Request insolvency information
Service description
Do you need information on whether insolvency proceedings have been opened against a company or a person, or would you like to find out about the status of ongoing proceedings? The courts publish notices of insolvency proceedings on the nationwide Internet portal www.insolvenzbekanntmachungen.de.
The notifications are accessible to anyone there for a limited period of time.
If you need more detailed information, the insolvency court can provide you with information upon request about
- Insolvency proceedings opened and already cancelled
- Insolvency proceedings whose commencement was rejected for lack of assets
- Insolvency applications filed by debtors
However, the right to information is limited. For example, the court may only inform you of a creditor's insolvency petition if this is of particular interest to legal transactions (for example, due to the ordering of provisional protective measures).
File inspection
If you yourself are involved in insolvency proceedings as a creditor or debtor, the competent insolvency court will allow you to inspect the files upon request.
Process flow
Insolvency publications
Generally accessible information on insolvency proceedings can be obtained from the nationwide Internet portal www.insolvenzbekanntmachungen.de. The federal and state justice portal(www.justiz.de) also contains a nationwide directory of courts with local jurisdiction.
Request for further information
You can request more detailed information on individual insolvency proceedings informally in writing or by fax from the relevant insolvency court; in addition to your request, state your legal interest in obtaining the information in the letter.
Information from the debtors' register
Debtors are entered in a central debtors' register,
- who have not fulfilled their obligation to submit a list of assets,
- where, according to the contents of the list of assets, full satisfaction of the creditor is not to be expected,
- who fail to prove to the bailiff that the creditor has been fully satisfied within one month of the submission of the list of assets, or
- for which an application to open insolvency proceedings was rejected for lack of assets.
The central debtors' register can only be viewed via the Internet.
What documents are needed?
For individual insolvency information: informal application.
What are the fees?
The information is free of charge for you as a party to the proceedings. If you are a third party not involved in the proceedings, fees of at least €15.00 will be charged, depending on state law. Likewise, these fees are incurred in the event of negative information. (Status: January 2019)
Legal basis