Germany Apostille Service

Certify documents issued in Germany for official use in the United States and abroad.

Certify documents issued in Germany for international use
Apostilles in Germany can be obtained to authenticate official German state and federal documents such as Birth and Marriage Certificates, Certificates of Good Conduct (Fuhrungszeugnis, University Degrees and company extracts from the state commercial registers.

German Apostilles for Federal documents, including Criminal Record Certificates, are issued by the Federal Agency for Foreign Affairs (Bundesamt für Auswärtige Angelegenheiten). Documents issued by State and Judicial authorities are authenticated with Apostilles from State Authorities, including State Ministries, Courts and Administrations.

Apostilles and authentications in Germany can take anywhere from a few days to 6 - 8 weeks depending on the type of document and the state of issue.

Documents requiring embassy attestation are first certified by State or Federal authorities with an authentication (Uberbeglaubigung).

  • We arrange Federal and State Apostilles for all types of public and notarized documents.
  • We can obtain certified copies of German civil status certificates from all German states
  • We assist with applications for Criminal Record Certificates from the Federal Office of Justice (clients based outside Germany)
  • We also attest German documents at all major embassies, including the United Arab Emirates, India, Qatar and Vietnam.

Right arrowFAQs - Germany Apostille Services

Right arrowGet a Quotation to Apostille German Documents

Right arrowCertify international documents for use in Germany

German Documents that can be authenticated with Apostille Stamps

  • Apostille stamps and consular legalization of German birth, death and marriage certificates

    Civil Status Certificates

    We obtain Apostilles for all German birth, death and marriage certificates. Certificates should be less than 6 months old to be eligible for an Apostille stamp.
    We can obtain new certificates in Germany for clients requiring legalization for use abroad.
    Right arrowGerman civil status certificates
  • Apostille German Certificates of Good conduct at the Federal Agency for Foreign Affairs.

    Certificates of Good Conduct

    Obtain Apostilles for German Certificates of Good conduct Fuhrungszeugnis. Apostille stamps can be applied to the original certificate or to a notarized copy. We can also assist clients need to apply for a certificate of good conduct from the Federal Office of Justice.
    Right arrowCertificates of Good Conduct
  • Apostille university diplomas issued in Germany.

    German University Degrees

    Apostille and legalize certificates and diplomas from universities in Germany. Apostilles can be obtained by making notarized copies or by authenticating pre-certified diplomas at the State Authority. We also legalize German degrees at the UAE and Qatar embassy in Berlin.
    Right arrowGerman university diplomas

  • Notarized Documents

    Powers of Attorney, Affidavits, certified passport copies, contracts and other private documents certified by a notary in Germany.

  • Incorporation Documents

    Certify German corporate documents including certificates of incorporation, certificates of good standing, articles of association, board resolutions for use abroad.

  • Trade documents

    Apostille German certificates of origin, certificates of free sale, commercial invoices, product health certificates, GMP certificates and other trade documents

  • Certified Translations

    Legalize certified and sworn translations of German documents. We offer translation services from German to all major European and Asian languages for submission abroad and to embassies and consulates in Germany.
    Right arrowCertified Translations from German

Examples of Germany Apostille Stamps

Obtaining Apostilles and legalizing documents in Germany

Isarey can obtain Apostille Stamps for your German documents. Our expert local team in Germany will ensure that your documents are attested securely and successfully in the shortest time. We will take care of the entire procedure, dealing with local notaries, embassies, translators and government agencies.

Isarey provides document attestation services in Germany to private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide. To find out about certifying German documents for use in the United States and abroad, use our online quotation form or email us a scan or description of the documents you need to certify. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed:

6 steps to certify document issued in Germany

  1. Upload the documents you need attested or send them to us by email.
  2. Our experts will pre-check your documents to ensure that they are eligible for Apostille certification or consular legalization in the country where they are issued, and we’ll assist you locally in preparing them if required.
  3. We’ll send you a quotation with the total cost of the process (final price including all fees, certified translation when required and courier costs) and an estimation of how long the process will take to complete.
  4. We’ll arrange a secure courier to collect your original documents (where electronic versions are not sufficient).
  5. As soon as we receive your documents, we will confirm your order and proceed with the attestation process. Where appropriate, we will arrange certified copies for the attestation process so that we can return your originals directly.
  6. We return the attested documents to you by secure international courier.

