German Certificate of Good Conduct: Apply, Pay, and Use Abroad

To apply for a German Certificate of Good Conduct (Führungszeugnis), you have three routes: visit your local registration office in Germany, apply online through the Federal Office of Justice portal, or mail a certified application from abroad. The fee is €13, and every application ends up at the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz, or BfJ) in Bonn, which issues the certificate on green security paper showing any entries in Germany’s Federal Central Criminal Register.¹²

Choose the Right Type First

Requesting the wrong version means starting over and paying the fee again, so decide before you apply.

The private certificate (Privatführungszeugnis) is the standard version for job applications and personal use. Minor convictions are omitted: a single fine of 90 daily rates or less, or imprisonment of three months or less with no other register entries, will show as “no record.”³
The certificate for submission to an authority (Behördenführungszeugnis) is used when a German public authority needs to review your background. It contains additional entries the private version omits, and the BfJ sends it to the authority rather than to you.³
The extended certificate (erweitertes Führungszeugnis) is required for paid or volunteer work involving contact with children and young people. It includes entries specifically relevant to that suitability check.¹
The European certificate is for EU citizens living in Germany. The BfJ contacts the criminal register in your home member state and combines those entries with any German records.⁴

What to Have Ready

Gather these before starting the application:

A valid German identity card (Personalausweis) or passport. For the online portal specifically, you need a German identity card or electronic residence permit (eAT) with the online ID function activated.⁵
Your full legal name, date of birth, birthplace, and current registered address. If your birth name differs from your current name, you may need to add it by hand and provide proof.¹
The €13 fee, paid at the registration office or online when you apply.¹
For an extended certificate, a written confirmation from the requesting organization stating that the role involves supervising, caring for, educating, or training minors, or comparable contact with them. The confirmation must meet Section 30a of the Federal Central Criminal Register Act.³
For an authority certificate, the complete address of the receiving German authority, so the BfJ can route the document correctly.¹

The Three Ways to Apply

In Person at a Registration Office

If you live in Germany, visit your local residents’ registration authority (Einwohnermeldebehörde), often called the Bürgeramt or Bürgerbüro. Bring your ID; staff verify your identity on the spot, take the €13 fee, and forward the application to the Federal Office of Justice electronically.¹ In larger cities, booking an appointment online saves waiting time.

Online Through the Federal Portal

The BfJ runs a dedicated portal at fuehrungszeugnis.bund.de where you can apply without visiting an office.⁵ You need a German identity card or electronic residence permit with the online ID function switched on, the six-digit PIN, and either an NFC-enabled smartphone or a USB card reader. The free AusweisApp handles the secure connection between your ID and the portal. Once authenticated, you fill in your details and pay the €13 fee electronically. This route works from anywhere in the world, provided you hold the right ID.

By Mail From Outside Germany

If you live abroad and don’t have a German ID with online capability, download the application form from the BfJ website and mail it to the Federal Office of Justice in Bonn. Your signature and personal details on the form must be officially certified. Acceptable certifiers include a German consulate, a foreign public authority, or a notary public.¹ In the United States, any U.S. notary public can perform the certification.⁶

Paying the Fee From Abroad

If you’re mailing from outside Germany, pay the €13 fee by bank transfer before the BfJ will process anything. Cheques are no longer accepted, and you should include proof of payment with your application.⁷

Transfer to:

Beneficiary: Bundeskasse
IBAN: DE49370000000038001005
BIC/SWIFT: MARKDEF1370
Reference: your file number, if you have one, and your full name

International wire transfers from a U.S. bank often carry fees of $15–$45 on top of the €13, depending on the bank. Transfer platforms like Wise tend to be cheaper for small euro-denominated payments. Whatever method you use, make sure the BfJ receives the full €13 after intermediary fees are deducted.⁷

Processing Time and Delivery

Expect roughly two to three weeks between submitting your application and receiving the certificate. International postage can add another week or more. The BfJ prints the certificate on green security paper and mails it to your home address by standard post.¹ If you asked for a certificate destined for a German authority, the BfJ sends it directly to that authority instead.

A clean record is reported as “no record” in three languages.⁷ There is no expedited processing, so plan ahead if you have a deadline.

How Long the Certificate Stays Useful

The certificate has no fixed statutory expiration. It reflects your record on the day it was printed, and the organization asking for it decides how recent the document needs to be. In practice, most employers and authorities accept certificates no more than three months old. Check the requirements before you apply so you don’t end up with a document that has aged out by the time you actually submit it.

Using the Certificate Abroad

Many countries, including the United States, require foreign documents to carry a Hague Apostille to be accepted as authentic. Germany is a party to the Hague Convention, so the slower full legalization process isn’t needed. For documents issued by federal authorities like the BfJ, the apostille is issued by the Federal Agency for Foreign Affairs (Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten) in Brandenburg an der Havel.⁸ You send the original certificate to that agency and get it back with the apostille attached.

If the receiving country also needs a certified translation, note that translations themselves cannot receive an apostille. A German court president can certify that the translator is officially sworn, and that certification can then carry an apostille.⁸ Budget extra time: the apostille alone takes roughly two weeks, and the full chain, including the certificate itself, can stretch to about four weeks.

1
Federal Office of Justice. Certificate of Conduct
2
Federal Office of Justice. Federal Office of Justice – Homepage
3
Gesetze im Internet. Federal Central Criminal Register Act (BZRG)
4
City of Erlangen. Certificate of Good Conduct – Application for a European Certificate of Good Conduct
5
Bundesamt für Justiz. Online-Portal des Bundesamts für Justiz
6
German Missions in the United States. Certificate of Conduct
7
Federal Office of Justice. Frequently Asked Questions – Certificate of Conduct
8
Federal Foreign Office. German Public Documents for Use Abroad