How to Get Your SCHUFA Report for Free

You want to rent a flat or open a contract, and someone asks about your SCHUFA (Germany's main credit bureau). The first website you find wants 29.95 euros. You can see your own data for free. Here is how.

Free or paid: know the difference

SCHUFA has two products with similar names:

• Datenkopie nach Art. 15 DSGVO (data copy under the GDPR right of access). Free. It shows everything SCHUFA stores about you, where the data came from, and who asked about you in the last twelve months. It comes by post.
• BonitätsAuskunft (credit report for third parties). Paid, 29.95 euros. A short PDF made to show landlords, with a verification code.

If you only want to check your own data, you need the first one.

What you need before you start

• Your full name and date of birth
• Your current address, where you really read your mail
• Your previous addresses in Germany from the last years, and any former names (for example after marriage)
• A copy of your Personalausweis (ID card) or passport for the identity check. You can black out the ID number and access number, they are not needed.

Steps to get the free Datenkopie

1. Go to meineschufa.de and open the page "Datenkopie (nach Art. 15 DSGVO)". Click "Jetzt beantragen".
2. Fill in your personal data. Add your old addresses, because SCHUFA matches your data by name and address. If you skip them, older entries may be missing.
3. Upload the copy of your ID or passport.
4. Submit and wait. SCHUFA says delivery takes 5 to 7 days by post, sometimes longer when they are busy. By law they must answer within one month.
5. When the letter arrives, read every entry. Check the contracts, loans and credit cards against your own papers.

Want only the score? Use the free account

SCHUFA now also has a free SCHUFA account where you can see your score digitally. You register and identify yourself with the online function of your eID card or with other methods SCHUFA offers. This is quick if your ID card has the online function activated. It is useful for a fast check, but it is not a document for landlords.

Common mistakes and tips

• Do not send the full free copy to a landlord. It has much more personal data than they need. Many landlords and agencies expect the paid BonitätsAuskunft. Some private landlords accept the free copy, but then black out everything that is not about your credit.
• Watch out for look-alike sites. Some websites sell the "SCHUFA-Auskunft" and hide the free option. The free copy is only on SCHUFA's own site.
• New in Germany? An empty or very short file is normal at the start. It does not mean something is wrong.
• Found a wrong entry? You have the right to ask for a correction or deletion. Write to SCHUFA and to the company that reported it, and keep copies of your proof. If SCHUFA does not react, you can complain for free to a data protection authority.
• When I first came to Germany, I thought SCHUFA was something you must buy. It is not. Checking the free copy once a year is a good habit.

Checked in October 2026. Prices and rules change, so please check the official SCHUFA page before you apply.

Sources

• meineSCHUFA: Datenkopie nach Art. 15 DSGVO (German)
• SCHUFA: New SCHUFA score, free of charge in the account (English)
• All About Berlin: How to get a free Schufa
• GIGA: SCHUFA-Auskunft beantragen, Dauer, Ablauf und Vermieter (German)
• Amts Deutschland: SCHUFA Datenkopie (German)