Certificate of Conduct

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Important note

In general, in order to take care of any matter with the city administration, you must first make an appointment. Please select a suitable time by using the electronic appointment service. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can make an appointment by calling the telephone number listed below .

Certificate of Conduct

Normally, a Certificate of Conduct is required when applying for a job. Anyone who is at least 14 years old can receive this type of certificate. The certificate provides information concerning the existence of convictions recorded in the Federal Central Criminal Register (Bundeszentralregister).

Documents required

Persons applying for the certificate must present their personal identity card or passport. Applications must be submitted in person. It is not possible for one person to authorize another person (a statutory representative)  to submit the application.

Cost

Payment via bank card (“EC”) is requested.

The fee is 13 euros.

Further information

A request for a Certificate of Conduct must be submitted at the registration authority that is responsible for the area where the applicant has registered an address for a primary or secondary residence.

Certificates of Conduct that have been requested for personal use will be sent to the applicant.

Certificates of Conduct that are to be presented to a government authority will be sent directly to that authority. Applicants must list the purpose for which the certificate is being requested, and state the address to which it should be sent. By request, an applicant may review a Certificate of Conduct that is to be presented to a government authority, if it contains a criminal conviction record. Applicants may review the certificate at the District Court.

Persons who work with children in a professional or volunteer capacity must obtain a detailed Certificate of Conduct (erweitertes Führungszeugnis). In order to apply for this certificate, the applicant must submit a written request from the office requesting the detailed Certificate of Conduct. The written request should contain a confirmation that the necessary conditions for a detailed Certificate of Conduct have been fulfilled. Persons who need a Certificate of Conduct in order to do volunteer work in a nonprofit organization, or in a comparable institution, will in the future not have to pay a fee for the certificate.

Participation in a Volunteer Social Year (Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr) is equivalent to volunteer work, and thus, there is also no fee for Certificates of Conduct for this purpose.

Citizens of other member states of the European Union who live in Germany must obtain a European Certificate of Conduct. In addition to information from the German Federal Central Criminal Register, it may contain information from the records of the Criminal Register of the respective person’s country of origin. Applications for a European Certificate of Conduct must be submitted at the registration authority (city office or Bürgerbüro) where the applicant has registered their address. The registration authority sends the application to the Federal Office of Justice.  This authority asks the relevant EU member state to supply information from the records of the Criminal Register located there. This process does not include translation or checking of the content of the  information provided. The European Certificate of Conduct is to be issued at the latest 20 days after the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz) has requested information from the country of origin.

You can find more detailed information on the Certificate of Conduct on the Internet page of the Federal Office of Justice (please see link below), including the most frequently asked questions and the answers to them. It is now also possible to apply for a Certificate of Conduct directly on that page, by using an electronic personal identity card (elektronischer Personalausweis).

Persons who do not live in the Federal Republic of Germany must submit their application directly to the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz), Adenauerallee 99-103, 53113 Bonn. www.bundesjustizamt.de/DE/Themen/Buergerdienste/BZR/FZ_node.html