POSTIDENT help area for private customers

POSTIDENT offers various procedures. The identity check is initiated by the contracting party whose service you want to use and for whom you must verify your identity. You may need this service, for example, when opening an account with a bank, using an information service from your health insurance provider or activating a prepaid SIM card. The number of different procedures offered by the contracting party is up to them.

POSTIDENT offers the following procedures

• Locally in a post office: during the day, you can verify your identity in person at a post office near you during its normal opening hours. After your visit to the post office, your contracting party usually receives your identification data the same day.
  For more information and to search for a post office near you, visit the FAQs about identification in the post office.
• POSTIDENT in by video chat: enables you to verify your identity quickly and easily by talking to a call center agent via your PC or app. Usually every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  For more information, visit the FAQs about Postident via video chat.
• POSTIDENT by eID function: here you identify yourself via the eID function of the German ID card, electronic residence permit or eID card for citizens of the EU and EEA.
  The eID function must be enabled and activated. You also need your personal PIN.
  For more information, visit the FAQs about Postident via eID function.
• POSTIDENT by AutoID: your identification takes place via the app by independently taking pictures of the ID document and a video sequence of both your ID document and your person according to the step-by-step specifications in the app. Validation is automated using machine learning methods. Fast and around the clock.
  For more information, visit the FAQs about Postident via AutoID.
• POSTIDENT E-Signing: Sign contracts completely online in a legally compliant manner (QeS – qualified electronic signature).
  For more information, visit the FAQs about Postident E-Signing.
• POSTIDENT delivery: this is used to process identity check before delivery of a mailing at the front door or at the post office.
  For more information, visit the FAQs about Postident delivery.

No, this is not possible.

• In the post office: after your visit to the post office, your contracting party usually receives your identification data within one day
• Via video chat: usually 5-6 minutes
• With the eID function: Optimally, you need less than 2 minutes
• With AutoID: usually in a few minutes (if no subsequent quality check is carried out by service agents)
• E-Signing for online contracts: you can digitally sign the contract right away

Your identity check with POSTIDENT is initiated by the contracting party for whom you need your identify verified, for example in order to open a bank account or activate a prepaid SIM card.

Your contracting party will either forward you directly to the POSTIDENT portal online, send you a link by e-mail or provide you with a coupon for identification in the post office.

If you have any general questions about the status of your order or booking process, or the opening of your account, please contact the relevant contracting party (such as an online retailer or a bank) directly.

No. You can safely ignore the SMS. It appears that a private customer mistyped their own mobile phone number. No identity data of yours has been recorded.

Our identity check service with POSTIDENT by post office is free of charge.

No, this is not possible.

You cannot have your identity verified by means of POSTIDENT by post office without a coupon. You have the following options:

• Contact the contracting party for whom you want your identity confirmed – a bank or an online retailer, for example – and have them send you a new coupon.
  
• Select a different POSTIDENT procedure that is accepted by your contracting party.
  
  

The Postfinder provides an overview of post offices offering the "Postident" service.

No, the POSTIDENT coupon does not necessarily have to be printed out. You can use the POSTIDENT app (available for iOS and Android) to show your coupon in the post office.
To do this, you need to launch the POSTIDENT app and enter your "case ID" – provided it is available on your coupon – in the app.

The following documents are accepted

• Valid German ID cards (including provisional cards)
• Valid German passports (including provisional ones)
• Official foreign identity cards and passports equivalent to German ID cards and passports. The documents must contain a photo and a machine-readable zone (MRZ).

Your data is transmitted to the contracting party on whose behalf we are verifying your identity for the purpose of confirming it. We will therefore save your data only until it has been successfully transmitted to our contracting party.

Registration and verification for ALDI TALK is available at https://www.alditalk.de/registrieren.
ALDI TALK provides you with various options, including POSTIDENT by post office.

Your identity check with POSTIDENT is initiated by the contracting party for whom you need your identify verified, for example in order to open a bank account or activate a prepaid SIM card.

