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ELSTER registration

Finanzamt · Taxes & levies

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ELSTER (Elektronische Steuererklärung, electronic tax return) is the free online portal of the German tax administration for the electronic filing of tax returns and self-assessed tax returns. For almost all tax obligations of self-employed people, companies and associations, authenticated electronic submission is required by law; private individuals use ELSTER voluntarily, but benefit from the pre-filled-return data retrieval and faster processing by the Finanzamt.

Registration itself takes only a few minutes — but it is not complete until you enter the activation ID (by email) and the activation code (by post) together. Both are valid for 90 days. Only with registration using the online identity function of the identity card does the postal step fall away, with the account available immediately.

Last updated25 August 2026
Legal basis§ 87a AO in conjunction with § 87b and § 150 Abs. 6 AO
VerificationChecked by AmtsDeutschland.de
Written and reviewed byAndrés Sánchez Botta
Independent information website: we are not the Finanzamt, not an authority and not a paid advice service – we do not submit applications on your behalf. All information comes from official sources and is explained here in plain language; binding information always comes from the competent body. All information is provided without guarantee. We are neither lawyers nor tax consultants: we document official procedures and check the information against the official source – this is information, not legal or tax advice.
CostsFree of chargeNo fees for registration, certificate or use
Processing timearound 5–14 daysPostal transit time of the activation code · immediate with eID
MethodOnlineFully digital at elster.de · activation code by post
Required documents

What you need for registration

ELSTER registration takes place entirely online — you do not submit any documents and do not need to present anything. Even so, you should have the following details and items ready before you open the form: abandoning the process partway through means you have to start again from the beginning.

Tax identification number (IdNr.)

The eleven-digit number, valid for life, is allocated by the Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern, BZSt) and appears on every tax assessment notice, on the employer’s employment tax statement and on the notification letter issued after birth or after your first Anmeldung (residence registration) in Germany.

For private individuals, providing it at registration is optional. It is, however, the precondition for activating the data retrieval service and so the pre-filled tax return. If you no longer have the number, you can request it again from the Federal Central Tax Office.

Identity card with the online identity function (only for eID registration)

Anyone registering using the online identity function needs an identity card or electronic residence title with the eID activated, the self-chosen six-digit PIN, and an NFC-capable smartphone or a card reader.

If the eID has never been activated, or the PIN has been forgotten, both can be set up or reset afterwards at the Bürgeramt (citizens’ office). For all other methods, the identity card is not needed — ELSTER verifies identity via the activation code sent by post.

A current, correctly registered postal address

ELSTER sends the activation code to this address. It must match the address you enter in the form, and your name must be on the letterbox — otherwise delivery often fails in cases of subletting, shared flats or mail-forwarding orders.

After a move, first re-register your address and only start the registration afterwards, so that the letter is not sent to the old address.

A permanently reachable email address

Two separate messages are sent to this email address: first the six-digit verification code confirming the address, then the activation ID. Later, reminders about renewing the certificate are also sent to it.

So do not use a disposable address, or an employer’s address that you will lose access to after changing jobs. Check your spam folder if the messages do not arrive.

A secure place to store the certificate file

At the end of registration, ELSTER generates a certificate file in .pfx format, which together with a password you choose forms your key to the account. The file is valid for three years and cannot be downloaded again.

Before registering, decide where you will keep the file, and plan for at least one additional backup copy, for example on a USB stick or in an encrypted folder.

A smartphone for ElsterSecure or MeinELSTER+ (optional)

The ElsterSecure app replaces the certificate file and password with an approval on the smartphone by fingerprint or facial recognition. The tax app MeinELSTER+ requires at least Android 13 or iOS 17.

Both apps are free of charge. They are not a substitute for registration, but an additional or alternative login method for an existing user account.

Details of the organisation (only for companies and associations)

For an organisation certificate you additionally need the tax number issued by the Finanzamt, the full company name or the name of the association, and the address of its registered office.

