The EU Regulation on Public Documents makes it easier to use public documents issued in one EU Member State in others. Under this legislation, certain public documents issued in EU Member States must be accepted as genuine in other Member States even without an apostille. The Regulation covers, in particular, civil status and residents' registration documents, such as: birth and death certificates, marriage certificates, certificates recording a name or change of name, documents relating to nationality, divorce, and place of residence, and also, certificates relating to criminal records background checks (such as Germany’s certificate of conduct).