You can apply in writing for simple information about a person's surname, first name, doctorate or address. The application can also be submitted to the Olsberg Citizens' Service Centre:

• You must authenticate yourself to the registration office. Please let us know who you are (name, address, company, office, etc.).
• Please state whether you require the information for private or commercial purposes. The Federal Registration Act also categorises queries from freelancers, lawyers or debt collection agencies as a commercial purpose.
• You must also declare whether or not you wish to receive the information for the purpose of address trading or advertising. Please note that the data subject must have consented to the information for these purposes.

If you require the information for a commercial purpose:

• The purpose must be specifically named.
• The request must contain your business reference
• You may only pass on the personal data obtained through the information from the population register to third parties if the recipient has been specified in advance in your request.

Is there a commercial purpose within the meaning of the Federal Registration Act?

This is the case if the information is to be obtained for address matching, address determination and forwarding to specific persons or bodies, storage and use for address matching for third parties, updating own inventory data, storage and use for address historisation, receivables management, credit risk checks, advertising, address trading, market, opinion or social research.

It is irrelevant whether you are, for example, a trader, freelancer or private individual.

A commercial activity is any ongoing activity that is carried out independently and is systematically and permanently aimed at generating a profit that is not merely temporary. In exceptional cases, an individual act can also justify the assumption of a trade if it is recognisable from it that it is intended to be carried out several times or if a considerable profit motive is already evident from the individual act. Exceptions to the definition of a trade in other areas of law are not appropriate because the purpose of the regulation is to protect the right to informational self-determination of the person concerned, which must be given priority over any request for information from the population register that is aimed at making a profit.

Costs

Simple information from the population register (surname, first name, address)
11.00 euros