Authority for Schools, Family and Vocational Training

Loss of certificate

Have you lost a final or leaving certificate? You can obtain a replacement certificate from the school that issued the original certificate.

Detailed description

If you have lost your school leaving certificate or diploma, you can contact your school up to 55 years after the certificate was issued to request a replacement certificate.



Please contact the school you attended at the time directly.



If a school location has been closed, there is a so-called archive school that continues to store the certificates. In many cases, the School Information Center (SIZ) can help you find the archive school.



In this case, please write an email with the name of the former school to the School Information Center.



If the certificate was obtained through an external examination or a qualification was recognized by the SIZ (e.g. certificate of university of applied sciences entrance qualification), the application for a duplicate copy is submitted to the School Information Center (SIZ).

 

Information

Prerequisites

The school was attended and this can be proven.

Documents required

Identification documents and other evidence that the school was attended.

Please note

There are no clues or special features

Deadlines

No

Procedure

To apply for a replacement certificate, contact the relevant school and make an appointment at the school office.



You present yourself personally at the school during the appointment and request a replacement certificate.


If the certificate is still at school, the school will issue you a replacement certificate.

Processing time

Up to two weeks

Fees

For the issuance of duplicate copies, administrative fees ranging from €6.80 to €60, depending on the administrative effort, are charged in accordance with the fee schedule for the school system and for areas of vocational training and general further education of 7 December 1993.

Legal basis

Fee schedule for the school system

Links on hamburg.de

Links on the Internet

Address and contact information

Authority for Schools, Family and Vocational Training

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Keywords: School leaving certificates school transcript Leaving certificate Diploma Replacement certificate New exhibition Original certificate

Last updated: 15.02.2026