Dienstleistungen

Register of residents - apply for information (extended)

In addition to first and last names, doctor's degree and address, the extended civil register information provides information on

  • Date and place of birth (also the country if born abroad)
  • previous names
  • Marital status (limited to whether or not married or in a civil partnership)
  • current nationalities
  • previous addresses
  • Date of moving in and out
  • Name and address of legal representative
  • Name and address of the spouse or civil partner and
  • Date and place of death (if abroad, also the country)

Please note: Would you like to know what data is stored about you? On request, the municipality will provide you with information about the data stored about you (self-disclosure).

You can also apply for simple information from the population register. To search for specific groups of people, you can request information from the population register about several people who are not named (group information).

Responsible department

the registration authority of the last known place of residence of the person sought

The registration authority is

  • the municipal/city administration of the place of residence or
  • the administrative community or the municipality that fulfils the tasks of the registration authority for the municipality of residence

Details

Prerequisite

You must be able to credibly demonstrate a legitimate interest.

A legitimate interest is any public or private, idealistic or economic interest that is recognised by the legal system as worthy of protection. The confidentiality interest of the person sought must be taken into account in the decision.

The legitimate interest exists, for example, if the data is required for legal prosecution or defence (for example Dunning proceedings, legal action). This also includes the verification of personal details provided by a borrower by a credit institution. Extended civil register information can also be issued if the data is required for a serious research project.

The registration authority also requires information about the person in question, such as surname, first name, previous address(es) and date of birth. The provision of extended civil register information is only permitted if the person sought can be clearly identified on the basis of the information provided in the enquiry about the surname, former surname, first names, date of birth, gender or an address. You must also declare that you will not use the data for advertising or address trading purposes.

Procedure

You must apply for extended information from the residents' register at the relevant office. To do this, contact the municipality or town in which the person you are looking for presumably lives or has lived.

You can make the application

  • verbally at the authority,
  • by post or e-mail, or
  • online, depending on what the municipality offers.

Please note: The municipal register of residents only contains data on private individuals. Information on companies or commercial enterprises can be obtained from the business register.

The person you are looking for will be notified of the issue of extended information from the population register. An exception to the reporting obligation of the registration authority is only possible on the basis of a legal interest, for example to assert legal claims.

Deadlines

None

Required documents

  • Identity card or passport
  • for written applications: Copy of the identity card or passport
  • Proof of legitimate interest

Processing time

Usually two to eight weeks.

Miscellaneous

None

Legal basis

Bundesmeldegesetz (BMG):

  • § 10 Auskunft an die betroffene Person
  • § 45 Erweiterte Melderegisterauskunft

Ziffer 45 Allgemeine Verwaltungsvorschrift zur Durchführung des Bundesmeldegesetzes (BMGVwV)

Release note

machine generated, based on the German release by: Innenministerium Baden-Württemberg, 17.02.2025