How to get a police certificate – Germany

If you need to give your fingerprints for a police certificate, this isn’t the same as giving your biometrics (fingerprints and photo) for an application.

Name of the document you need

Certificate of Good Conduct (Führungszeugnis) or
European Certificate of good conduct (Europäisches Führungszeugnis) for citizens of other European Union member states

Police certificate and IRCC requirements

You must provide a police certificate when you apply for permanent residence in Canada.

How to apply

By mail—send your application to Federal Office of Justice at

Bundesamt für Justiz
Referat IV 2
53094 Bonn

Online—at the website of the Federal Office of Justice (in German only). You’ll need

- a valid and recognized electronic signature (elektronischen Personalausweis) such as an electronic residency permit (elektronischen Aufenthaltstitel)
- a card-reading machine (Kartenlesegerät)

In person–at the Federal Office of Justice located at

Bundesamt für Justiz
Besucherservice
Adenauerallee 99 - 103
53113 Bonn

Special considerations

For more information on fees, processing times, how to apply online, how to obtain an electronic signature or to download the forms, please go to the website of the Federal Office of Justice.

Your police certificate will be mailed to your residential address (even if you live abroad). It cannot be sent to a third party.

Police certificates issued before February 2019 are in German only. You must give us a certified English or French translation of your certificate. New German police certificates are now in German, English and French, and do not need to be translated.

German law restricts who can request a police certificate on your behalf.

If you apply from overseas, you must have your personal data and signature confirmed by a German diplomatic representative, a foreign authority or a notary, or you must provide a certified photocopy of an official document.

If your certificate contains entries and you live abroad, the Federal Office of Justice will forward your police certificate to the German embassy or consulate where you live and you will be invited to come and look at the document in person. You must give your consent to allow the German embassy/consulate to send this document to the responsible Canadian visa office.

Contact information