Your contracting party will either forward you directly to the POSTIDENT portal online, send you a link by e-mail or provide you with a coupon for identification in the post office.

If you have any general questions about the status of your order or booking process, or the opening of your account, please contact the relevant contracting party (such as an online retailer or a bank) directly.

Simply open the link for identification (including the case ID) on a different device or use the POSTIDENT app.

No, this is not possible.

Requirements:

• Valid ID document
  
• Front and back camera
  
• POSTIDENT app for iOS or Android
  
• Case ID or QR code
  
• Fast and stable Internet connection (3G, LTE or Wi-Fi)
  
• Bright and uniform light conditions
  

Launch the POSTIDENT app and enter your case ID or scan the QR code. The app will then guide you through the identity check process.

Authorized ID documents are valid German ID cards, official foreign identity cards that are equivalent to a German identity card, and passports, provided that the documents contain visual (holographic) security features and a photograph and are accepted by Deutsche Post as identification. Please note that not all available ID documents can be accepted due to the required security features for documents. Electronic residence titles with the note “PASS(ERSATZ)” are also not supported. If your ID document is not accepted by POSTIDENT via video chat, you can also use our POSTIDENT via post office procedure (if available) or contact your contracting party to discuss other options.

An authorized ID document must contain the information required for identification and be legible (i.e. at minimum be written in Latin characters and Arabic numerals) and decipherable for the service employees.

The Deutsche Post brand has always been synonymous with security and trust when it comes to exchanging information. Secrecy of correspondence and data protection are deeply rooted in our company’s DNA. Deutsche Post offers maximum security. All data is processed and stored exclusively on servers in Germany. The data that is exchanged between you and the call center agent during your video chat is also encrypted.

For the purpose of confirming your identity, your data is transmitted to the contracting party (such as a bank or mobile network provider) on whose behalf we are performing the identity check. We will therefore save your data only until it has been successfully transmitted to your contracting party. For more information, please refer to our data privacy information.

You can terminate the video chat at any time. In this case, all of the data that you entered up to that point will be deleted. You also have the option of selecting a different identification process.

Your identity check with POSTIDENT is initiated by the contracting party for whom you need your identify verified, for example in order to open a bank account or activate a prepaid SIM card.

Your contracting party will either forward you directly to the POSTIDENT portal online, send you a link by e-mail or provide you with a coupon for identification in the post office.

If you have any general questions about the status of your order or booking process, or the opening of your account, please contact the relevant contracting party (such as an online retailer or a bank) directly.

German ID card, electronic residence permit or eID card for citizens of the EU and EEA in credit card format with the eID function activated.

No, this is not possible.

The following requirements must be met:

• German ID card, electronic residence permit or eID card for citizens of the EU and EEA with activated online ID function
• A 6-digit PIN of your own choosing (or the 5-digit transport PIN from your official PIN letter)
• A smartphone (with the NFC function activated) or an approved card reader for use on the desktop
• POSTIDENT app or the AusweisApp software (Windows/Mac)

When you apply for a new ID card, electronic residence permit or eID card for citizens of the EU and EEA, the eID function is activated automatically. You will then receive a letter with your five-digit transport PIN. The first time you use the eID function, you will change this to a six-digit PIN of your own choosing.

For more information about activating the eID function, see the Personalausweisportal (ID card portal) or contact your citizens’ or residents’ registration office.

By applying for your ID card, electronic residence permit or eID card for citizens of the EU and EEA, you were sent a PIN letter by mail enabling you to activate the online ID function.

The PIN is a 5 or 6-digit sequence of numbers. When you identify yourself online with your ID card with eID function or residence permit, you will be asked to specify your PIN for security reasons.

A 5-digit PIN functions as a "Transport PIN" or activation PIN. This PIN must be changed to a 6-digit PIN of your choice before you can use the online ID function for the first time. This can be done via the POSTIDENT app.

