Certificate of good conduct

The prerequisite for applying for a certificate of good conduct is that the applicant has reached the age of 14. In the case of minors, the legal representative is also entitled to apply. The certificate of good conduct can be applied for at the registration office of the main or secondary residence. The certificate of good conduct is issued by the Federal Office of Justice, which sends it by mail (takes approx. 8-10 days, European certificate of good conduct approx. 4-5 weeks after application). Persons who are not registered in the federal territory must submit the application directly to the Federal Office of Justice .

    • Certificate of goodconduct for private purposes: Sent directly to the applicant's registration address.
    • Certificate of good conduct forsubmission to a German authority: Sent directly by the Federal Office of Justice to the authority named by the applicant. The purpose of use and the exact postal address of the requesting authority must be stated.
    • Extended certificate of good conduct: Can be issued for persons who are or are to become professionally, voluntarily or in any other way involved with children or young people. The aforementioned distinction between personal purpose and submission to a German authority also applies here. If the application is submitted in person, a certificate from the requesting authority must be submitted confirming that the requirements for the issuance of an extended certificate of good conduct have been met. No application for an extended certificate of good conduct can be made without the submission of such a certificate.
    • European certificate of good conduct: Persons who - in addition to or instead of German citizenship - are citizens of one or more other member states of the European Union must be issued a European certificate of good conduct in accordance with Section 30b of the Federal Central Register Act (BZRG). In addition to the German certificate of good conduct, this contains information on entries in the criminal record of the member state of origin in the language transmitted, provided that the member state of origin provides for transmission in accordance with its law. The issuance of the European certificate of good conduct is based solely on the information on the nationality of the applicant, regardless of which type of application (simple certificate of good conduct, extended certificate of good conduct or certificate of good conduct for submission to an authority) is selected.

  • Application:

    • In person at the registration office, presenting an identification or passport document and, if necessary, other required documents (see the following description for different types of certificates of good conduct).
    • Online application at the Federal Office of Justice (except European certificate of good conduct).

    Fees:

    • The fee (cash or by German EC card) for all types of certificates of good conduct is 13 euros and must be paid at the time of application.
    • A fee waiver for extended certificates of good conduct is possible in particular for taking up an honorary and thus usually unpaid activity that is in the public interest. Corresponding proof (confirmation of the requesting office) must be submitted with the application.