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IMPORTANT: Select a location.To obtain application forms, location-specific information and contacts, select a town or zip code.

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Your selected location: Spelle

Which place to enter?

The location is used to determine the responsible office for the selected administrative service. In most cases you can enter your place of residence to find the competent authority. However, there are also cases in which a different location must be specified. Here are some examples:

Birth certificateYou want to get married and need a birth certificate. You live in Hanover, but you were born in Celle. You must therefore state your place of birth, i.e. Celle.

Business registrationYou would like to register a business in Braunschweig. Your place of residence is Hanover. You must therefore state the location of your future business, i.e. Braunschweig.

Apply for a building permitYou would like to build a house in Wunstorf and therefore apply for a building permit. Her place of residence is currently Hanover. You must indicate the place where the house is to be built. In this case it is Wunstorf.

consult a Stasi file


Everyone has the right to apply for access to the documents of the State Security Service of the former GDR relating to him or her. The records on missing or deceased persons are exceptionally accessible to relatives under the restrictive conditions of the Stasi Records Act. Records of the State Security Service of the former GDR are indexed and administered by the Stasi Records Authority (BStU).

Who should I contact?

Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the Former German Democratic Republic (BStU)
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 31/33
10178 Berlin, City

Telephone: 030 23 24-70 00 (official)
Fax: 030 23 24-77 99 (official)
E-mail: post@bstu.bund.de (official)

Competent authority

Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the Former German Democratic Republic (BStU)

Requirements

Everyone has the right to apply for access to the documents of the State Security Service of the former GDR relating to his person. The records on missing or deceased persons are exceptionally accessible to relatives under the restrictive conditions of the Stasi Records Act.

Which documents are required?

In order to ensure that no-one requests unauthorised access to any documents relating to you, confirmation of your personal details is required in addition to your signature.

If you submit your application in person, this confirmation of identity will be carried out by employees of the authority. You will need your identity card for this.

If you do not submit your application in person, the confirmation of identity will be issued by your competent registration office upon presentation of a valid identity document and can be made directly on the enclosed application form.

If you submit your application online, you only need a new ID card with the online ID function activated.

What are the fees?

The Ordinance on Costs at the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the Former German Democratic Republic (Stasi-Unterlagen-Kostenordnung-StUKostV) regulates the amount of fees and expenses for individually attributable public services of the BStU.

Written information to persons concerned, to third parties or to close relatives of missing or deceased persons (§§ 13, 15 StUG) and the inspection by persons concerned, by third parties or by close relatives of missing or deceased persons (§§ 13, 15 StUG) are free of charge.

For expenses, such as the issuance of duplicates, costs of EUR 2.56 or more are incurred.

Duplicates of paper documents and filmed files cost a minimum of EUR 0.03 and a maximum of EUR 0.26 per page (DIN A4 or DIN A3).

Processing duration

Within six months, you will receive initial information as to whether records of the State Security Service have been created on you. Due to the large number of applications and the time-consuming preparatory work, there may be a longer waiting period before the documents can be inspected.

Source: Serviceportal Niedersachsen (Portalverbund des Bundes und der Länder)