BZSt online portal login: certificate, activation code and hotline

Cannot get into the BZSt portal to file your OSS return? The login needs a certificate, and the BZSt names registration with ELSTER as the easiest way to get one. You receive an activation ID by e-mail and an activation code by letter, or you identify yourself online with your ID card and are done the same day. Here is the order of steps and whom to call when it stalls.

Last updated: 27 October 2026

In brief

Access: The BOP requires a certificate; an existing ELSTER or BOP certificate works too.
Activation: An e-mail with the activation ID and a letter with the activation code. With the online identity check there is no letter, and the account is ready the same day.
Help: A hotline covers problems with the BOP, including weekends.

Which portal is the right one?

There are two portals with almost the same name. The older BZStOnline portal (BOP) is at elster.de/bportal, and it holds the form "Steuererklärung für die OSS EU-Regelung" (the OSS return). The new BZSt online.portal at online.portal.bzst.de runs in parallel according to the BZSt, and services move there step by step. You can see which service is already in the new portal in its service overview, even without logging in.

For both, no separate registration with the BZSt is needed. You log in through an identity service, best ELSTER. The BZSt says the new portal is free to use. Whether you file the OSS return through ELSTER or the BZSt portal is covered in OSS return: ELSTER or BZSt portal?.

How do I get in?

The BZSt writes: a certificate is required for the login. Existing certificates for the BZStOnline portal or the ElsterOnline portal can be used. If you have none, you register with ELSTER (details: ELSTER certificate registration and ELSTER registration for business). According to the ELSTER help, it goes like this:

Choose the account type. For sole proprietors without employees ELSTER recommends "Für eine Privatperson" (for a private person).
Enter your details: tax identification number, date of birth, e-mail address, username.
Confirm your e-mail with the six-digit verification code.
Prove your identity: by letter, or online with your ID card (Nect app or AusweisApp). The online route works the same day.
Activate and set a password. You receive a certificate file (ending .pfx) that you use to log in from then on.

In the new portal you can also log in with a Nutzerkonto Bund. For most forms, the BZSt says, a login with only username and password is not enough because a stronger verification is required.

Activation ID and activation code: what if something is missing?

For activation you get two things separately: the 18-character activation ID by e-mail and the activation code by post. The letter goes to the address held by the registration authority (if you registered with your tax identification number) or by the tax office (if you used your tax number), and ELSTER says it can take a few days.

No e-mail: Check your spam folder. ELSTER advises adding portal@elster.de to your list of allowed senders. If the e-mail address was wrong, the activation ID never arrives and you have to repeat the registration.
Neither letter nor e-mail: ELSTER says to repeat the registration.
Error code 080005207: An account already exists for your tax identification number. Then you do not register again but renew your access ("Zugangserneuerung").
Online identity check: If you identified yourself that way, you do not need the letter.

Forgot your password or lost the certificate file?

Then you renew your access through "Zugangserneuerung" in ELSTER. Your identity is checked again, by letter or online with your ID card, and finally you get a new password or certificate. When renewing you can block the old certificate; a blocked certificate cannot be reactivated. The letter takes a few days, the online check works the same day. Still, do not start on the last day before the OSS deadline, see OSS return: deadlines per quarter.

The login fails although everything is right

On 2 October 2026 the BZSt published a notice in the new portal: logins may occasionally be restricted, the login may be temporarily impossible, and you should try again later. The BOP announces maintenance windows on its start page.

The BZSt also warns: fraudsters send e-mails, SMS or letters in the BZSt's name. The BZSt warns against reacting to them and against opening links or attachments in suspicious e-mails. Always open the portal through the address you know.

Whom do I call?

For questions and problems with Mein BOP there is an information service of the tax administrations: phone 0800 52 35 055 (from abroad +49 180 5 23 50 55), Monday to Friday 7:00 to 22:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. It gives no tax advice. There is also a contact form.

The BZSt unit "One-Stop-Shop, EU-Regelung" lists a postal address in Saarlouis, a fax number and a "Nachricht schreiben" form on its page, but no phone number. For the OSS, BZSt communication (reminders, replies) runs through the portal, and the BZSt recommends switching on the notification function there.

How VAT GPT helps

VAT GPT is the tax software for Amazon and eBay sellers in Germany: your OSS return first, then VAT, EÜR, trade tax and income tax, calculated and filed in one place.

You upload your Amazon and eBay reports, and VAT GPT sorts the sales by country.
You review the OSS return.
With VAT GPT Pro you send it to the BZSt: you add your ELSTER certificate file (.pfx or .p12) and password in VAT GPT, and VAT GPT opens the BOP, logs in and enters the data. According to VAT GPT, the certificate and password are used for this one session only and deleted afterwards.

You apply for the certificate yourself at ELSTER, and you register and deregister for the OSS yourself. There is Free, Go (30 days free with all Pro features) and Pro. Try for Free Now

Not tax advice: the content does not replace individual advice.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to register separately with the BZSt? No. According to the BZSt no separate registration is needed; you use an identity service such as ELSTER.

Can I use my ELSTER certificate? Yes, the BZSt explicitly names existing ElsterOnline certificates.

How long does the letter with the activation code take? ELSTER says a few days. It gives no fixed number.

Is there an app? No. The BZSt online.portal is not supported by an app; you can use it in your phone's browser.

Is there a BZSt phone number for the OSS? The OSS page lists none. For problems with the BOP, the import help gives the hotline above.