If your PIN has 6 digits, your identification document is ready for online use and you can start the identity check right away.

Here you will find a list of all compatible devices https://www.ausweisapp.bund.de/en/mobile-devices
If your device is incompatible with the online identification function (eID), you can choose another identification method (e.g. POSTIDENT through video chat).

Step 1: Instead of entering your chosen PIN, select the option “Your PIN is 5 digits?”.
 
Step 2: Hold your ID card against the back of your smartphone to start the process.
 
Step 3: Enter the 5-digit transport PIN from the PIN letter.
 
Step 4: Choose a 6-digit PIN that you would like to use for future identification with the online ID function and confirm it.
 
Step 5: Hold your ID card against the back of your smartphone to confirm your entries and change the transport PIN to your chosen PIN.
 
Step 6: Start the identification with your chosen PIN.

Please contact the responsible authority for a new PIN for the online ID function. Usually at the Citizens' Office for the German identity card and eID card for EU/EEA citizens and at the responsible foreign authority for the electronic residence permit (eAT).
Please inform yourself in advance about any fees that may apply.
 
If you still have the letter from the Citizens' Office after applying for your ID card, it will also contain a 10-digit “PUK” (unblocking number). In this case, please use the AusweisApp,  to use the PUK to unlock or reactivate the online ID function of your ID card.

The Deutsche Post brand has always been synonymous with security and trust when it comes to exchanging information. Secrecy of correspondence and data protection are deeply rooted in our company’s DNA. Deutsche Post offers maximum security. All data is processed and stored exclusively on servers in Germany. The data that is exchanged between you and the call center agent during your video chat is also encrypted.

For the purpose of confirming your identity, your data is transmitted to the contracting party (such as a bank or mobile network provider) on whose behalf we are performing the identity check. We will therefore save your data only until it has been successfully transmitted to your contracting party. For more information, please refer to our data privacy information.

Your identity check with POSTIDENT is initiated by the contracting party for whom you need your identify verified, for example in order to open a bank account or activate a prepaid SIM card.

Your contracting party will either forward you directly to the POSTIDENT portal online, send you a link by e-mail or provide you with a coupon for identification in the post office.

If you have any general questions about the status of your order or booking process, or the opening of your account, please contact the relevant contracting party (such as an online retailer or a bank) directly.

The information required for the purpose of identification must be present and legible on an acceptable identification document.

In the AutoID method valid identification documents from the following countries can be used:

• ID cards: Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czechia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, USA

• Residence permits: Canada, Germany

• Travel documents: Germany

• Passports: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Kosovo, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Marocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay,  Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, USA, Vatican

Requirement is, that these documents contain a photograph and are accepted by Deutsche Post for the identification.

Please understand that due to the requirements for security features of the documents, not all available ID documents can be supported.

If your ID document is not accepted by POSTIDENT by AutoID, you are welcome to use an alternative procedure offered by your contractual partner, such as POSTIDENT by post office, or contact your contractual partner for further options.

• Please pay close attention to the instructions in the app on how to proceed and on which is the correct ID card / passport page for each identification step.
• Make sure that all information is legible. In the case of poor-quality recordings (e.g., blurred photo), please repeat the process.
• Ensure there is sufficient lighting so that all information can be seen.
• Avoid backlight and reflections (e.g., from windows in the background).
• Fill in the image section with the motif (e.g., the document) as best as possible without cutting off areas of the document. Use the mask shown as a guide when positioning the motif.
• Be careful not to cover any information with your fingers.
• To check the security features during the second identification step, please wave your ID card (data page with your photo) clearly in front of the camera. Please keep your smartphone steady.

Identification via PC or Mac is currently not supported. Please use the POSTIDENT app on your smartphone or tablet to identify yourself.

