How to get Schufa for free in Germany? (2024)

FAQs

How to get SCHUFA for free in Germany? ›

To get the free schufa report, go to the Schufa data copy page on the meineschufa website and enter your personal information and submit the form. Though the form asks for your passport and other information, you only need to enter your name and address. Other details are not mandatory.

For foreigners, the issuance of a SCHUFA report is usually only possible if you have already lived in Germany for some time and have a German bank account. If this is the case, you will need some other proof of your financial reliability.

You will usually receive your Schufa report after one to two weeks by post. If you need your report faster, you will have to apply for a paid Schufa report.

International transferees usually only receive SCHUFA information if they have been living in Germany for a longer period of time and have opened a bank account in Germany. Nevertheless, foreigners who do not receive Schufa information can also prove their solvency in another way.

Generally, a SCHUFA score above 90 is considered to be a good one. However, you should know that a SCHUFA score of 95 % and below already indicates a certain level of risk to financial institutions, companies offering financing terms for products and of course, most importantly landlords.

Schufa Holding AG (German: Schutzgemeinschaft für allgemeine Kreditsicherung; English: General Credit Protection Agency), proper spelling SCHUFA, is a German private credit bureau supported by creditors.

It costs 29.95€. It does not work for everyone. You must verify your identity with your bank, and some banks are not supported. You pay 50% less if you have a premium membership.

How important is SCHUFA? ›

Our SCHUFA score is particularly relevant for us when we want to buy things, plan larger purchases and do not want to pay in advance, but rather conveniently on account, by credit card or with installment financing. Especially at a young age, many people don't have enough money.

Technically speaking, your Schufa report never expires. However, your score is updated every three months, so the number can become outdated. Your landlord, bank, or another provider can specify how up-to-date they want your Schufa report to be; most often, they will ask for it to be within the last three months.

Every German resident is legally entitled to receive one free SCHUFA record per year, to see what data has been stored in the report. You can request it on the official website, and it is called Datenkopie (data copy). Click on 'Jetzt beantragen' in the left column and enter your personal information on the next page.

The effect is even stronger with several credit cards. For this reason, the number of credit cards is taken into account in SCHUFA scoring. The statistics show: Using more than two credit cards leads to more payment defaults. This can lower the score.

The cost of studying in Germany is free in Public Universities. However, students would be required to pay an administration fee at the start of every year/ semester. This is a negligible amount. The Germans take their education system very seriously and have everything calculated to the last cent.

You can also upload a copy of your ID card, passport & Meldebescheinigung (residence registration certificate), once all this has been completed, you will receive a paper copy by mail after several days. A Schufa score of 90 or more is generally regarded as good.

Public Universities in Germany are free for international students. In Germany, public universities are tuition-free, and not just for German or EU citizens! You don't have to have ever been to Germany or speak German to apply to universities in Germany.