Your ZFU-Zulassung.
Without the paperwork.
The AI assistant for the ZFU-Zulassung under § 12 FernUSG. The approval requirement applies today; a ministerial draft of 27 August 2026 provides that it ends on 1 July 2027. Until then we guide you through the application step by step.
Market situation 2026
As of 20 October 2026: the FernUSG applies and the approval requirement is in force (ZFU, assessment of 7 September 2026). A ministerial draft (Referentenentwurf) of the Federal Ministry of Education, published on 27 August 2026, provides: the approval requirement ends on 1 July 2027. Approvals granted before then remain valid. The law ends on 30 June 2028. None of this has been passed yet.
~5.000
distance-learning courses approved by the ZFU
according to the NKR, Nov 2025
≥100.000
courses estimated to require approval
NKR: estimates run to six or seven digits
2025
BGH: business customers too
ruling of 12 June 2025, III ZR 109/24
~30
posts at the ZFU
for every application in Germany (NKR)
Sources: NKR position paper of 6 November 2025 (approvals, estimate, posts) · BGH, ruling of 12 June 2025, III ZR 109/24
The problem.What ZFU-Zulassung really means.
Not just "fill in a form and send it off" — but real hurdles. Click through:
Application + up to 16 annexes
Annex groups I–VI (ZFU form, as of 01/2024)
Which annexes you need depends on the course. The three-month period only starts once the documents are complete (§ 12a Abs. 2 FernUSG, § 42a Abs. 2 VwVfG).
ZFU in numbers.What applies today.
The approval requirement applies today — under the ministerial draft until 30 June 2027. Anyone who sells a course that needs approval without approval until then concludes void contracts (§ 7 Abs. 1 FernUSG) and risks a fine of up to € 10,000 (§ 21 Abs. 2 FernUSG).
3 Monate
decision deadline
from complete documents; after that approval is deemed granted (§ 12a Abs. 2 FernUSG)
ab 1.050 €
ZFU fee
150 % of the sale price, at least € 1,050 (ZFU, tariff item 13.2.1)
3 Jahre
until the review
the ZFU reviews approved courses every three years (ZFU guidelines, no. 9.1)
The risk without ZFU approval
- Fine of up to € 10,000 for selling without approval (§ 21 Abs. 2 FernUSG)
- Courses for business customers also need approval (BGH, 12 June 2025, III ZR 109/24)
- Contracts without approval are void — participants can reclaim the fees paid (§ 7 Abs. 1 FernUSG)
- Cease-and-desist warning from competitors (injunction)
- Damage to reputation and trust if it becomes known
With ZFU approval
- Sell distance learning with legal certainty — without fear
- State-recognised provider with an official approval number
- Customers trust certified providers more
- Marketing advantage: “ZFU-approved” as a mark of quality
- A requirement for participants to receive Aufstiegs-BAföG for the course (§ 4 AFBG)
BGH ruling Az. III ZR 109/24 (2025): The Bundesgerichtshof has made clear that the FernUSG also applies to B2B courses — contrary to what many providers previously assumed. Anyone who trains corporate clients is equally affected. Check now →
How it works.From the first check to approval.
Three stages — you decide how far you want us to take you.
Check for free
Answer up to 10 questions about your course. Our decision tree, based on § 1 FernUSG, tells you straight away: do you need a ZFU-Zulassung — yes or no?
- Check whether it is paid
- Monitoring of learning success
- Physical separation
- Instant result
Application, step by step
Our AI assistant guides you through the application form and the annexes your course needs (ZFU annex groups I–VI). Every field is explained, with sample wording provided. The completed course plan (Anlage VI) follows the guiding points of Anlage VI-1.
- Course plan as per Anlage VI-1
- FernUSG-compliant contract (§ 3 FernUSG)
- Information on the right of withdrawal + Terms and Conditions
- PDF export of your documents
Submission — in preparation
Full-Service (in preparation): the plan is to have your final documents reviewed and to submit the complete application to the ZFU — all the way to approval. This offering is not available yet.
- Review of your documents (in preparation)
- Submission to the ZFU (in preparation)
- Handling of follow-up requests
- A firm response
Start for free — step by step with the assistant.
Official & free
All ZFU forms at a glance
Zulassungsantrag, Anlagen I–VI, legal bases, Gebührentabelle and contact — direct from ZFU.de
Transparent.Prüfcheck free, pay per application.
Reading and the Prüfcheck are free. You pay per application — no hidden costs.
Find out whether your course needs ZFU approval — in a few minutes, no login.
Start for free- Decision tree with up to 10 questions
- Instant result (yes/no)
- Explanation of the legal basis
A step-by-step guide: your application documents created with AI support, as a ready-to-use PDF package.
Book a call- Guided step-by-step application
- AI-generated course concept
- FernUSG-compliant model contract
- Cancellation policy + T&Cs building blocks
- PDF export of the complete package
For everyone who applies regularly — several applications in one account.
- Manage several applications
- File cabinet for all documents
- Priority support
Planned full support with legal review and submission to the ZFU. In preparation — not available yet.
- Legal review of your documents (in preparation)
- Submission to the ZFU (in preparation)
- Handling of follow-up requests
- Status updates until approval
For chambers, associations and organisations with many applications.
Get in touch- Individual agreement
- Several users / seats
- A personal contact
All prices plus 19% VAT · Payment by card or SEPA via Stripe
Frequently asked questions.
Unverbindliche Orientierung – keine Rechtsberatung. Die Ergebnisse des Zulano-Checks sind eine erste Einschätzung und ersetzen keine individuelle rechtliche oder steuerliche Beratung. Maßgeblich sind die Entscheidungen der zuständigen Stellen.