In the Federal Republic of Germany, penal convictions are gathered in the “Bundeszentralregister” (Federal Central Criminal Register) which is operated by the “Bundesamt für Justiz” (Federal Office of Justice) in Bonn. A so-called “child protection clearance” does not exist. According to Sec. 30 para. 1 of the German Act on the Federal Central Criminal Register, any individual who has reached the age of 14 can apply for a “Führungszeugnis” (Certificate of Conduct) - an excerpt from the Federal Central Criminal Registry. This excerpt serves as legal certificate with the purpose to inform others about a person’s criminal record and to prove, as the case may be, the lack of records.

Find out more about the application here:

Certificate of good conduct PDF / 115 KB