Application: templates and forms
30 forms available to fill out or download. · Showing 25–30
Application to change a surname or first name (Germany)
A written application to the German name-change authority to change a surname, a first name or both under the Name Change Act (NamÄndG): the applicant's details, the name wanted, the important reason § 3 NamÄndG requires, the children the change extends to under § 4, and the enclosures. Not for returning to a birth name after divorce, double names (possible since 1 May 2025) or a change under the Self-Determination Act (SBGG) — those are declarations at the register office (Standesamt). In German, ready to print, sign and send.
Request to defer tax and pay in instalments (Germany)
Your application to the German tax office (Finanzamt) to defer tax that is due under § 222 of the German Fiscal Code (AO) and pay it in instalments or later, where paying on the due date would be a substantial hardship — after a large back-payment, a lost contract or an illness, for example. The letter gives the tax, period, amount and due date, proposes a payment plan, explains the hardship, sums up income, outgoings and assets and deals with security. Deferral interest at 0.5% a month costs less than the 1% late-payment surcharge. In German.
Employment reference request — Arbeitszeugnis (Germany)
A letter asking a German employer for a full employment reference (qualifiziertes Arbeitszeugnis) on leaving, or an interim reference (Zwischenzeugnis) while still employed — expressly covering performance and conduct, because without that request the employer owes only a basic reference stating the type and length of the work (§ 109 of the German Trade Regulation Act, GewO). It gives the job, the period of employment, the reason and a date by which the reference should be posted. No form is prescribed for the request. In German.
Request for paid educational leave (Germany)
An employee's request in Germany for paid educational leave (Bildungsurlaub, called Bildungszeit or Bildungsfreistellung in some Länder) for a recognised course, with its title, organiser, place, dates, number of working days and proof of recognition. One document for all 14 Länder that have an educational leave law: choose the Land where you work, whose law sets the entitlement, the waiting period, the notice period and course recognition. Bavaria has no educational leave, and Saxony only from 1 January 2027. In German.
Request to extend the tax return deadline (Germany)
Your request to the German tax office (Finanzamt) to extend the deadline for an income tax, VAT or other tax return under § 109 of the German Fiscal Code (AO) — because of illness, missing papers or a move, for example. For 2025 returns filed without an adviser, the deadline was 31 July 2026. The letter gives the return, the year, the current and the requested deadline and the reason, and asks in the alternative for a backdated extension, so that no late-filing surcharge of at least €25 a month is charged. In German, to post, fax or send through ELSTER.
Parental leave notice to the employer — Elternzeit (Germany)
The notice by which an employee in Germany claims parental leave (Elternzeit) under § 16 of the Federal Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act (BEEG): the child, the date of birth or due date, the start and end of the leave and any further periods, with the binding choice for the first two years and a request for confirmation. It must reach the employer at least seven weeks before the leave starts, or 13 weeks before leave after the third birthday. For children born or placed for adoption from 1 May 2025, text form such as e-mail is enough; for older children a hand-signed original is required. In German.