Dienstleistungen
Um einen reibungslosen Ablauf zu gewährleisten, bitten wir Sie, online einen Termin bei dem/der zuständigen Sachbearbeiter/in zu vereinbaren.
Procedure descriptions
Apply for a certificate of good conduct (simple)
A certificate of good conduct provides information on whether the person named in it has a criminal record or not.
There are two types of criminal record certificates:
- the private certificate of good conduct (N) for private purposes, for example for presentation to an employer, and
- the official certificate of good conduct (O) for submission to a German authority, for example in connection with an application for a driving licence.
The content of a certificate of good conduct is taken from the Federal Central Criminal Register.
The Federal Central Criminal Register contains, for example
- criminal convictions,
- certain decisions by administrative authorities and courts or
- court decisions and orders of a criminal prosecution authority by which criminal proceedings have been concluded without a conviction due to proven or unprovable unfounded guilt.
However, not all entries in the Federal Central Criminal Register are included in the certificate of good conduct.
Section 32 of the Federal Central Criminal Register Act (BZRG) determines the content of certificates of good conduct.
Numerous entries are excluded from inclusion, particularly in the case of private certificates of good conduct. For example, convictions for a fine of no more than 90 daily rates or a prison sentence of no more than three months are not included in a private criminal record if they were not based on a sexual offence pursuant to Sections 174 to 180 or 182 of the German Criminal Code and no other sentence is entered in the register.
In addition, Sections 33 and 34 BZRG stipulate that convictions are no longer included in a certificate of good conduct after a certain period of time has elapsed if there is no exception in accordance with Section 33 (2) BZRG.
If the Federal Central Criminal Register does not contain any data relevant to the certificate of good conduct, the certificate of good conduct will state "Content: no entry". The person concerned may then describe themselves as not having a criminal record.
If a person who (also) has the nationality of another Member State of the European Union or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland applies for a certificate of good conduct, a European Certificate of Good Conduct is automatically issued, which also contains the notification of entries in the criminal record of the Member State of origin, provided that the latter provides for transmission in accordance with its law.
Responsible authority
Please refer to the notes on the procedure.
Details
Prerequisite
Minimum age: 14 years
Procedure
You can submit the application:
- In person at the registration office in your place of residence (Bürgerbüro) on presentation of your valid identity card or passport.
- In writing at the registration office in your place of residence, stating your personal details (date of birth, maiden name, possibly different surname, first name(s), place of birth, nationality, address). In this case, your signature on the application letter must be officially or publicly notarised. It is recommended that you contact the relevant registration office before submitting the written application - also because of the payment of fees.
- Via the online portal directly at the Federal Office of Justice.You will need the following for the online application:
- Your identity card, your eID card or Your electronic residence permit with activated online ID function,
- the free "AusweisApp" from the federal government to read the ID card,
- a suitable smartphone or computer and a card reader,
- Your six-digit ID card PIN,
- any documents to be uploaded along with a digital capture device,
- in certain cases, a printer and
- a credit card to pay the fee.
Persons living abroad can apply for a certificate of good conduct directly from the Federal Office of Justice in writing or via the online portal. Further information can be found on the website of the Federal Office of Justice.
The following applies to any form of application:
The application can also be submitted by a legal representative, for example the parents for their minor child, with proof of their legal power of representation. However, it is not possible to authorise another person to submit an application.
When applying, you must state whether you require the certificate for private purposes (N) or for submission to an authority (O).
If you require the certificate for private purposes, you will receive it by post directly from the Federal Office of Justice.
A certificate for submission to a public authority will be sent directly to that authority.
Therefore, please state the address of the authority and, if possible, the file number when submitting your application.
You can request to view the certificate of good conduct beforehand.
It will then only be sent to a local court named by you if it contains entries.
You can view it there. The local court will then forward the certificate of good conduct to the authorities.
However, you can also object to the forwarding. The certificate of good conduct will then be destroyed.
Deadlines
For the application: None.
Required documents
Please refer to the notes on the procedure.
Costs
As a rule: EUR 13.00.
Exceptions can be found in the information sheet on charging fees for the certificate of good conduct issued by the Federal Office of Justice. You can download it from the homepage of the Federal Office of Justice.
Processing time
Usually about 1 to 2 weeks. Processing times may be longer, especially if there is a high volume of applications.
The issuing of a European Certificate of Good Conduct typically requires a longer processing time, as the Member State of origin must first be requested to provide information from the criminal record there.
Miscellaneous
On the website of the Federal Office of Justice you will find further information on the certificate of good conduct and the Federal Central Criminal Register.
There you will also find the brochure "Apply for a certificate of good conduct online" as well as answers to frequently asked questions about certificates of good conduct.
Authorities can also obtain certificates of good conduct for certain persons without their involvement if they need them to fulfil their official duties.
The prerequisite for this is that the request to the person concerned to submit a certificate of good conduct is not appropriate or has previously been unsuccessful. The person concerned has a right of access to the certificate of good conduct vis-à-vis the authority.
Legal basis
Bundeszentralregistergesetz (BZRG)
- § 30 Antrag
- § 30b Europäisches Führungszeugnis
- § 30c Elektronische Antragstellung
- § 31 Erteilung des Führungszeugnisses und des erweiterten Führungszeugnisses an Behörden
- § 3 Inhalt des Registers
Release note
machine generated, based on the German release by: Justizministerium Baden-Württemberg, 28.07.2025