative to flying, it is the primary engine of productivity. In Germany alone, two-thirds of domestic business trips take place on the tracks. As rail travel continues to grow in importance for corporate sustainability and efficiency, Navan is committed to ensuring that our platform provides the most seamless experience for companies navigating the European rail landscape.

Today, we are excited to announce a deepened integration with Deutsche Bahn, specifically designed to support the bahn.business program. This update ensures that Navan customers can now fully leverage their bahn.business benefits directly within the Navan platform, while staying ahead of upcoming requirements.

Simplified Support for bahn.business

The bahn.business program is designed to provide businesses with a professional framework for managing rail travel. With this new integration, Navan has eliminated the manual hurdles often associated with corporate rail programs.

Travel managers can now easily load their company’s unique Deutsche Bahn customer number (BMIS number) directly into Navan. Once the connection is active, the integration does the heavy lifting:

• Automated Fare Access: Available bahn.business fares for corporate customers are automatically applied.
• Seamless Booking: Travelers can view and book these specific fares within their search results without needing to manually manage codes or log into external portals.
• Enhanced Flexibility: The integration unlocks access to "Sparpreis Business" and “Flexpreis Business” fares. For the traveler, this means moving away from standard cancellation vouchers and toward greater flexibility, including simple, automated refunds, a critical feature for the unpredictable nature of business schedules.

Compliance Made Easy

Looking ahead, Deutsche Bahn has announced that the use of the BMIS number will be required for corporate bookings via online partners starting in 2027. By integrating the BMIS number now, Navan customers are already compliant. We’ve automated the technical requirements of the bahn.business program today so that our customers don’t have to worry about the mandates of tomorrow.

This update is part of Navan’s broader commitment to providing a "rail-first" experience across the continent. In addition to our deep integration with Deutsche Bahn, Navan offers comprehensive access to:

• Swiss Rail (SBB) and Austrian Rail (ÖBB), including corporate fare loading for ÖBB.
• 40+ leading rail carriers across the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Italy.

Getting Started

For companies already enrolled in the bahn.business program, you can begin loading your BMIS numbers into the Navan platform today. If you haven't yet joined the program, you can enroll via Deutsche Bahn to start receive your BMIS number for booking corporate fares. 

At Navan, our goal is to make travel easy. By bringing the full capabilities of Deutsche Bahn’s corporate program into our intuitive interface, we are ensuring that travelers have easy access to the right tickets while saving precious time for travel managers and employees alike.

Ready to streamline your company's rail travel? Schedule a demo with Navan today.