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Important information for ELMA users

Due to changes in the security guidelines of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), it will be necessary to change the ELMA5 interface by December 31, 2025.

The associated switch from RSA to ECDSA affects all ELMA users who transmit data via SFTP. For more information on using ECDSA, please refer to the  ELMA communication manual and the BZSt homepage.

We therefore ask all SFTP users to take the following steps as soon as possible:

  • You must independently create a key pair in ECDSA format.
  • Its public key must be submitted in the form "Freischaltung zur Teilnahme am ELMA5-Verfahren".
  • The login to the ELMA5 system is now done with your User ID, preceded by "elster-" (example: "elster-User ID" "elster-1234567890"). The private key is used for this purpose.
  • The signature is also created on the basis of the new key using a new signing algorithm.
  • Separate activation is required for the customer test environment and the production environment.

Further information on this can also be found in the ELMA communication manual under the link above.

Information for ELMA users via SFTP:

The use of SSH keys with the RSA algorithm is still possible for users via SFTP who activated ELMA before July 23, 2024. Parallel operation of RSA/ECDSA keys will also be supported until further notice.

Without conversion, data transmission via the ELMA system will no longer be possible after December 31, 2025!

Information for ELMA users via BOP:

If ELMA transmission takes place exclusively via the BOP, no action is required on your part.

Availability of forms

Until the end of 2014, it was possible to register in Elster by entering your personal tax number. This registration has expired and no longer offers the full range of features for My BOP. This means that the forms may no longer be available. If you wish to continue using all of the portal’s functions, you must (re)register in accordance with the current regulations, e.g. registering using a BZSt number. If you would like to continue using an electronic tax return certificate, you can read about the current registration options at https://www.elster.de/eportal/start.

If you have any further questions, please contact your specialist tax department at the German Federal Central Tax Office at www.bzst.de