Certificate of leaving the church
If you have already left the church and have to prove this to an authority, you will need a certificate of your departure from the church.
Description
If you have already left the church, you will receive a certificate of withdrawal on request. If you do not (or no longer) have this certificate, you can apply for a new one.
In Munich, declarations of withdrawal from the church are kept for 30 years at the registry office and then handed over to the city archives. If you left the church longer ago, please contact the Munich City Archives.
Your enquiry to the registry office will be forwarded to the city archives if necessary.
In connection with leaving the church, a certificate of withdrawal will be issued on request. If you do not (or no longer) have this certificate, you can apply for a new one.
Prerequisites
The certificate can only be issued by the registry office where you declared your withdrawal from the church.
Required documents
Please enter your first name and surname, date and place of birth and your current address.
The registry office also needs your surname and address at the time you left the church. You should be able to state the date you left the church as accurately as possible, at least the year.
Please use our online form.
Questions & Answers
No. When the relevant registry office receives your withdrawal from the church, it will inform the registration office, the tax office and the church administration. You do not have to take care of these official matters yourself. Your employer will be informed that you are no longer liable for church tax by checking your ELStAM data.
The certificate is a document for your own records so that you will still know years later when and where you left the church. If you want to transfer to another church, you will need the certificate as proof that you have left your previous religious community. If there is any doubt as to whether you belong to the church or not, you can present the certificate of withdrawal as proof that you have left the church.
This is often because the person concerned has stated to the authorities that they belong to the church, for example when registering at a new place of residence. If you have left the church, please always state "without religion" when asked about your religious affiliation! If your religious affiliation is entered somewhere by mistake, please make a complaint immediately.
Legal basis
Art. 3 para. 4 KirchStG