An immigrant's disclosure of information about himself is called Selbstauskunft and is regulated by legislation. According to the law of the Federal Republic of Germany 'On the Regulation and Limitation of Immigration and the Ordering of the Stay and Integration of Citizens of the European Union and Foreigners', every immigrant, regardless of the period of stay and the category under which one or another form of stay in Germany is granted, must provide information about his income or lack thereof. Thus, with regard to property and income, the legislator makes no fundamental difference between citizens of Germany and foreigners. The completeness of the reported data is usually determined by the person wishing to obtain a residence permit in Germany.
As explained to Deutsche Welle at one of the refugee reception centers in the federal state of Bremen, officials may not conduct a blanket check of the accuracy of the data reported by the applicant. However, random checks are carried out systematically.
If the immigrant is an employer or an employee who does not claim support from the social welfare office, a report on his financial status is included in the income tax return. In this case, the state is interested in whether the applicant is able not only to fully support himself and his family, but also to be a reliable taxpayer.
A recipient of social benefits is required to provide a detailed justification of the claim for state assistance, based on the honest presentation of data, in particular about property in the country of origin. In some cases, the German authorities request such information directly from the administrative bodies of the countries from which immigrants arrive in Germany.
As an example, a representative of the Bremen social welfare office cited St. Petersburg: those arriving in Germany from this city, as a rule, provide the receiving party with a confidential certificate of the immigrant's financial status, including the presence of his own housing, pension, and similar income. Reporting false information about oneself is an offense considered not under immigration law but under administrative or criminal law.