The Certificate in German (Zertifikat Deutsch, ZD) is a worldwide recognized examination at the end of basic level. Students should have had 350 to 600 lessons of German to be able to pass this exam. In relation to the Common European Framework of Reference the Certificate in German is on level B1.

The examination can be passed at the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations), the Goethe-Institutes, the Carl Duisberg Centres, the Weiterbildungs-Testsysteme GmbH (WBT) or other institutes licensed by the former.