Schufa explained: Germany's credit score and why your FICO doesn't count

Your spotless US credit doesn't cross the Atlantic. In Germany the file that matters is your Schufa record, and on day one you don't have much of one.

The short version

• Schufa is Germany's biggest private credit bureau. Banks, phone carriers, online shops and landlords check it. Your Equifax, Experian and TransUnion files don't count here.
• The score changed in 2026. Since March 17, 2026, Schufa uses one points-based score up to 999, built from 12 criteria, instead of the old percentage scores [2][3].
• You can see your data for free. Under GDPR Article 15 you can request a free data copy (Datenkopie) once a year, and Schufa's free online account now shows your score and data, updated every quarter [1][3].
• Landlords want proof of no negative entries. The paid BonitätsAuskunft (about EUR 30, about USD 33) is the version made for handing over; many landlords accept other proof too [1].
• You build a record by having ordinary German accounts and paying them on time: a checking account, a cell phone contract, maybe a credit card.

What Schufa is, and what it isn't

Schufa Holding AG is a private company, not a government agency. Think of it as the closest thing Germany has to one of the big three bureaus back home. Banks and businesses report to it, and they query it when you apply for something. Other credit bureaus exist in Germany, but Schufa is the name you'll hear at every apartment viewing.

A few things that will surprise you as an American:

• No credit history is not bad credit. A thin file mostly means fewer data points, not a black mark.
• Your US history doesn't transfer. No German bureau imports your FICO. You can bring your US credit report to a bank meeting, but nobody is obliged to weigh it.
• Credit cards play a smaller role. Many Germans pay with a debit card (Girocard) and never carry a balance. You don't need a credit card to build a decent Schufa record.
• Moving a lot can count against you. How long you've lived at your current address is one of the factors in the new score [2].

The new 2026 score

For years the Schufa score was a black box, shown as a percentage and split into several industry scores. That's over. As of March 17, 2026, Schufa uses one score on a points scale up to 999, built from 12 criteria, and it replaced six industry-specific scores [2][3]. Lenders have until the end of 2028 to switch over, so you may still see old-style numbers in the meantime [3].

Here are the score bands the ADAC lists [2]:

What moves the number, in plain English [2][3]:

• Payment problems weigh the most. An unpaid debt that reached collection means no score is calculated at all until it's settled.
• Age of your oldest bank account and credit card. Older is better, just like back home.
• Time at your current address.
• Recent credit inquiries and new loans. Inquiries within a 28-day window count as one, so rate shopping for a loan won't wreck you [3].

There's some good news on old mistakes too. A first-time payment problem settled within 100 days is now stored for 18 months instead of 36 [2].

Getting your free data copy under GDPR Article 15

Europe's privacy law, the GDPR (in German, DSGVO), gives you the right to see what any company stores about you. Schufa has to send you a free copy of your data once a year, and it has to answer within one month (three in complex cases) [1].

Step by step

1. Go to Schufa's official consumer site and look for "Datenkopie (nach Art. 15 DS-GVO)." Don't click the paid BonitätsAuskunft by mistake; the two names look alike on the page [1][4].
2. Fill in your name, date of birth and current address. List previous German addresses and any former names too, so they can match all your records [1].
3. Upload or send a copy of your passport or ID. You may black out the ID number, the access number and other details they don't need [1].
4. Wait for the letter. The copy comes by mail or digitally [1][4].
5. Check every line. Wrong address, a phone contract you never signed, a debt you paid: write to Schufa and ask for a correction.

You don't need a special form. A short letter that says "Hiermit verlange ich eine Kopie aller zu meiner Person gespeicherten Daten nach Art. 15 Abs. 3 DSGVO" does the job [1].

The free online account

Since the 2026 reform, Schufa also offers a free account on the web and in an iOS and Android app. It shows your score and the stored data, updated at the start of each quarter. You sign up with the online function of a German ID card or residence permit (eID), or with a PIN letter sent by mail [3]. That's on top of your free yearly Article 15 copy.

A heads-up: plenty of websites advertise a "free Schufa report" and then sign you up for a subscription. Use Schufa's own site only [4].

Landlord checks: what Berlin landlords actually ask for

In Berlin's tight rental market, a landlord or property manager will usually ask for a Schufa document along with your application folder. The paid BonitätsAuskunft costs EUR 29.95 (about USD 33) and shows a summary meant to be passed to third parties, not your full data [1]. Some landlords accept the free data copy if it shows no negative entries. Others insist on the paid one. Ask before you pay.

A typical Berlin rental folder (Bewerbungsmappe) looks like this:

If your Schufa file is thin, make the rest of the folder do the heavy lifting. A signed German job contract, a letter from your employer, and proof of savings go a long way. Some newcomers offer a guarantor (Bürgschaft) or a rental deposit guarantee. Never pay money to a "landlord" before you've seen the apartment and signed a lease; that's the classic Berlin scam.

Building a German record from scratch

You can't skip ahead, but you can get the clock running the week you arrive.

1. Do your Anmeldung. Registering your address is the first step for almost everything else, including a bank account and a stable address history.
2. Open a German checking account (Girokonto). Opening an account is typically reported to Schufa, and the age of your oldest bank account is a scoring factor [2].
3. Get a postpaid cell phone contract once a carrier will approve you, and pay by direct debit.
4. Set up direct debits (Lastschrift) for rent, electricity and internet, and keep enough in the account. A bounced debit followed by ignored reminders is how most newcomers end up with a negative entry.
5. Consider a credit card from your main bank after a few months, and pay it in full.
6. Don't apply everywhere at once. Bunching applications into a short window is better than a steady drip [3].
7. Stay put if you can. Time at your address counts [2].
8. Pull your free copy once a year and fix errors fast [1].

Want to know which banks are currently opening accounts for Americans, given the FATCA paperwork? Members of our community group for Americans in Germany compare notes on exactly that.

The US side: two credit files, one tax return

• Keep your US credit alive. Leave at least one US card open with a small recurring charge on autopay. You'll want that score when you visit, move back or buy stateside.
• Your German accounts count for the FBAR. If the combined value of your foreign accounts exceeds USD 10,000 at any point in the year, you file FinCEN Form 114 [5]. A German checking account plus a savings account gets there faster than you'd think.
• Expect FATCA questions from your German bank. Banks will ask for your US taxpayer ID because they report US account holders. That's routine, not a red flag.
• A US expat tax preparer can check your situation if you hold German investments or a joint account with a non-American spouse.

USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1163).

Sources

1. Amts Deutschland: Schufa Datenkopie nach Art. 15 DSGVO
2. ADAC: Schufa-Score 2026, das neue Bewertungssystem
3. PwC Legal: The 2026 Schufa score reforms
4. heise: Schufa-Auskunft kostenlos beantragen
5. FinCEN: Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)

Keep reading

• Renting in Berlin
• Banking in Germany as an American
• Keeping your US credit score alive from abroad
• FBAR: reporting your foreign bank accounts