What is Schufa?

Schufa Holding AG is a private credit bureau based in Hessen, Germany. The company is supported by creditors, and is recognised as Germany's leading information and service partner to industry and consumers. At present, Schufa has around 479 million records on approximately 66.2 million people – around three quarters of the population in Germany.

Where have you heard about Schufa?

If you are a German citizen, or operate or are involved with a business in Germany, there’s a strong possibility that you’ve come across Schufa. The company has been in operation since 1927, and is commonly used by corporations and private customers alike.

What you need to know about Schufa.

Among Schufa’s main purposes is the objective to protect its clients – whether personal or corporate – form credit risks. Corporations use Schufa to better understand and assess the risks and opportunities that are linked to business transactions with their customers. Schufa also promotes efficient conclusion of contracts and offer protection from insolvency to borrowers.

Personal clients can use Schufa to access credit reports and receive insights. Schufa processes around 102.9 million credit checks each year, with 1.5 million of those being self-credit checks carried out by personal clients. The company takes a strict approach towards data protection and data quality.