A method for checking a document of value which has a security element with several magnetic areas (h, 1, c), wherein the several magnetic areas of the security element have at least one high-coercive magnetic area (h) which contains a high-coercive magnetic material with a first coercive field strength and at least one low-coercive magnetic area which contains a low-coercive magnetic material with a second coercive field strength which is lower than the first coercive field strength and at least one combined magnetic area (c) which contains both the high-coercive and the low-coercive magnetic material, wherein in the method the following steps are carried out: - first magnetizing of the security element by a first magnetic field whose magnetic field strength is greater than the first coercive field strength, so that the magnetization of the high-coercive magnetic material and the magnetization of the low-coercive magnetic material are aligned in a first magnetization direction, - detecting of first magnetic signals of the security element by a first magnetic detector, - second magnetizing of the security element by a second magnetic field whose magnetic field strength is smaller than the first coercive field strength but is greater than the second coercive field strength, wherein the second magnetic field is oriented such that the magnetization of the low-coercive magnetic material through the second magnetizing is aligned antiparallel to the first magnetization direction, - detecting of second magnetic signals of the security element by the first magnetic detector or by a second magnetic detector, - analyzing of the first and the second magnetic signals of the security element, in order to ascertain at which positions on the security element there are localized the magnetic areas (h, 1, c) of the security element and in order to identify each of the magnetic areas (h, 1, c) either as one of the combined magnetic areas (c) or as one of the high- or low-coercive magnetic areas (h, 1). - first magnetizing of the security element by a first magnetic field whose magnetic field strength is greater than the first coercive field strength, so that the magnetization of the high-coercive magnetic material and the magnetization of the low-coercive magnetic material are aligned in a first magnetization direction, - detecting of first magnetic signals of the security element by a first magnetic detector, - second magnetizing of the security element by a second magnetic field whose magnetic field strength is smaller than the first coercive field strength but is greater than the second coercive field strength, wherein the second magnetic field is oriented such that the magnetization of the low-coercive magnetic material through the second magnetizing is aligned antiparallel to the first magnetization direction, - detecting of second magnetic signals of the security element by the first magnetic detector or by a second magnetic detector, - analyzing of the first and the second magnetic signals of the security element, in order to ascertain at which positions on the security element there are localized the magnetic areas (h, 1, c) of the security element and in order to identify each of the magnetic areas (h, 1, c) either as one of the combined magnetic areas (c) or as one of the high- or low-coercive magnetic areas (h, 1).