Applying for a police certificate of good conduct (Führungszeugnis)

No, despite the name. The “polizeiliches Führungszeugnis” (police certificate of good conduct) is issued by the Federal Office of Justice in Bonn, which keeps the Federal Central Criminal Register. You can apply for it at the registration authority — i.e. the Bürgeramt of your place of residence — or online directly with the Federal Office of Justice. The police are not involved in this process and cannot issue anything for you either. The name is historical and persists because it is catchy — it is the most common reason for a pointless trip to a police station.

€13.00, and this amount applies uniformly to the basic, the extended and the European Führungszeugnis. There is, however, a fee exemption: it applies if the certificate is needed for voluntary guardianship or activity carried out for a non-profit organisation, for a public authority, or as part of one of the voluntary services listed in § 32 Abs. 4 Nr. 2 Buchst. d EStG. Beyond that, an exemption is possible if the certificate is needed for another voluntary activity serving the public good. Bring a confirmation from the organisation and raise it yourself — it is only checked on request.

The recipient. You apply for the basic Führungszeugnis (Type N) for private purposes — for example, for an application with a private employer — and it is sent to your registered address. The official Führungszeugnis (Type O) is issued for submission to a public authority and goes directly to that body, not to you. If you want to know the contents yourself before an authority sees them, you can apply to first inspect the certificate at an Amtsgericht. For an application for Type O, you need the exact name and address of the requesting body.

If you work professionally or voluntarily with children and young people — in a Kita (child daycare centre), a school, a club or association, in youth work or comparable areas. The legal basis is § 30a BZRG. The extended certificate contains additional entries that do not appear in the basic one. Important in practice: you need a written request from the body requiring the certificate, confirming that the requirements are met. Without this letter, only a basic Führungszeugnis is issued — a common reason for a second appointment and a second fee. And this is often exactly where the fee exemption for voluntary work applies.

Yes, directly with the Federal Office of Justice. For this you need an identity card or residence title with the online identification function activated, the matching app, and a suitable card reader or an NFC-enabled smartphone. If the eID has never been activated, the route runs via the citizens' office — in many cases it can be activated there in the same appointment, which is worthwhile if you expect to need it more often in future. The online route saves you the appointment, but not the processing time at the Federal Office of Justice.

There is no binding processing deadline; the duration depends on the current workload and on whether further enquiries are needed. Expect anywhere from a few working days to a few weeks, and build in lead time if a job application or contract deadline depends on it. A point that is often overlooked: many employers and organisations require a Führungszeugnis that is no older than three months — so applying too early does not help either. If time is tight, ask the requesting body whether proof that the application has been submitted is sufficient for now; this is often accepted.

Not everything that has ever happened. The basic Führungszeugnis includes convictions only above certain thresholds, and entries are removed again after set deletion periods; minor convictions do not appear at all under certain conditions. The extended Führungszeugnis under § 30a BZRG shows additional entries that are not included in the basic one. Because the detailed rules are complex and depend on the individual case, the reliable approach is inspection: you can apply to first inspect the certificate at an Amtsgericht instead of relying on an assumption.

Yes. Anyone living abroad who is listed in the Federal Central Criminal Register can apply for a Führungszeugnis with the Federal Office of Justice; the application usually goes through the competent German mission abroad or directly to the Federal Office of Justice, with your signature needing to be certified. Nationals of other EU states additionally have access to the European Führungszeugnis, which includes information from the country of origin; it also costs €13.00. Clarify the exact procedure beforehand with the Federal Office of Justice or the German mission abroad — formal requirements and certification requirements differ from country to country.