The invention relates to a method for forming and detecting security elements on the surface of a component and/or in a component, in which at least one layer or at least one region that is preferably formed of a magnetic material or of a material different from the component material is formed on the surface of the component and/or in the component that is formed of a magnetic or of a nonmagnetic material in a locally and geometrically defined manner. At least one ablated track, at least one heat-affected region and/or at least one remelted treatment track are/is formed by a locally and geometrically defined ablation of material or input of energy on/at the surface of a component along a predefined contour corresponding to the respective security feature. In the manufacture of the component, a magnetic material different from the material of the component is introduced into the component at at least one predefined position in a locally and geometrically defined manner by way of a generative production process. To detect the security element, a magnetization unit is used to generate at least one magnetic field penetrating into the component or a magnetic flux is produced inside the magnetization unit that penetrates into the component. To check a security element formed in this way, a detection unit is used to detect the magnetic stray fields occurring on the security element as a result of the at least one magnetic field, and the measurement signals captured by the detection unit are transferred to an evaluation unit having an image-processing or pattern-recognition system. Using the evaluation unit having an image-processing or pattern-recognition system, it is checked, by way of the detected magnetic stray fields, whether or not the detected security element corresponds to a specification.