diff --git a/mesh_handle/element.hxx b/mesh_handle/element.hxx
index 9adaa615ab..dbc8625b29 100644
--- a/mesh_handle/element.hxx
+++ b/mesh_handle/element.hxx
@@ -413,6 +413,22 @@ class element: public TCompetences<element<TMeshClass, TCompetences...>>... {
     }
   }
 
+  /** Check if the element has a hanging node i.e. if any of its faces has more than one neighbor.
+   *  This is the case if the element has more than one face neighbor at any face.
+   *  This function uses the cached face neighbor defined in TCompetences if available.
+   *  \return True if the element has a hanging node, false otherwise.
+   */
+  bool
+  has_hanging_node () const
+  {
+    for (int iface = 0; iface < get_num_faces (); ++iface) {
+      if (get_face_neighbors (iface).size () > 1) {
+        return true;
+      }
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
   /** Convert points from the reference space of this element to the reference space of
    * its tree / its initial coarse mesh element.
    * \param [in] ref_coords Points in the element's reference space [0,1]^dim.
diff --git a/mesh_handle/mesh.hxx b/mesh_handle/mesh.hxx
index c8d4586e62..2c4ae04572 100644
--- a/mesh_handle/mesh.hxx
+++ b/mesh_handle/mesh.hxx
@@ -38,11 +38,13 @@
 #include <t8_forest/t8_forest_ghost/t8_forest_ghost.h>
 #include <t8_forest/t8_forest_ghost/t8_forest_ghost_definition_base.hxx>
 #include <t8_forest/t8_forest_iterate.h>
+#include <t8_forest/t8_forest_subelement.hxx>
 #include <vector>
 #include <functional>
 #include <memory>
 #include <span>
 #include <type_traits>
+#include <algorithm>
 
 namespace t8_mesh_handle
 {
@@ -239,6 +241,28 @@ class mesh: public TMeshCompetencePack::template apply<mesh<TElementCompetencePa
     return t8_forest_is_balanced (m_forest);
   }
 
+  /** Check if the mesh is conformal, i.e. no element has hanging nodes on any of its faces.
+   *  The check uses \ref element::has_hanging_node and thus uses cached neighbors.
+   *  This function is collective and has to be called on all processes.
+   *  \return True if the mesh is conformal on all processes, false otherwise.
+   */
+  bool
+  is_conformal () const
+  {
+    if (this->get_dimension () <= 1) {
+      return true;  // 1D or lower-dimensional meshes are always conformal.
+    }
+    SC_CHECK_ABORT (!t8_forest_has_subelements (m_forest),
+                    "The conformity check is not possible for meshes with subelements.");
+    const bool locally_conformal
+      = std::all_of (cbegin (), cend (), [] (const element_class& element) { return !element.has_hanging_node (); });
+    int local = locally_conformal ? 1 : 0;
+    int global = 0;
+    const int mpiret = sc_MPI_Allreduce (&local, &global, 1, sc_MPI_INT, sc_MPI_LAND, t8_forest_get_mpicomm (m_forest));
+    SC_CHECK_MPI (mpiret);
+    return global != 0;
+  }
+
   // --- Methods to access elements. ---
   /**
    * Returns a constant iterator to the first (local) mesh element.
diff --git a/test/mesh_handle/t8_gtest_ghost.cxx b/test/mesh_handle/t8_gtest_ghost.cxx
index 1dc0896e56..e3a89a9f9a 100644
--- a/test/mesh_handle/t8_gtest_ghost.cxx
+++ b/test/mesh_handle/t8_gtest_ghost.cxx
@@ -33,13 +33,16 @@ along with t8code; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 #include <mesh_handle/competences/cache_element_competences.hxx>
 #include <mesh_handle/competence_pack.hxx>
 #include <mesh_handle/constructor_wrappers.hxx>
+#include "t8_gtest_common.hxx"
 #include <t8_cmesh/t8_cmesh.h>
 #include <t8_cmesh/t8_cmesh_examples.h>
 #include <t8_forest/t8_forest_general.h>
 #include <t8_forest/t8_forest_balance.h>
 #include <t8_forest/t8_forest_ghost/t8_forest_ghost.h>
 #include <t8_schemes/t8_default/t8_default.hxx>
+#include <t8_forest/t8_forest_subelement.hxx>
 #include <vector>
+#include <algorithm>
 
 /** Parametrized test fixture for the ghost tests. */
 struct t8_mesh_ghost_test: public testing::TestWithParam<std::tuple<t8_eclass_t, int>>
@@ -179,6 +182,39 @@ TEST_P (t8_mesh_ghost_test, compare_neighbors_to_forest)
   }
 }
 
+/** Check the conformity check of the elements and the mesh. The mesh version is compared to the forest. */
+TEST_P (t8_mesh_ghost_test, test_is_conformal)
+{
+  using mesh_class = t8_mesh_handle::mesh<t8_mesh_handle::all_cache_element_competences>;
+  auto mesh
+    = t8_mesh_handle::handle_hypercube_uniform_default<mesh_class> (eclass, level, sc_MPI_COMM_WORLD, true, true);
+
+  /* A uniform mesh is always conformal. After this, the neighbor cache is also filled. */
+  EXPECT_TRUE (mesh->is_conformal ());
+  for (const auto& element : *mesh) {
+    EXPECT_FALSE (element.has_hanging_node ());
+    for (int iface = 0; iface < element.get_num_faces (); ++iface) {
+      EXPECT_TRUE (element.neighbor_cache_filled (iface));
+    }
+  }
+
+  /* Refining every second element should create hanging nodes (except 0D and 1D, where each face has at most one point). */
+  mesh->set_adapt (adapt_callback_refine_second<mesh_class>);
+  mesh->set_ghost ();
+  mesh->commit ();
+  EXPECT_EQ (mesh->is_conformal (), t8_forest_is_conforming (mesh->get_forest ()));
+  if (mesh->get_dimension () > 1) {
+    EXPECT_FALSE (mesh->is_conformal ());
+    const bool any_element_not_conformal
+      = std::any_of (mesh->cbegin (), mesh->cend (), [] (const auto& element) { return element.has_hanging_node (); });
+    int local = any_element_not_conformal ? 1 : 0;
+    int global = 0;
+    const int mpiret = sc_MPI_Allreduce (&local, &global, 1, sc_MPI_INT, sc_MPI_LOR, sc_MPI_COMM_WORLD);
+    SC_CHECK_MPI (mpiret);
+    EXPECT_TRUE (global != 0);
+  }
+}
+
 /** Child of \ref t8_mesh_handle::cache_neighbors that allows to modify the cache variables for test purposes. */
 template <typename TUnderlying>
 struct cache_neighbors_overwrite: public t8_mesh_handle::cache_neighbors<TUnderlying>