If the business does not yet have a tax number, it must first be applied for at the competent Finanzamt. A private certificate should not be used for business submissions, because permissions cannot then be cleanly separated.

Step by step

How to proceed

The process has two separate stages: in step 1 you enter your details and confirm your email address, in step 2 you activate the account with the activation ID and activation code. Between the two stages lies the postal transit time — plan for it.

  1. 1

    Choose a login method

    ELSTER offers five methods: the certificate file (.pfx, the most common method, and the one recommended for beginners), the ElsterSecure app (login without a file and without a password, approved by fingerprint or facial recognition on the smartphone), the identity card with the online identity function, the security stick and the signature card.

    This decision matters more than it looks: only with registration using the online identity function does the postal activation code fall away, so the account can be used immediately. The security stick and signature card are chargeable hardware from third-party providers and are worthwhile mainly for firms and companies with a high volume of submissions.

  2. 2

    Create a user account at elster.de

    Go to elster.de and select “Benutzerkonto erstellen” (create a user account). Make sure you really are on the elster.de domain — during tax season, fake sites with similar addresses circulate.

    In the first step, you decide whether the account is for a private individual or for an organisation (company, association, corporate body). This choice determines which forms will later be available to you and whether an organisation certificate is generated. It cannot be changed afterwards; if in doubt, you can set up a second account later, which is expressly permitted.

  3. 3

    Enter your personal details and login name

    You enter your title, name, date of birth, address and email address. You also choose a username, under which the certificate is later saved. Use exactly the spelling of your name as it appears in the population register (Melderegister), so that the address check does not fail.

    The tax identification number is an optional field at this point for private individuals. Enter it anyway: without the IdNr. on file, the data retrieval service for the pre-filled tax return cannot be activated, and you would have to catch up on the assignment separately later.

  4. 4

    Confirm your email address with the six-digit verification code

    Immediately after you submit the form, ELSTER sends an email with a six-digit verification code. You enter this code in the still-open registration window; this confirms that the address belongs to you and is reachable.

    A clickable confirmation link with a three-day deadline, as described in older guides, is no longer part of the current procedure. If the email does not arrive, check your spam folder and have the code resent, rather than abandoning the registration.

  5. 5

    Receive the activation ID by email

    After confirmation, a second email follows, containing your personal activation ID. This is the first part of the key and is worthless on its own — it can only be used together with the activation code from the letter.

    Save the message carefully, or note down the ID. Anyone who accidentally deletes the email cannot complete the registration and must start the whole process again.

  6. 6

    Wait for the activation code by post

    For security reasons, ELSTER sends the activation code only by post, to the address given. The tax administration does not state a fixed delivery period; it only notes that delivery can take a few days. In practice, around 5 to 14 days pass between registration and the letter arriving, longer during holiday periods and around the filing deadline.

    The letter has no sender note referring to a tax procedure, and so is easily overlooked. With registration using the online identity function, this step falls away entirely.

  7. 7

    Complete registration within 90 days

    Go to elster.de again and enter the activation ID and activation code together. Both are valid for 90 days, counted from dispatch. If this deadline is exceeded, the registration lapses, the data entered is deleted, and you start again from the beginning.

    The frequently cited figure of 45 days is incorrect. Anyone who relies on it abandons a still-valid registration and ends up waiting unnecessarily a second time for a letter.

  8. 8

    Generate the certificate file, set a password, and back it up

    In the last step, you set a password and download the certificate file. Choose a password you can remember permanently, or store it in a password manager — ELSTER cannot reset it or display it.

    Afterwards, save the file in at least two places. You then log in for the first time, add your tax number, and if needed activate the data retrieval service, through which ELSTER automatically transfers employment tax statements and pension, health and long-term care insurance data into your tax return.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Fees

Registration€0.00 — free of charge
Certificate file & renewal€0.00 — free of charge even after three years
Access renewal in the event of loss€0.00 — including postal dispatch
Submission of the tax return€0.00 — unlimited submissions
The ElsterSecure and MeinELSTER+ apps€0.00 — available free of charge
Means of paymentNot applicable — nothing is charged

ELSTER charges no fees. Registration, the certificate, renewal, access renewal and the submission of all returns are permanently free of charge. Anyone who comes across a form online that demands a fee for “ELSTER registration” is not on the official site.

