ELSTER certificate: how to register and get your certificate file

An ELSTER certificate is the certificate file (.pfx) for your Mein ELSTER login. You get it by registering: enter your details, confirm your e-mail, verify your identity (letter or online), activate access and save the file with your own password. By letter the activation code comes by post, so allow time; online you can create the account the same day. Source: ELSTER help, state of 29 October 2026, checked in 2026.

Last updated: 29 October 2026

In short

Default: ELSTER recommends the ElsterSecure app; you find the certificate file under "Other login options".
Important: Only save the certificate file, do not open or import it, and keep the password safe.
Lost or expired? An access renewal gives you a new login option.

What is an ELSTER certificate?

When you register with ELSTER you create a user account ("Mein ELSTER"). In the last step you set up access for a secure login. With the login option "certificate file" you choose the file name and the password yourself and from then on log in with the password-protected certificate file (ending ".pfx"). The password protects access to the private key inside the file (ELSTER help). ELSTER recommends the ElsterSecure app as the default; you find the certificate file under "Other login options".

The file's security depends on the password: a certificate file could be copied unnoticed, for example through phishing, and then the password is the only protection. It can be 10 to 128 characters long (ELSTER help).

What this means for you: the certificate file is your login for Mein ELSTER, so register once and keep the file safe.

Which account type do I choose as a business owner?

The ELSTER help distinguishes "For a private person" and "For an organisation". For sole traders and solo self-employed people who are not a corporation and have no employees, ELSTER recommends "For a private person". If you employ staff or file for an association or an administration, "For an organisation" is intended. There you enter the federal state, the organisation's tax number and the contact person's details instead of the identification number. More on registering as a business: ELSTER registration for businesses.

What this means for you: as a sole trader or solo self-employed person pick the account type that fits, "For a private person" or "For an organisation".

How to get the certificate: the four steps

Personal details. For "For a private person": identification number, date of birth, e-mail address and user name. For "For an organisation": federal state, the organisation's tax number, contact details and user name.
Verify your e-mail address. You receive an e-mail with a six-digit verification code, which you enter on the Mein ELSTER page and send.
Verify your identity. You can choose between a letter and online identity verification. By letter: the activation ID by e-mail (an 18-digit code) and, separately by post, the activation code, sent to the address held by the registration authority or tax administration. Online: with your ID card via the Nect Wallet app or the online ID function (AusweisApp, an NFC-capable smartphone or a card reader, and your ID PIN). You can create your account on the same day.
Create access and log in for the first time. With identity verification by letter, you activate access with the two activation items through the link in the e-mail. Then you set up the login option. If you choose the certificate file, you set its name and password, download the file and finish by logging in once with it.

What this means for you: follow the four steps in order, starting with your personal details.

Can you register with just an e-mail address?

If you do not yet have a tax number from your tax office, you can also create a user account with an e-mail address only – this is offered with the login option "certificate file". You can then only fill in and send the tax registration questionnaire; other forms or functions are not offered at first. As soon as you know your identification number or your organisation's tax number, you unlock the functions of a full user account in Mein ELSTER under "Mein Benutzerkonto"; for that you receive an e-mail with an activation ID and a letter with an activation code (ELSTER help). How to get a tax number: Applying for a tax number; where to find it: How to find your German tax number.

What this means for you: with only an e-mail address you can send the questionnaire, but tax returns stay locked until you have a tax number.

Certificate lost, password forgotten or expired: what now?

If you can no longer log in – for example because you forgot the password or lost the certificate file – you can renew your access. Your identity is checked (online or by letter) and at the end you receive a new valid login option (ELSTER help). An expired certificate can be renewed in the same way; ELSTER offers the page "Login wieder ermöglichen" for it. During the access renewal you can block your current certificate; a blocked certificate stays blocked. For the renewal steps, see renewing an expired ELSTER certificate.

If you suspect someone has copied the file without permission, change the password after logging in under "Mein Benutzerkonto". A new certificate file is then issued and the old one becomes invalid automatically.

What this means for you: if you lost the file or forgot the password, you can request a new certificate through ELSTER.

Which mistakes come up often?

A wrong or invented e-mail address. Then you will not receive the activation ID and may have to repeat the registration. Check your spam folder too; ELSTER advises adding the sender portal@elster.de to your list of allowed senders.
A wrong date of birth. Then the activation code cannot be generated and sent by letter automatically. The minimum age for Mein ELSTER is 18.
Opening or importing the certificate file. ELSTER says: only save it, do not open or import it on the PC.
Changing the file ending. You may change the path and file name, but you must keep the ending ".pfx".
Mixing up several accesses. If you have several personal accesses, choose the right certificate file when logging in.
Registering again although an account exists. If an account already exists for your identification number, a new registration is not possible – you renew your access instead.

What this means for you: enter your date of birth correctly and save the certificate with your own password.

How VAT GPT helps you with this

Once you have your certificate file, you can check and send your OSS return in VAT GPT Pro: there you select your ELSTER certificate file (.pfx or .p12) and enter the password. According to a note in the app, VAT GPT uses both for that single session only and deletes them straight afterwards. Your advance return and other returns work like this:

Upload files: your Amazon or eBay CSV reports and your invoices. The AI reads amounts, countries and tax rates.
Check the result: VAT GPT breaks down the VAT for Germany and the EU (OSS) and prepares the advance return – monthly or quarterly. You check and confirm.
Send: with VAT GPT Pro via ELSTER directly to the tax office.

On whether to use ELSTER directly or software: ELSTER or software?. There are Free (basic features, free of charge), Go (30 days free with all Pro features) and Pro. Try for Free Now

Frequently asked questions

What is an ELSTER certificate? A password-protected certificate file (.pfx) you use to log in to Mein ELSTER (ELSTER help).

How long does registration take? With online identity verification you can create the account on the same day. With a letter, ELSTER sends the activation code by post; the ELSTER help gives no fixed duration.

Do I have to import the certificate file? No. ELSTER asks you to only save it and not to open or import it on your PC.

What if I lose the file or the password? With an access renewal (identity check online or by letter) you get a new valid login option.

Can I register without a tax number? Yes, with an e-mail address only. You can then at first only send the tax registration questionnaire.

Do I have to choose the certificate file for Mein ELSTER? Not necessarily: ELSTER recommends the ElsterSecure app as the key; the certificate file is one of the other login options. Which login a piece of software requires is stated by that software.