How to leave the church online in Germany

In Germany, you can leave the church through an online procedure. You can take care of leaving the church conveniently online, today.

In this article you will learn:

1. What you have to do if you want to leave the church and why it makes sense to do it online.
2. Which documents you need. You can get these documents here free of charge.
3. How to have your declaration of withdrawal notarised today, in a 100% online procedure.

1. What do you have to do if you want to leave the church?

Anyone in Germany who wants to leave the church can do so at a public authority. Depending on the federal state, you will need to make an appointment at the registry office (Standesamt), the residents’ registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) or the local court (Amtsgericht). However, there is often a waiting period of several months for these appointments, during which you still have to pay church tax. You also have to attend the appointment in person.

Alternatively, you can declare your withdrawal from the church before a notary. If you want to save time and money, you can therefore complete the whole process online, because notaries can also certify signatures online. On notarity, you can have your signature certified online today by one of the partner notaries on the platform.

2. Which documents do you need to leave the church?

To leave the church, your declaration of withdrawal must be certified by a notary. The document must contain the following information:

• First name and surname of the person leaving
• Date and place of birth and address of the person leaving
• The church, religious community or belief community the person is leaving

You do not have to give a reason for leaving.

We provide a free template for leaving the church that you can fill in yourself. You will receive this template by email when you complete the form below.

3. Online certification of your withdrawal

Once you have filled in the template, you can have your declaration certified online by a partner notary.

Online appointments with partner notaries are available on weekdays between 7 am and 9 pm.

Book an appointment

The online certification of your signature takes place in a video call with a partner notary on the notarity platform. Before the appointment, you need to register on the notarity web platform and verify your identity. This takes around 15 minutes. All you need for the entire process is a valid ID card or passport and a smartphone. A qualified electronic signature is issued to you as part of your registration.