Indirect costs with eID registration. If you do not have an identity card with the online identity function, a new card costs, since 7 February 2026, €46.00 (aged 24 and over) or €27.60 (under 24) under § 1 PAuswGebV. Activating the eID and resetting the PIN at the Bürgeramt are to be considered separately from this.

The security stick and signature card are third-party products. They are sold not by the tax administration but by external providers; the price depends on the particular provider. For classic registration with a certificate file or ElsterSecure, you do not need this hardware.

Good to know

Important notes

Start in good time — the post sets the schedule. Because the activation code only arrives by letter, you should start registration several weeks before the filing deadline for the tax return (normally 31 July of the following year). Anyone who starts only at the end of July will generally not have the account ready in time.

The certificate file is valid for three years. From three months before expiry, ELSTER sends up to three reminder emails. The renewal is offered to you directly when you log in with the certificate file, and extends access for a further three years — it takes only a few clicks and costs nothing. Only someone who ignores every reminder has to go through the postal route again afterwards.

Access renewal instead of re-registration. If you lose the certificate file, lose the security stick, lose the signature card, forget your password, or the certificate expires, access renewal is the designated route: ELSTER sends new activation data (activation ID by email, activation code by post). Your user account, together with its stored data, drafts and permissions, remains completely intact.

ElsterSecure: logging in without a file and without a password. The app is now a regular registration and login method. Instead of a certificate file and a password, you confirm access via a login link or QR code and approve it by fingerprint or facial recognition on the smartphone. This is especially convenient if you use ELSTER from different devices.

Ready immediately with the identity card. With registration using the online identity function (eID), the postal activation code falls away entirely; the user account is available immediately. This requires an activated eID, the six-digit PIN, and an NFC-capable smartphone or card reader.

Pre-filled tax return (data retrieval). After a one-off activation using your tax identification number, ELSTER automatically transfers, among other things, employment tax statements, pension and health insurance data, and provident expenses into the return. This avoids typing errors and makes filing considerably faster.

MeinELSTER+ on the go. The official tax app runs from Android 13 or iOS 17, and is linked to your account via the certificate file or the ElsterSecure app. Since July 2026, it has allowed the automatic preparation of the tax return for the 2025 calendar year.

Mein ELSTER is not Mein BOP. Mein ELSTER covers tax returns and self-assessed tax returns with the state tax administrations. For centralised federal procedures of the Federal Central Tax Office — such as the recapitulative statement or confirming foreign VAT identification numbers — the online portal Mein BOP is intended instead. Check beforehand which portal covers your matter.

Organisations: their own certificate and permission management. Companies and associations register an organisation certificate in the name of the organisation. Through permission management, further user accounts — for example for bookkeeping or tax advice — can be given access to specific types of tax, without passing on the main certificate. Having several user accounts side by side is expressly permitted.

Legal framework. Electronic communication with the tax authorities is governed by § 87a AO, supplemented by § 87b AO on data transmission on another’s behalf. That tax returns must be submitted authenticated follows from § 150 Abs. 6 AO. The previously relevant Tax Data Transmission Ordinance (Steuerdaten-Übermittlungsverordnung, StDÜV) has been repealed.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Starting registration too late. Anyone who starts only a few days before the filing deadline cannot submit the return in time, because the activation code is still on its way. For a late filing, the Finanzamt can impose a late-filing penalty under § 152 AO.

Not using the activation data within 90 days. The activation ID and activation code lapse after 90 days; the registration is deleted. You have to go through the whole process again, including the postal transit time.

Abandoning a still-valid registration because of the “45-day deadline”. This figure circulates in numerous guides but is wrong. Anyone who re-registers because of it waits a second time for a letter and risks losing several weeks.

