FAQ: Certificate of incapacity for work

A certificate of incapacity for work (AU) is a medical certificate confirming that you are unable to attend lectures, seminars or examinations due to illness. You can obtain this certificate at a doctor's surgery, for example at your GP surgery, or online.

If you don't have a GP practice, there are various ways to find one. You can use online portals such as Doctolib to book an appointment directly or, if you have statutory health insurance, you can search for practices via the website of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.

There are providers on the Internet who offer medical certificates (AUs). You should make sure that the issuing doctor really exists and is authorized to issue a medical certificate. Unfortunately, there are also fraudulent offers.

You should therefore always check the following points:

• Provider’s details: Check the legal notice or provider's details to see if the provider has an office registered in Germany. This is because doctors from abroad have to provide more information in their medical certificates than is usual in Germany. Check the name of the doctor on the website of the Medical Association.
• Contact with the doctor: In order to get a medical certificate, you must have spoken to a doctor. Filling out a questionnaire is never enough.
• Check the AU: If you have been issued an AU online by a doctor, check whether all the data is correct and whether the doctor really exists. To do this, you can search for the name and address listed on the stamp online.

The safest way is to contact a doctor's practice or your health insurance company directly. They can give you the names of practices that offer video or telephone consultations where a medical certificate can be issued in accordance with the law.

If it turns out that your sick note comes from a non-existent doctor, for example, this is fraud. This can lead to serious consequences, such as

• Criminal charges for fraud.
• Disciplinary measures by the university, up to and including removal from the register of students.

If you suspect that your AU comes from a dubious provider, you should report this to the Examinations Office immediately and, if necessary, submit a new, valid certificate. Reporting this quickly could result in extenuating circumstances.