The recordings you provide are usually checked purely by machine. In cases of doubt and for the purpose of regulatory random checks, the recordings are also checked by service employees. The necessary personal data will be handed over to your contractual partner for the purpose of proof of identity verification, on whose behalf we will check your identity. We therefore only store your data until it has been successfully transmitted to our contractual partner. The recordings made will be deleted after identification, unless they have to be stored due to regulatory requirements.

The Deutsche Post brand has always stood for security and trust in the exchange of information. Privacy and data protection are deeply rooted in the DNA of our company. Deutsche Post offers the highest level of security. All data is processed and stored exclusively on servers in Germany. In addition, the data exchange is encrypted.

Further information can be found in our data protection information.

If the procedure does not correctly recognize your ID data even after the recordings have been repeated several times, your identification process will be automatically forwarded to a trained employee for verification after the last recordings have been completed. If the latter is also unable to complete the identification based on the transmitted images, you will receive a corresponding notification by e-mail, e.g., with the information that the document is illegible.

Unfortunately, for security reasons, you cannot carry out the process with this document for documents that are no longer clearly legible due to damage or unclear supplements. In this case, please use another document or contact the competent authority of your main residence for a new issue.

After you have created the required images and video sequences, your identification process is complete. In the app and by e-mail you will be informed of the result of your identification and, if necessary, be given information as to why the identification process must be repeated and what needs to be done differently.

Your identity check with POSTIDENT is initiated by the contracting party for whom you need your identify verified, for example in order to open a bank account or activate a prepaid SIM card.

Your contracting party will either forward you directly to the POSTIDENT portal online, send you a link by e-mail or provide you with a coupon for identification in the post office.

If you have any general questions about the status of your order or booking process, or the opening of your account, please contact the relevant contracting party (such as an online retailer or a bank) directly.

A digital signature is a type of electronic confirmation that a previously identified person has agreed to the exact contents of a document. The signature is attached to the (PDF) documents. Its validity can subsequently be confirmed by means of commonly used PDF programs.

The digital signature by Deutsche Post meets the highest German and European security requirements.

No. The digital signature is legally binding without being a printed or a handwritten signature.

Depending on the purpose, a visible stamp by Deutsche Post may be applied that states the name of the signatory.

The validity of the signature is confirmed by the attached certificate, which is not visible in the document itself, but can be verified by means of commonly used PDF programs.

The validity of the signature can be verified by means of commonly used PDF programs.

If the digitally-signed document is opened with Adobe Reader for example, then once the certificate has been checked, a green check appears at the top of the screen, confirming the validity of the digital signature.

Information about the digital signature in the document and its change history can also displayed in the “Signatures” window. Here you can also find information about the time point when the document was signed as well as details about its trustworthiness and about the signatory.

Following completion of the identity verification process using the online eID function, TANs are sent as a push notification to the smartphone or tablet that you used during the ID check. Look in your message center or under messages on your smartphone or tablet.

In focus mode or “Do not disturb” mode, notifications may not be displayed depending on your settings. In this case, review your settings or deactivate this mode.

If you have uninstalled the POSTIDENT mobile app on your device following identification, you must restart the signature process with your contractual partner.

For E-Signing without prior identification: If you interrupt the signature process, security regulations require you to restart it again with your contractual partner.

For identity verification by POSTIDENT video chat or the online eID function: You received a link via e-mail with which you can continue the process on another device.

POSTIDENT E-Signing, a digital signature, is initiated by the contracting party, who offers you to sign a contract completely online.

If you have general questions about the status, please contact the relevant contractual partner directly.

Please contact the support of the contractual partner who offers you digital contract conclusion online.

• German identity card or passport (also temporarily issued)
• Residence title / card / permit
• Travel document
• International ID card/identity card or international passport

If you are not at home, your mailing will be forwarded to one of our post offices and kept there for 7 working days for pick up.

Please note that pick up by other persons with a power of attorney is not possible. A POSTIDENT delivery mailing can only be picked up by the consignee personally. For identification you need a valid ID document at the post office.

Please contact the sender's support.