Certified translation in Germany: official documents translated by sworn translators
- Court-authorised translators, each authorised for specific languages
- Recognised throughout Germany, whichever federal state the authorisation was issued in
- Quote usually on the same working day
- ISO 17100 and ISO 9001, audited by DEKRA
A certified translation, also called a sworn translation, is produced by a translator authorised by a German court and carries a certification note (Bestätigungsvermerk), stamp and signature confirming that the translation is accurate and complete. German authorities, courts, universities and recognition bodies (Anerkennungsstellen) require this form whenever a foreign-language document is to have legal effect.
German authorities require a certified translation whenever a document is to have legal effect
The test is whether an office draws legal consequences from the document. The registry office (Standesamt), the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde), naturalisation authorities (Einbürgerungsbehörde), courts, universities, recognition bodies and the driving licence office (Führerscheinstelle) all do, so they require a certified translation. Where a document only serves as information, a specialised translation without a certification note is enough.
- Civil status: birth and marriage certificates
- University: degree certificates, transcript of records
- Residence and driving: driving licence, visa papers
A scan of every page is enough to start. Tell us the target language, the country the document will be used in, what you need it for and the office that will receive it. The quote puts you under no obligation.
How an order runs, from scan to certified translation
The first step matters most: it settles completeness, the spelling of names and the required form before any translation work starts. The delivery date is agreed with the quote, after the source text has been reviewed.
- Check and quote
You send a scan of every page, a passport copy and the office and country the document is going to. We check legibility, completeness, language and the form the receiving office accepts, then quote a price per standard line with a delivery date.
- Translation
A translator authorised for your language pair translates the document. If names should keep the spelling used in an earlier translation, send that translation along.
- Revision
A second qualified translator revises the translation and checks names and figures against the original. ISO 17100 requires this step; it is the dual control principle.
- Certification and delivery
The authorised translator adds the certification note, stamp and signature. You receive the translation by post, as a PDF with a qualified electronic signature, or both, as stated in your enquiry.
Authorised by the courts, certified by DEKRA
Two things make a certified translation reliable: the court authorisation of the translator, which German authorities require, and the certified process behind it. Eurolingua is certified to ISO 17100 and ISO 9001 by DEKRA; every certified translation is produced by an authorised translator and revised before it is signed and stamped.
Priced per standard line, quoted after seeing the document
Translations are billed per standard line (Normzeile) of 50 to 55 characters including spaces. The price depends on language pair, length, complexity and research effort, and on the quality of the source document: a handwritten certificate from the 1950s takes far more work than an editable file, so a price quoted without seeing the document would be guesswork.
Sworn, certified and authorised describe the same court authorisation
Sworn, certified and authorised all describe the same thing: a translator whom a German court has authorised to confirm that a translation is accurate and complete. In North Rhine-Westphalia the correct term for translators is authorised (ermächtigt); sworn (beeidigt) applies to interpreters. The words differ only because German state law uses different terms. What counts is that the authorisation covers your language pair and that the certification note appears on your translation.
Background: the Court Interpreters Act (GDolmG)Hide background
The Court Interpreters Act (Gerichtsdolmetschergesetz, GDolmG) has applied since 1 January 2023 and regulates the general swearing-in (allgemeine Beeidigung) of court interpreters uniformly across Germany. It governs court interpreters, not translators; written translation stays with the law of the federal states. That is why the designations still differ from state to state.
| Term | What it means | What it means for your document |
|---|---|---|
| sworn translation, certified translation | Both label the same document: a translation carrying the certification note of an authorised translator | No practical difference |
| authorised (ermächtigt) | The designation for translators in several federal states, among them North Rhine-Westphalia | May certify written translations |
| sworn (beeidigt) | The designation in some other federal states; in North Rhine-Westphalia it applies to interpreters, not translators | Equal in effect to an authorisation |
| publicly appointed (öffentlich bestellt) | A further variant under state law | Equal in effect |
| vereidigt (everyday German for sworn) | The most common word in daily use, though several state statutes do not use it | Means the same in everyday usage |
An authorisation is valid throughout Germany but covers named languages only: a translator authorised for Spanish cannot certify a translation of your Polish documents. The entries are public, because the state justice administrations (Landesjustizverwaltungen) keep a joint interpreter and translator database.