Registering completely from scratch after losing the certificate file. This is the most costly mistake in terms of time and data: the designated route is access renewal, in which the existing account, including drafts and permissions, is preserved. A second account, by contrast, leads to scattered data and duplicate assignments.

Storing the certificate file on only one device. After a hard-drive failure, a new phone, or a reinstallation, access is gone. You can get back in via access renewal, but you wait for the letter again — an avoidable risk right in the middle of the filing period.

Ignoring reminder emails about certificate expiry. Renewal is only possible while the certificate is still valid and you can still log in with it. Once it has expired, only access renewal with a new postal dispatch remains.

An outdated address or someone else’s letterbox. If the activation code does not arrive, the 90-day period still keeps running. Re-register a move before you register with ELSTER, and make sure your name is on the letterbox.

Using a work email address or a disposable address. The activation ID and later reminders then go nowhere. After changing jobs, you may, in the worst case, lose the only channel through which ELSTER can reach you.

Using the private certificate for the company. An organisation certificate is intended for companies and associations. Anyone who handles everything through a private certificate cannot cleanly separate permissions, and has to set up the whole account again if there is a change in bookkeeping staff.

Registering on fake sites. Around the filing deadline, imitation portals circulate that demand fees or harvest login details. Registration takes place exclusively at elster.de and costs nothing.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

How long does ELSTER registration take overall?

Entering your details at elster.de takes only a few minutes. After that, the postal route determines the overall duration: ELSTER does not state a fixed number of weeks, but only notes that delivery of the activation code can take a few days; in practice it is around 5 to 14 days. Anyone who registers using the online identity function of the identity card can use the account immediately, without any postal dispatch.

How long are the activation ID and activation code valid?

Both must be entered together at elster.de within 90 days. If this deadline passes, the registration lapses and the data entered is deleted, so you have to start completely from the beginning. The figure of 45 days that circulates widely is wrong, and leads users to unnecessarily abandon a still-valid registration.

What happens if I lose the certificate file or the password?

You do not need a new registration. For this case, ELSTER provides access renewal: you receive a new activation ID by email and a new activation code by post, and use them to generate a new certificate file. Your existing user account, together with its stored forms, drafts and permissions, remains intact.

How long is the certificate file valid?

The certificate file is valid for three years. From three months before expiry, ELSTER sends up to three reminder emails, and renewal is offered directly when you log in with the certificate file; it extends access for a further three years. If the certificate expires unnoticed, only access renewal with a new postal dispatch will help.

What login methods does ELSTER offer?

ELSTER offers five methods: the certificate file, the ElsterSecure app, the identity card with the online identity function, the security stick and the signature card. The certificate file is the most widely used method, while ElsterSecure replaces the file and password with an approval on the smartphone by fingerprint or facial recognition.

Is ELSTER really free of charge?

Yes. ELSTER is the free portal of the German tax administration; no fees apply for registration, the certificate, use, or submitting the tax return. Costs arise only indirectly, if at all, for example if you first need to obtain a new identity card or a card reader for registration using the online identity function.

Do I need my tax identification number for registration?

For private individuals, providing the tax identification number at registration is optional, but strongly recommended. Only with the identification number on file can the data retrieval service be activated, and with it the pre-filled tax return, which automatically transfers employment tax statements and pension, health and long-term care insurance data.

What is the difference between Mein ELSTER and Mein BOP?

Mein ELSTER is the tax administration’s portal for tax returns and self-assessed tax returns by private individuals and companies. Mein BOP, the online portal of the Federal Central Tax Office, by contrast covers centralised federal procedures, such as the recapitulative statement or confirming foreign VAT identification numbers. Before registering, check which of the two portals is responsible for your matter.

Related official procedures

File a tax return
Income tax via ELSTER
Free of charge
Request a Steuer-ID
A number valid for life
Free of charge
Apply for a tax number
From the local Finanzamt
Free of charge

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