The Postident-Coupon Procedure

The Postident-Coupon procedure is essentially an identity check offered by the German post office, the Deutsche Post AG, to applicants for banks with which the post office is affiliated. The applicant will be sent a Postident-Coupon, essentially an identity declaration form, by their prospective bank. The applicant then has to visit a post office in person for the identity check to be completed. At the post office, the applicant must produce both their Postident-Coupon and a valid ID card or a valid passport. The postal employee is permitted to verify the applicant's identity.

The postal employee records details of the applicant's proof of identity on the Postident-Coupon. The applicant then confirms these details with a signature, and the postal worker also signs the document, before stamping the coupon with an official post office stamp. The identity check is now complete, and the postal employee will send the Postident-Coupon to the bank in question. This identity check is not available at all branches of the post office: only at those with an electronic post office counter, or EPOS.