Procedure descriptions
Apply for an extended certificate of good conduct
A certificate of good conduct provides information on whether or not the person named in it has a criminal record.
There are two types of certificate of good conduct:
- the private certificate of good conduct (N) for private purposes, for example for submission to an employer, and
- the official certificate of good conduct (O) for submission to a German public authority.
In particular, if you wish to work with minors, either professionally or on a voluntary basis – for example, as a nursery worker, teacher, school bus driver, a swimming instructor or a sports coach, you must provide an ‘extended certificate of good conduct’ upon request.
The information contained in a certificate of good conduct is sourced from the Federal Central Register.
The Federal Central Register contains, for example,
- criminal convictions,
- certain decisions by administrative authorities and courts, or
- judicial decisions and orders by a law enforcement authority, whereby criminal proceedings have been concluded without a conviction on the grounds of proven or non-excludable lack of criminal responsibility.
However, not all entries in the Federal Central Register are included in the certificate of good conduct.
The content of certificates of good conduct is determined by Section 32 of the Federal Central Register Act (BZRG).
Furthermore, Sections 33 and 34 of the BZRG stipulate that convictions are no longer included in a certificate of good conduct after a certain period has elapsed, provided there is no exception under Section 33(2) of the BZRG.
In the case of ‘extended’ criminal records, these exemptions apply only partially or to a limited extent. This is intended to prevent persons who have been convicted of sexual offences or other criminal offences of particular relevance to the protection of children and young people from coming into close contact with minors.
If a person who (also) holds the nationality of another Member State of the European Union or of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland a certificate of good conduct, a European certificate of good conduct is automatically issued, which also includes information on entries in the criminal record of the Member State of origin, provided that the law of that Member State provides for such transmission.
Responsible authority
Please refer to the instructions on the procedure for further details.
Details
Prerequisite
An extended certificate of good conduct is issued by the competent authority if
- this is required by law, or
- it is required for professional or voluntary supervision, care, education or training of minors, or any other activity which is similarly likely to involve contact with minors.
Minimum age: 14
Procedure
You can submit the application:
- In person at the registration office in your place of residence (citizens’ advice bureau), on presentation of your valid identity card or passport.
- In writing to the registration office in your place of residence, stating your personal details, including date of birth, maiden name, any alternative surname, first name(s), place of birth, nationality and address. In this case, your signature on the application letter must be officially or publicly certified. It is recommended that you contact the relevant registration office before submitting your written application – not least to arrange payment of the fees.
- Directly via the online portal at the Federal Office of Justice. To apply online, you will need:
- your identity card, your eID card or your electronic residence permit with the online identification function activated,
- the free federal “AusweisApp” to read your ID document,
- a suitable smartphone or a computer and a card reader,
- your six-digit ID PIN,
- any documents that may need to be uploaded, along with a digital capture device,
- in certain cases, a printer, and
- a credit card to pay the fee.
People living abroad can apply for a certificate of good conduct in writing or via the online portal directly with the Federal Office of Justice. Further information can be found on the Federal Office ofJustice’s website .
The following applies to all forms of application:
The application may also be made by a legal representative, for example parents on behalf of their minor child, provided they can prove their legal authority to act as such . However, you cannot authorise any other person to submit the application on your behalf.
When submitting your application, you must state whether you require the certificate for private purposes (N) or for submission to a public 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.
You should therefore state the address of the authority and, if possible, the reference number when submitting your application.
You may request to view the certificate of good conduct in advance.
It will then only be sent to a local court specified by you if it contains any entries.
You can view it there. The local court will then forward the certificate to the relevant authority. However, you may also object to its disclosure. In that case, the certificate will be destroyed.
Deadlines
For the application: none
Required documents
You must enclose with your application for an extended certificate of good conduct a written request from the person who is requiring you to provide it.
In this request, the person must also confirm that the conditions for the issue of an extended certificate of good conduct have been met. Please also note the information on the procedure.
Costs
Usually: EUR 13.00
Processing time
Usually around one to two weeks. Processing times may be longer, particularly when there is a high volume of applications.
Issuing a European Certificate of Good Conduct typically takes longer, as a request must first be made to the Member State of origin for information from its criminal records.
Miscellaneous
On the website of the Federal Office of Justice, you will find further information on the (extended) certificate of good conduct and the Federal Central Register. There you will also find the leaflet ‘Applying for a certificate of good conduct online’ as well as answers to frequently asked questions about the certificate of good conduct.
Public authorities may obtain certificates of good conduct for specific individuals even without their involvement if they require them to carry out their official duties.
This is subject to the condition that a request to the individual concerned to submit a certificate of good conduct was either inappropriate or had previously been unsuccessful. The person concerned has the right to inspect the certificate of good conduct held by the authority.
Detailed information
Exceptions are set out in the information sheet on fees for certificates of good conduct issued by the Federal Office of Justice. You can access this on the Federal Office of Justice’s website.
Legal basis
Bundeszentralregistergesetz (BZRG):
- § 30 Antrag
- § 30a Antrag auf ein erweitertes Führungszeugnis
- § 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, 21.08.2026