In general, two basic forms of documents can be distinguished:

1. The certificate itself is a large, very elaborately designed and crafted certificate with a folder, which has the form of a double sheet of heavy parchment in the format 36 x 45 cm.
   The parchment is enclosed in a large folder covered with red leather. The exterior of the folder features a gold-embossed imperial eagle. The interior pages are lined with calf parchment. 
   These certificates and folders were produced by Frieda Thiersch, Munich.
   Because these folders were very laborious to produce and the number of Knight's Cross awards continued to rise, Knight's Cross folders were generally no longer presented after April 1943. The presentation of the folders to the recipients was postponed until after the "final victory."
2. The second form of the certificate is the so-called provisional certificate of possession. This is a simple paper form in A5 format. This certificate was originally intended only to bridge the time until the actual Knight's Cross folder was issued, as its production could often take months. After the actual folder was discontinued in April 1943, the provisional certificate of possession remained the only document for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

During the course of the war, especially towards the end of 1944/45, with the supply situation becoming increasingly difficult, improvised certificates of ownership were also issued in individual cases, as the actual form was no longer available.