Postident
Questions and answers

Postident

What services does Postident provide?

POSTIDENT provides secure, personal identification of natural persons, carried out by employees of Deutsche Post AG. We strictly comply with the provisions of the German Money Laundering Act and the German Signature Act. Customers can choose among various POSTIDENT products, depending on their needs and the legal requirements. Deutsche Post AG has been certified by TÜV IT for Signature Act-compliant identification which is applicable above all for trust centers. This is a reflection of the high quality and security of POSTIDENT.

What services are provided by the various Postident products?

POSTIDENT BASIC covers the identification of natural persons in Deutsche Post retail outlets in compliance with the provisions of the Money Laundering Act.

POSTIDENT COMFORT covers the identification, carried out by Deutsche Post deliverers, of natural persons in accordance with the regulations of the Geldwäschegesetz (German money laundering law) and at the same time, if requested, a customer letter up to Maxi format can be handed over.

POSTIDENT SPECIAL covers the identification, carried out by Deutsche Post deliverers, of natural persons including the collection of a signature on a form.

POSTIDENT for trust centers covers identification using a certified process in compliance with the specifications contained in the Signature Act. It combines the procedures of POSTIDENT BASIC and SPECIAL .

What has Postident to offer apart from identification?

With POSTIDENT BASIC, your customer not only gets identification but can also have documents sent to you as the customer. POSTIDENT BASIC can also be incorporated in a website.

With POSTIDENT COMFORT and SPECIAL, customers’ letters may also be enclosed in sizes up to Maxi format.

A signature is collected from your customer for a purpose which you define (for example, agreement to a direct debit procedure or the knowledge of general terms and conditions sent previously).

Where can I find additional information on Postident?

You can obtain more information in the brochure 'Mehr Sicherheit mit Postident' (more security with Postident), which is available for downloading. The business customer service also gives information on +49 (0)180 5555 (EUR 0.14 per minute, or any part thereof, from German landlines; a maximum of EUR 0.42 per minute, or part thereof, from German mobile networks), fax +49 (0)180 25555 (EUR 0.06 per call from the German fixed networks; a maximum of EUR 0.42 per minute, or part thereof, from German mobile networks).

Are there size and weight specifications or limitations for Postident?

Deutsche Post provides special envelopes free of charge for POSTIDENT COMFORT and POSTIDENT SPECIAL orders. Customers may include a letter of Maxi size or smaller. The General Terms and Conditions of Deutsche Post AG for the Domestic Letter Mail Service apply.

How and where can Postident be commissioned?

With POSTIDENT BASIC your customer is sent a coupon containing the request to identify themselves in an (own, outsourced or Postbank) retail outlet of Deutsche Post. Only if your customer accepts this offer will your identification be invoiced to the customer. However, your customer does not have to redeem the coupon immediately upon receipt. It is therefore normally the case that the number of coupons sent out in a particular period does not correspond to the invoiced identifications in that same period.

In the special envelopes designed for POSTIDENT COMFORT + SPECIAL, you as the customer send the customer letter and the POSTIDENT form to a delivery office of Deutsche Post. You deliver the POSTIDENT envelopes along with a posting list to the Deutsche Post retail outlet or the mail centre. Deutsche Post provides the envelope and the form free of charge.

Where can I get the forms and envelopes I need for Postident Comfort and Special?

Please send orders by post or electronic mail to the POSTIDENT backoffice.

DP AG
Backoffice Kundenservice Süd-West
Postident
70463 Stuttgart
postident@deutschepost.de

Can Postident be used to identify persons overseas, or by foreign companies in Germany?

Up to now, POSTIDENT has only been offered in Germany. Foreign companies and institutions may use POSTIDENT identification services in the German marketplace. However, identification using POSTIDENT is not possible in foreign countries.

Who is responsible for concluding contracts?

If you are interested in concluding a contract, please contact your customer adviser.

How long does identification by Postident take?

With POSTIDENT BASIC, the person to be identified is sent a coupon containing the request to identify themselves in an (own, outsourced or Postbank) retail outlet of Deutsche Post. If the person accepts this offer immediately, the form is sent to you as the customer on the same day. However, coupons not redeemed immediately can also be redeemed much later by the person to be identified. This is something neither you nor Deutsche Post can influence. For POSTIDENT COMFORT and POSTIDENT SPECIAL, the conveyance time for delivery of the letter is E + 1. The entire course of the process from posting to returning the identification lasts three to four days on average.

What happens in case of an identification error?

The erroneous form is sent free of charge to the POSTIDENT Service Management. Please call attention to the mistake in order to ensure proper post-processing.

What does Postident cost?

POSTIDENT BASIC: sliding scale price, depending on the quantity, maximum EUR 6.61* plus return
* Plus statutory VAT.

POSTIDENT COMFORT: EUR 7.50* plus postage* for the customer item enclosed
* Plus statutory VAT.

POSTIDENT SPECIAL: EUR 6.50* plus postage* for the customer item enclosed.
* Plus statutory VAT.

How are billing and payment for Postident carried out?

POSTIDENT BASIC: quarterly invoice, and final settlement of rebates once a year.

POSTIDENT COMFORT: postage paid by the sender: machine franking, postage stamps or IT franking*

POSTIDENT SPECIAL: postage paid by the sender: machine franking, postage stamps or IT franking*

*Please note that the VAT amount will be invoiced/deducted via direct debit.

What happens if the person to be identified using Postident Comfort or Special cannot be found?

The person receives a written notification and is requested to identify him/herself at a Deutsche Post retail outlet. The POSTIDENT documents are held there for seven working days. If the person does not appear, the documents are returned to the ordering party.

How reliable is Postident?

The high quality of this service has been certified by TÜV.

Are there also additional services with Postident?

Yes. Since 1 July 2012, it has been possible for you to receive not only the basic services but also to conclude a contract for ‘additional Postident services’ with us and thus to have your identification data also provided in electronic form. You can find out more information on this from your customer adviser or in the questions and answers (frequently asked questions) from Postident Zusatzservices (Postident additional services).