Here you can find information about the Certificate of Conduct and the SCHUFA report. You can also find out how to apply for both documents.

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The certificate of conduct (¡°F¨¹hrungszeugnis¡±) is an official document which shows whether or not an individual has been convicted of a criminal offence in the past. This data on previous convictions comes from the Federal Central Criminal Register.

There are three different types of the certificate of conduct depending on its purpose:?

• a certificate of conduct for personal use (the standard version, often needed for your employer)
• the certificate of conduct for submission to a public authority (e.g. when you are applying for a driving licence)
• an enhanced certificate of conduct (e.g. if you want to work with children and young people). When applying for the enhanced certificate of conduct, you need a written request from the authority that requires the enhanced certificate of conduct from you.

You can apply for a certificate of conduct either by going to your local residents¡¯ registration office (¡°Einwohnermeldeamt¡±) or from the Federal Office of Justice website (German identity card activated for online use needed). Either way, it will cost €13 to get a certificate of conduct issued.

For in-person applications, please make an appointment in advance with your residents¡¯ registration office and bring your passport or identity card with you.
More information on the certificate of conduct can be found here.

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The SCHUFA report (¡°Auskunft¡±), often simply called SCHUFA, is a credit report issued by the company SCHUFA Holding AG. Many landlords insist on SCHUFA when you apply to rent an apartment, as it provides information about how trustworthy people are in terms of bills, credits and other obligations. The initial SCHUFA score is high for everyone. However, if bills are left unpaid or debts are accumulated, the score drops. Ideally, the SCHUFA score should be over 90 percent.
The most convenient way of acquiring a SCHUFA report is online. There, you can either order a ¡°SCHUFA-Bonit?tsAuskunft¡± (paper version sent to you via mail) or a ¡°SCHUFA-Bonit?tsCheck¡± (verified PDF version for download) for €30.
If you only want to know your SCHUFA score for yourself and do not need an official SCHUFA document for third parties, there are several options free of charge.

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