Certificate of good conduct; application for a European Certificate of Good Conduct

  • Brief description

    The European Certificate of Good Conduct does not have to be applied for. When a certificate of good conduct is issued to nationals of other EU Member States, the entries in the criminal record of the Member State of origin are recorded in full.

  • Description

    In the case of applications for the issue of a simple or extended certificate of good conduct for nationals of other Member States of the European Union, the respective Member State of origin is requested to provide information on entries in the criminal record of the Member State of origin.

    If the Member State of origin notifies entries in the criminal record, these are recorded in full and in the language transmitted. There is no translation or verification of the content of the information provided.

    If the Member State of origin does not provide information from its criminal record, this will be indicated in the certificate of good conduct.

  • Prerequisites

    • Completion of the 14th year of life
    • In the case of legal incapacity, the application must be submitted by the legal representative, if applicable

  • Required documents

    If applying in person: presentation of passport or ID card

    If applying electronically: ID card, eID card with domestic address or electronic residence permit with activated online ID function

    If applying in writing: officially or publicly notarized signature

  • Forms

  • Costs

    13,00 EUR

    Exemption from fees: In the case of indigence (e.g. receipt of citizens' allowance, social assistance, supplementary child allowance in accordance with Section 6a of the Federal Child Benefit Act, BAföG or benefits in accordance with the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act), the Federal Office of Justice can reduce the fee or waive the costs upon application. If a certificate of good conduct is required for the exercise of voluntary care (§ 19 Para. 1, § 21 BtOG) or voluntary work that is carried out for a non-profit organization, for a public authority or as part of one of the services listed in § 32 Para. 4 No. 2 letter d EStG, there is no fee.

    In the case of an electronic application, proof of the existence of a reason for the fee exemption must be provided electronically.

  • Legal basis

  • Further links

  • Processing time

    The European Certificate of Good Conduct should be issued no later than 20 working days after the request has been sent by the register authority to the Member State of origin.

Responsible departments