Schufa Holding AG is Germany's main credit bureau. Landlords, banks, and phone companies check your Schufa score before agreeing to any contract. A low score or a negative entry blocks you from renting an apartment, opening a bank account, or signing a phone plan. For new arrivals, the score is simply blank — which is different from bad but still causes friction.
How Schufa Collects Data
Schufa gets information from banks, mobile carriers, utility companies, and courts. Every time you open a bank account, take a loan, sign a phone contract, or have a debt collection case, Schufa records it. They assign a score between 0 and 100. A score above 95 is considered very good. Below 90 starts causing problems.
What Hurts Your Score
- Missed payment sent to a collection agency (Inkasso)
- Court judgments for unpaid debts
- Filing for personal insolvency
- Multiple credit applications in a short period (banks report hard inquiries)
- Canceled credit cards or accounts closed due to non-payment
What Helps Your Score
- Opening a German bank account — even just a free account at DKB or ING — creates a positive entry
- Paying phone and electricity bills on time (carriers report to Schufa)
- Having long-standing accounts with no negative history
- Closing old accounts you no longer use (reduces complexity)
Get Your Free Annual Report
Under German law, every person is entitled to one free Datenkopie (data copy) per year from Schufa. Request it at meineschufa.de, then "Datenkopie (nach Art. 15 DSGVO)." It arrives by post within two to three weeks. This is enough to check for errors.
The paid BonitätsAuskunft (€29.95 at schufa.de/bonitaetsauskunft) arrives the same day and is formatted for showing to landlords.
Disputing Errors
Schufa entries stay for three years after the debt is fully paid. If an entry is wrong (wrong amount, wrong person, already paid but not marked), write to Schufa by registered mail (Einschreiben) with your evidence. They must respond within 30 days. The Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice center, verbraucherzentrale.de) in your city offers free consultations and will help you draft dispute letters.
For New Arrivals With No Schufa History
Open a German bank account on day one — DKB, ING, N26, or Commerzbank all accept non-EU nationals with a passport and Anmeldung. Use the account regularly. Sign up for a prepaid SIM or a phone contract; both generate positive entries after a few on-time payments. After six months, landlords asking for Schufa will find a short but clean record instead of nothing.
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