Duplicates and Reissues of your Final Documents

If you have lost your certificate or transcript or if it has been destroyed, you have the option of requesting a duplicate from your Examination Office for a fee. Your written request must include the following:

• a request for a duplicate including exact details of which document (e.g. certificate or transcript) the duplicate should include,
• a copy of your identity card,
• a declaration that (and for what reason) the documents mentioned are no longer in your possession,
• your current postal address.

Please submit your request either via our contact form or by post. Please note that it can take up to six weeks to issue a duplicate.

How much does a duplicate cost?

Before the duplicate is issued and sent, fees of €20 are due in accordance with the University of Bonn's fee regulations (§ 3 para. 6). You will receive a notification of the fees with a request for payment.

In which cases can duplicates NOT be issued?

• Duplicates cannot be issued for interim certificates (e.g., intermediate diplomas).
• The duplicate replaces a lost or destroyed document. It is not possible to issue more than one duplicate at the same time. Please note that only one valid copy may be in circulation in legal transactions at any time. If you find an original that you thought was lost, please return the duplicate to us.
• If you still have your certificate and need to provide official proof of your degree, e.g., in the course of an application, please endeavor to obtain a certified copy. The Examination Office does not issue certified copies of final documents.

Prerequisites

In the case that a legitimate interest is given, you may request that your official documents be reissued in your new name. This right applies to the following situations:

• Changes to the civil status record in accordance with § 2 of the Gesetz über die Selbstbestimmung in Bezug auf den Geschlechtseintrag (SBGG) (the explicit right to the reissue of your documents is derived from § 10 SBGG para. 2 sentence 1 SBGG)
• Name changes in conjunction with adult adoption (compare the prohibition on disclosure and investigation in accordance with § 1758 BGB)
• Name changes relating to the Gesetz zum zivilrechtlichen Schutz vor Gewalttaten und Nachstellungen (Gewaltschutzgesetz - GewSchG), for example in cases of stalking or violence
• Name changes within the framework of witness protection programs.

As a general rule, there is no legitimate interest given when the name change is a result of, for example, marriage, divorce, or the change of family name by adults in accordance with § 1617i BGB. In these cases, your final documents can only be issued as duplicates in the name that you held at the time of graduation, provided that you lost your original documents.

How to request a reissue and required documents

If you would like to request a reissue of your final documents, please submit an informal request to the Examination Office via the contact form. Your request must include the following:

• a request for a reissue of your final documents including exact details of which documents (e.g. certificate or transcript) the reissue should include,
• a copy of your identity card,
• the original final documents or, in case you are unable to provide the original documents, a sworn declaration that you are neither in their possession nor aware of their whereabouts,
• proof of a legitimate interest, and
• your current postal address.

Once the Examination Office has received all required documents, it will either confiscate your final documents or declare them invalid (unless you have shown credibly that you no longer possess them) and reissue the requested documents in your new name.

Proving a legitimate interest

Your final documents can only be reissued if you have proven a legitimate interest to the Examination Office within the scope of your request for a reissue. In the case of a name or gender change in accordance with § 2 SBGG, such proof is typically a certified copy of the birth register. This document, which is always issued by the registry office of the place of birth, shows both the previous and current entries of civil status data, as well as the date of the change. In the case of adult adoption, the legitimate interest can be proven by submitting the adoption certificate.

Fees

As with duplicates, you are required to pay for the reissue yourself. Before your final documents are reissued and sent, fees of €20 are due in accordance with the University of Bonn's fee regulations (§ 3 para. 6). You will receive a notification of the fees with a request for payment.