Certificate of good conduct / information from the central trade register

Certificate of good conduct

A certificate of good conduct is issued in the form of a document by the Federal Central Register in Bonn upon application for any person aged 14 or over. The certificate of good conduct shows whether the person in question has a criminal record. It therefore essentially serves as proof of good conduct, for example when taking up employment.

If the certificate of good conduct is required for submission to a German authority, it is an official certificate of good conduct (document type "O").
The certificate of good conduct issued for personal purposes is referred to as a private certificate of good conduct (document type "N").

Please find out in advance from the institution/employer requesting the certificate of good conduct whether you require an official certificate of good conduct (document type "O") or a certificate of good conduct for personal purposes (document type "N"). Once an application has been made, it cannot be withdrawn and is subject to a fee.

As a rule, an extended certificate of good conduct is only required if it is stipulated by law, or if the job in question involves contact with underage children and young people. Here too, a distinction is made between an official certificate of good conduct and a private certificate of good conduct. A certificate from the requesting authority confirming that the requirements for the issue of an extended certificate of good conduct have been met must be submitted with the application.

Since April 2012, nationals of other European Union (EU) member states living in Germany have been able to apply for a so-called "European Certificate of Good Conduct". In addition to the content of the Federal Central Register, it also provides information on the content of the criminal record of their country of origin.

(Kopie 4)

Information from the central trade register

Upon request, information can be obtained from the central trade register for a private individual (natural person) or a legal entity. This includes, in particular, all administrative and fine decisions stored in this register that are related to the current or previous exercise of a trade by the person or legal entity concerned. The Central Trade Register is kept at the Federal Central Register in Bonn.