When applying for a residence permit or another form of legal residence in Slovakia, applicants may be required to provide a criminal record certificate (Výpis z registra trestov / Criminal Record Certificate) from countries where they have previously lived for more than three months. In Germany, this document is called a Führungszeugnis, or Certificate of Conduct. Processing may take several weeks and, in some cases, longer.
For people currently living in Germany, the standard procedure is relatively simple. You can apply for a German Certificate of Conduct through the local registration authority responsible for your place of residence. An online application is also available for applicants who meet the identification requirements.
These standard procedures may be less convenient if you have already left Germany or no longer have a registered address there. Applying through a local German authority normally requires a current registration in Germany, and the available application and delivery options depend on your individual circumstances.
The online application procedure also requires an accepted electronic identification method. A standard foreign passport without the required electronic identification function cannot normally be used to complete this online identification process.
This can make obtaining a German Certificate of Conduct more complicated for foreign nationals who previously lived in Germany. This may include, for example, Ukrainian nationals who stayed in Germany under temporary protection pursuant to §24 of the German Residence Act. If the certificate is required for use in Slovakia, an apostille may also be necessary. This adds another step after the certificate has been obtained.
A simpler option may be to use a representative in Germany who can assist with obtaining the required certificate, arrange the apostille and send the completed document to you by post.
This can avoid unnecessary travel to Germany and reduce the need to deal personally with different German authorities during the process.
German Certificate of Conduct with apostille Order now