German Employee Reference Request Form (Arbeitszeugnis Anfrage)

Streamline Your Arbeitszeugnis Requests with Paperform

If you're managing HR in Germany, you know that issuing an Arbeitszeugnis (employment reference) isn't just a courtesy—it's a legal obligation under German labor law. Every departing employee has the right to request a reference, and getting the details right matters for both compliance and professional reputation.

This German Employee Reference Request Form template helps HR teams, legal departments, and business owners collect everything they need to prepare an accurate, compliant Arbeitszeugnis quickly. Whether your employee needs a simple einfaches Arbeitszeugnis (basic confirmation of employment) or a detailed qualifiziertes Arbeitszeugnis (comprehensive performance review), this form captures the level, format preferences, delivery timeline and any special requests upfront—so nothing gets lost in email threads or post-it notes.

Built for German HR and compliance workflows

This template is designed specifically for businesses operating in Germany that need to handle Arbeitszeugnis requests professionally and efficiently. Use it to:

• Capture employee details and employment dates accurately for reference preparation
• Select qualification level (einfaches or qualifiziertes Arbeitszeugnis) so you prepare the right document
• Set delivery timelines and format preferences (printed, digital, both) to manage expectations
• Collect contact information for reference delivery and follow-up communication
• Add special notes or requirements that need to be considered during drafting

The form routes straight into your HR workflow—whether that's triggering a task in your project management tool, logging into a spreadsheet, or sending an alert to the responsible HR manager via Slack or email.

Connect to your German HR tech stack

Paperform integrates seamlessly with the tools German businesses already use. Push employee reference requests into Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion, or your HR software, trigger approval flows in Stepper (stepper.io), or send notifications via Slack or Microsoft Teams. For law firms and consulting agencies managing multiple clients, you can use Papersign (papersign.com) to attach and collect eSignatures on the completed reference letters, creating a clean audit trail from request to delivery.

Because Paperform is SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliant, you can confidently handle sensitive employee data while meeting European data protection standards. Forms can be embedded on your company intranet, sent as links, or hosted on custom domains for a professional, branded experience.

Fast, flexible and fully customizable

Built on Paperform's doc-style editor, this template is easy to adapt to your business. Add your company logo, adjust the language, include conditional logic for different employee types, or connect it to your existing calendar for reference delivery scheduling. The form works beautifully on desktop and mobile, so employees can submit requests from anywhere.

Whether you're an HR manager at a Mittelstand company, a legal advisor supporting German compliance, or a recruitment agency handling offboarding, this template helps you stay organized, professional and compliant—all without needing a developer or complex software setup.

Get started with this template and turn Arbeitszeugnis requests into a smooth, predictable process that respects both employee rights and your team's time.