Legal review
Land register extract in Germany: how to apply
Who can get a land register extract, where to apply, what it costs and what the application looks like.
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You get a Grundbuch extract from the land registry at the local court (Amtsgericht) for the district where the plot lies, provided you show a legitimate interest. A plain printout costs €10, a certified printout €20. As a prospective buyer you will usually not get one without the owner's authorisation, so the simpler route is to ask the seller for a current extract.
Who has a legitimate interest under § 12 GBO
The land register is public but not open to everyone. § 12(1) GBO allows inspection only where a legitimate interest is shown. The same applies to deeds an entry refers to and to applications not yet processed. Where inspection is allowed, § 12(2) GBO lets you ask for a copy, certified if you wish. The registry clerk decides on the application (§ 12c(1) no. 1 GBO).
According to the guidance sheet of the Mannheim local court, owners and holders of registered rights are always entitled. Everyone else has to prove an interest. The Hamburg service portal lists examples such as a written authorisation from the owner, a lease or an enforceable court order, and says plainly that curiosity or a mere wish to buy is not enough.
Buyers are not shut out completely. The Munich Higher Regional Court (order of 18 February 2026, 34 Wx 36/26 e) accepts a buyer's interest at most once the buyer is already negotiating the purchase with the owner. Using the register to find out who the owner is does not qualify. In practice: get the seller to sign an authorisation, or ask the seller to order the extract.
Every inspection and copy is logged, and under § 12(4) GBO the owner can find out who looked at the folio. The same threshold applies to the land register files, the deeds behind the entries (§ 46(1) GBV).
- Owner or holder of a registered rightApply to the land registry; always entitled
- Buyer with the owner's authorisationApply with the authorisation and a copy of your ID
- Buyer without authorisationAsk the seller for a current extract; once instructed, the notary obtains it
Source: § 12 GBO; Hamburg service portal; Munich Higher Regional Court 34 Wx 36/26 e
Which land registry is responsible
Land registers are kept by the local courts acting as land registries (§ 1(1) GBO). The responsible court is the one for the district where the plot lies, not where you live. The states may concentrate registry work for several districts at one court (§ 1(3) GBO), so the nearest local court is not always the right one. The justice system's directory of places and courts shows which court covers a given town.
Baden-Württemberg works differently. Since the land registry reform, 13 local courts keep every land register in the state: Achern, Böblingen, Emmendingen, Heilbronn, Mannheim, Maulbronn, Ravensburg, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Sigmaringen, Tauberbischofsheim, Ulm, Villingen-Schwenningen and Waiblingen. More than 800 towns and municipalities also run land register inspection points where you can inspect and obtain printouts if you have a legitimate interest. You can order a printout through the Baden-Württemberg justice online application as well; it arrives by post. Entries are still made by the court. Other rules for buying in the state are in Buying land in Baden-Württemberg.
Fees: €10 or €20
The fees are set in the GNotKG schedule of costs and are the same in every state.
| Service | Fee | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection at the land registry | none | no fee in the schedule |
| Printout or uncertified copy | €10.00 | KV 17000 GNotKG |
| Certified printout or certified copy | €20.00 | KV 17001 GNotKG |
| Uncertified file instead of a printout | €5.00 | KV 17002 GNotKG |
| Certified file instead of a printout | €10.00 | KV 17003 GNotKG |
No copying charge is added to KV 17000 or 17001. The Baden-Württemberg service portal gives the same amounts. A plain printout is enough for your own checks, and according to service-bw it usually serves for banking as well. Order the certified version only when an office asks for it, and check with them before paying double.
Do not send money with the application. The Mannheim guidance sheet explains that the fee is invoiced after dispatch.
Source: KV 17000, 17001, 25209 GNotKG; KV 1151 JVKostG
Making the application
There is no compulsory national form. The registry needs four things: the plot (ideally the land register district and folio number, otherwise the address or the Gemarkung, Flur and parcel number), the owner if known, your legitimate interest and proof of it. Add a copy of your ID. Each registry sets its own channels. Hamburg wants a written application and normally posts the printout; the Mannheim court accepts post, fax or email. Read the notes of the responsible registry before you send anything. The law sets no processing deadline; the Hamburg portal says it depends on the case.
Template application (in German, as the registry expects it)
An das Amtsgericht [Ort], Grundbuchamt
Betreff: Antrag auf Grundbuchausdruck, Grundbuch von [Bezirk] Blatt [Nummer] bzw. Gemarkung [Name], Flur [Nummer], Flurstück [Nummer]
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,
ich beantrage einen [einfachen / amtlichen] Ausdruck des Grundbuchblatts für das oben bezeichnete Grundstück. Mein berechtigtes Interesse ergibt sich daraus, dass ich [Eigentümer / vom Eigentümer bevollmächtigt / Mieter] bin. Als Nachweis lege ich bei: Kopie meines Personalausweises, [Vollmacht des Eigentümers / Mietvertrag]. Bitte senden Sie den Ausdruck und die Kostenrechnung an meine unten stehende Anschrift.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
[Name, Anschrift, Telefon, E-Mail]
What the extract contains and how to match it with the cadastre is explained in Grundbuch and ALKIS. Where it fits in the run-up to a purchase is shown in the checklist for buying land.
Through a notary, and online
Notaries may disclose the content of the land register when a legitimate interest is shown to them, including as a printout (§ 133a(1) GBO). Once a notary is handling the purchase, they obtain the extract anyway. If you go to a notary only for an inspection, you pay €15 (KV 25209 GNotKG, where the inspection is not tied to another chargeable matter), and €10 for a printout or €15 certified (KV 25210, 25211). Retrieving the folio adds €8 under KV 1151 JVKostG. The Baden-Württemberg service portal quotes the same: €15 plus usually €8 and VAT.
There is no free online access. The automated retrieval procedure under § 133 GBO is reserved for notaries, courts, authorities and other approved users. Private websites offering a "Grundbuch extract online" only file the application with the registry in your name and add their own charge on top of the statutory fee. Hamburg and the Baden-Württemberg justice service both warn about this.
What the extract does not show
The extract shows the register folio on the day it is printed: the owner in section I, burdens and restrictions in section II, mortgages and land charges in section III. It says nothing about Baulasten, planning law, contamination, flooding or utility connections; those sit in other registers and have to be requested there. How to read section II is covered in Easements and rights of way; the path to registration is in Notary process and closing.
A GrundCheck report does not replace the extract. It sets out the parcel, planning status and risk indicators from public sources; ownership and burdens are proved only by the land register, and the presumption and public faith under §§ 891 and 892 BGB attach only to the register.
Make sure the extract is still current at the notary appointment. A folio printed in spring will not show a charge registered last month.