Legal: templates and forms
15 forms available to fill out or download.
Freedom of information request (Germany)
The request for access to official information held by a German authority — files, contracts, reports, e-mails or answers to questions: under the Federal Freedom of Information Act (IFG) from federal bodies, under the Land's freedom-of-information or transparency act from Land and municipal bodies, or under the Environmental Information Act (UIG) or the Consumer Information Act (VIG). You choose the act and the form of access; the letter asks for an answer within the statutory time limit, for notice of any fees in advance and for partial access rather than refusal. In German.
Application for an apostille (Germany)
The letter asking the competent German authority to issue an apostille under the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 for a German public document — a birth or marriage certificate, a notarial deed or a certificate of good conduct — so that it is recognised abroad. It identifies the document, the body that issued it and the country where it will be used, and says how it should be returned. Which authority is competent depends on the document; within the EU, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 removes the apostille for many documents. If the authority offers its own form, you can use that free instead. In German.
Invitation letter for a visitor visa (Germany)
The letter in which you invite a relative or friend from a country whose nationals need a visa to visit you in Germany, addressed to the German embassy or consulate-general: details of the person invited and of you, the purpose and dates of the visit, where they will stay and who bears the costs. No form is prescribed for it. It is not a formal guarantee of costs (Verpflichtungserklärung) under § 68 of the German Residence Act (AufenthG): that is made separately at the foreigners' authority, on its official form, if the mission asks for one. In German.
Inventory of the spouses' starting assets (Germany)
A joint list, drawn up by both spouses in Germany, of what each owned and owed on the wedding day, plus inheritances and gifts received during the marriage, with values. Under § 1377 of the German Civil Code (BGB), an inventory the spouses draw up together, dated and signed by both, is presumed correct between them; without one, everything a spouse owns at the end is presumed to be gain when the gains are equalised on divorce. No notary needed. Separate property or another regime needs a notarised marriage contract, which this is not. In German.
Cohabitation agreement for unmarried couples (Germany)
An agreement for an unmarried couple living together in Germany: who owns or rents the home and who moves out after a separation, how household costs are shared, a list of who owns what, how joint purchases and debts are divided if they split up, and pointers to a health-care power of attorney and separate wills. German law has no property regime for unmarried couples. This agreement needs no notary because it deliberately leaves out land and promises of gifts (§§ 311b and 518 of the German Civil Code, BGB). In German.
Contact arrangement for separated parents (Germany)
A written agreement between separated parents in Germany on the children's contact with the parent they do not live with: regular times, school holidays, public holidays and birthdays, pick-up and return, make-up dates, phone and video contact, information and trips abroad. Before you buy: a private contact agreement cannot be enforced in Germany. It becomes enforceable only when the family court approves it as a settlement (§ 156(2) of the Family Proceedings Act, FamFG); this agreement can serve as the basis for that, or for a settlement reached with the help of the youth welfare office (Jugendamt). In German.
Revocation of a power of attorney with notice to third parties (Germany)
Revoking a power of attorney in Germany: a letter to the agent asking for the power of attorney document back (§ 175 of the German Civil Code, BGB), which doubles as the notice to the bank, office or other body the power was shown or announced to — each receives a signed copy, because towards them the power stays in force until they are told it has ended (§§ 170–173 BGB). With the court route for declaring an unreturned document void (§ 176 BGB). In German; fill in, print, sign and deliver to each recipient with proof of receipt.
Power of attorney for a single matter (Germany)
A power of attorney for one matter in Germany — collecting a document, registering or deregistering a car, handing over a flat, attending an appointment at an office. With the principal and the agent, the matter described precisely, any limits, an expiry date, the return of the document and a specimen of the agent's signature. Under the German Civil Code (BGB) a power of attorney needs no particular form, but the land registry, the commercial register or disclaiming an inheritance require a publicly certified signature. In German; fill in, print, sign by hand and hand over the original.
General power of attorney for financial affairs (Germany)
The German Federal Ministry of Justice publishes a free model only for the lasting power of attorney, which also covers health and residence; this general power of attorney (Generalvollmacht) is our own wording for your property alone. It takes effect on signature, without conditions: your attorney represents you with banks, contracting parties, authorities and courts in all financial matters, and it continues if you later lose capacity. You choose whether it outlasts your death and whether self-dealing (§ 181 of the German Civil Code, BGB) and sub-delegation are allowed. In German, to sign by hand.
Other parent's consent to a child's ID card or passport (Germany)
The written consent of the parent who cannot come along when a child's ID card or passport is applied for in Germany. Where parental responsibility is joint, both parents apply; the one who cannot attend sends written consent with their ID card or a copy. The consent also confirms the child's habitual residence, which some offices ask about. Many German towns offer their own consent form free of charge — this document is an independently worded alternative. In German; fill in, print and sign by hand.
Authority to collect an ID document and handle registration matters (Germany)
The authority that lets someone else collect your new ID card or passport at the German citizens' office (Bürgeramt), register or deregister your address for you, or apply for and collect a registration certificate. With the statement that the PIN letter has arrived, without which an ID card is not handed to a representative. Some offices offer their own form free of charge; this one is an independently worded alternative. In German, under the German Civil Code (BGB); fill in, print, sign by hand and give the original to your representative.
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.
Lasting power of attorney for health, care and property (Germany)
The German Federal Ministry of Justice publishes a free model of the Vorsorgevollmacht; this document is our own wording. You authorise someone you trust to act for you in health and care, on where you live, with authorities and in all financial matters once you can no longer do so yourself. It names medical decisions, detention and coercive measures expressly, as § 1820(2) of the German Civil Code (BGB) requires, and works towards third parties without conditions. In German, to print and sign by hand.
Parents' consent for a minor to travel abroad (Germany)
A consent for a child travelling abroad from Germany without their parents, with only one parent, with grandparents or alone. German law does not require one, but the German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and the Federal Police recommend it. It holds what they recommend: the child's details, the details of each holder of parental responsibility and how to reach them, the journey and the accompanying adult. Written in German with an English translation on the page. Whether the signatures must be certified or translated depends on the destination. Fill in, print, sign by hand and hand it over with copies of your ID.
Carer directive: wishes for a court-appointed carer (Germany)
The German Federal Ministry of Justice publishes a free model of the Betreuungsverfügung; this document is our own wording. You set out whom the guardianship court should appoint as your legal carer, who comes second and whom you reject, and record your wishes on housing, care and daily life. The court must follow your proposal unless the person is unsuitable (§ 1816(2) of the German Civil Code, BGB), and the carer must follow your wishes (§ 1821 BGB). In German, to sign by hand; certification at the local care authority is possible.