Legalize German Documents

German documents can be legalized for cross-border use by means of Apostille Certification or Consular Legalization

Apostille Certification

An Apostille Stamp is a simplified procedure of international attestation. When affixed to documents, Apostilles are directly recognised by the authorities of over 120 countries (Signatories of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents Hague Apostille ConventionExternal link (opens in new tab)) as certifying the document’s validity, without requiring additional certification.

Since Germany is a signatory to the convention, Isarey can assist by obtaining Apostille Certification for German documents so that they are valid for official use in other signatory countries, including: ES SpainSpain - IT ItalyItaly - PT PortugalPortugal - GR GreeceGreece - CY CyprusCyprus - FR FranceFrance - SA Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia - CN ChinaChina

See additional notes below

Consular Legalization
Consular Legalization is required when a document from Germany is to be used in a non-signatory country. In this case, following authentication by authorities in Germany, the document must be certified a second time in Germany by the embassy representing the country where the document is to be used.

Countries which do not recognise Apostille certification and require consular legalization include: AE United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates - QA QatarQatar - TH ThailandThailand - TW TaiwanTaiwan - VN VietnamVietnam

European Union

Submission within the European Union
Certain German documents do not require Apostilles when they are presented to authorities of other European Union countries (the receiving authority should accept the original or a certified copy).

When applying for certain public documents, a multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by a German authority, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country.
See: A multilingual standard form is a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by the receiving EU country. EU Multilingual standard formsExternal link (opens in new tab)

German documents not requiring Apostilles include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of a German citizen), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 on promoting the free movement of citizens by simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in the EU Regulation (EU) 2016/1191External link (opens in new tab)

Other German documents, including academic certificates, still require Apostille certification and certified translation to be valid in other EU countries.

Civil status certificates (multilingual extracts from the civil status registers)
German birth, marriage and death certificates) issued in accordance with the conventions of the International Commission on Civil and Civil Status should not require Apostille Stamps when being submitted to one of the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cape Verde, Estonia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
German certificates of no impediment to marriage are exempt from any formality for submission to the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey

Exceptions to Apostille Convention (Documents issued in Germany)
Germany has objected to the accession of certain States to the Apostille Convention (including India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Tunisia and Morocco), so that the Convention does not apply between Germany and these states. Documents required for these states may also require additional attestation by the embassy of the recipient embassy in Berlin.
For a full list of countries with which the Apostille Convention applies in relation to German documents, see:
The Hague Apostille Convention applies to the following countries in relation to Germany. Germany has objected to the accession of certain States to the Convention, so that the Convention between Germany and them does not apply. Countries where Apostille Convention applies in relation to GermanyExternal link (opens in new tab) (in German)
Certified Translation

Where German documents are to be used abroad and where the receiving country has a different official language, a sworn or certified may also be required. Isarey takes care of any certified translations required as part of the document attestation process, ensuring that translations are carried out and certified in accordance with local regulations.

Right arrowCertified German Translations

A certified translation on its own only provides assurance that the translation itself is accurate and true; it does not confirm the authenticity of the original document. The original document must be legalized for a certified translation to carry equivalent legal weight.

Germany Document Resources

External resources and news about German documents, apostilles and certification procedures.

DE
Germany Document Resources
Birth, Death, Marriage Certificates
Certificate of no impediment to marriage (German nationals never resident in Germany)
Right arrowservice.berlin.de

Obtain a Certificate of no impediment to marriage for use abroad if you are a German national but have never been a resident or registered in Germany.

Guidance: When someone dies in Germany
Guidance: When someone dies in Germany
Right arrowwww.gov.uk

The process when a British national dies in Germany, including registering the death, funerals and cremations, and bringing the person’s body to the UK.

The above links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; Isarey bears no responsibility for the accuracy, content or policies of external websites.

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