The purpose of a document decides the receiving office
Which office receives a certified translation depends on what the document is for: civil status documents usually go to the registry office, degree certificates to the university and a driving licence to the driving licence office. The table lists them by purpose, with the point to check first.
| Purpose | Documents | Usually received by | What to check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil status and family | Birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce decree, adoption papers, passport | Registry office, immigration office, naturalisation authority, family court | Birth certificate: name spelt as in the passport, or the difference stated. Divorce decree: note of finality (Rechtskraftvermerk) present and translated. |
| School and university | School-leaving certificates, degree and doctoral certificates, transcript of records, CV | University, uni-assist, office recognising foreign school certificates (Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle), employers | Grades explained, not converted. Subject names in the terminology of the field, not word for word. |
| Professional recognition | Professional licence, papers for the licence to practise (Approbation), master craftsman certificate, employment references | District government (Bezirksregierung), chamber of physicians (Ärztekammer), Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), Chamber of Skilled Crafts (Handwerkskammer) | Curriculum in the terminology of the profession, not word for word. |
| Residence and driving | Driving licence, certificate of good conduct, criminal record extract, residence permit, visa papers | Driving licence office, immigration office, embassy or consulate | Driving licence: classes of the issuing state explained. |
| Courts and inheritance | Judgments, court orders, wills, certificates of inheritance, powers of attorney | Local Court (Amtsgericht), Regional Court, probate court (Nachlassgericht), notary | Annexes and handwritten notes included. |
| Business and trade | Commercial register extract, articles of association, annual accounts, loan agreements | Commercial register (Handelsregister), banks, notaries, bodies running a tender, tax office (Finanzamt) | Legal form of the company kept and explained, not translated. |
| Medicine | Medical certificates, test results, doctors’ letters, vaccination records | Insurers, clinics, expert assessment bodies, courts | Paper or signed PDF, whichever the receiving office takes. |
Other records and documents we translate with a certification note include certificates of descent, identity cards, marriage contracts, statements of claim and journeyman’s certificates.
Every one of these documents can be delivered with a certification note. For any other document, what counts is the office that will receive the translation: send the scan and name that office.
The apostille belongs on the original, before the translation
Certification of the translation (Beglaubigung der Übersetzung) confirms that the translation is accurate and complete. An apostille or a legalisation confirms that the original document is genuine, and authorities issue both, not a translation office. Both go on the original before it is translated, because the apostille text is part of the document and has to be translated with it.
| Process | Confirms | Issued by |
|---|---|---|
| Certification of the translation | That the translation is accurate and complete | The authorised translator |
| Apostille | That the original document is genuine, for states party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention | The competent authority of the state that issued the document |
| Legalisation | That the original document is genuine, for states outside the Apostille Convention | A consular mission, in several stages and with considerably more effort |
If the document is translated first and the apostille added afterwards, the apostille remains untranslated: it needs a second certified translation, and you pay twice. Which of the two applies depends on the state that issued the document, so ask the receiving office which proof of authenticity it requires before you order.
Paper or signed PDF: the receiving office decides
Instead of a stamp and a handwritten signature, a translation can be certified with a qualified electronic signature. Under the EU’s eIDAS Regulation, a qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one throughout the EU. That effect exists only in the file: once printed, the signature can no longer be verified, and the proof on which the certification rests is gone.
Table: paper and signed PDF comparedHide table
| Criterion | Paper with stamp | PDF with a qualified electronic signature |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery | By post, timing depends on the postal service | By email, immediately on completion |
| Verification | Visual check of stamp and signature | Automatic signature check in the PDF reader |
| Printing | Paper is the original form | Not an option: a printout can no longer be verified and loses its evidential value |
| Acceptance by authorities | Generally accepted | Only where the receiving office can process electronic documents |
| Suitable for | Registry office, immigration office, traditional paper-based applications | Electronic application portals, courts using electronic filing (elektronischer Rechtsverkehr), documents needed abroad at short notice |
Many authorities cannot process electronically signed files yet, so ask the receiving office before you order. If you are unsure, choose paper, or order both in the same enquiry and they will be scheduled together.
Four formal reasons for rejection can be settled before you order
Rejections of certified translations rarely concern the language. They almost always turn on a formal or document-related point, and we clarify exactly those points before the order. These points fall into four types, each with a simple remedy.
The name is spelt differently in the passport and on the certificate
Transliteration systems, issuing states or decades of issue produce different spellings of the same name. If the translation does not state the difference, the authority first has to establish identity, and the application stalls. Remedy: send a passport copy, so the difference can be recorded in a note.
The original carries no proof of authenticity
The translation is faultless, but the original bears neither an apostille nor a legalisation, and the receiving office rejects the application. Remedy: obtain the proof the office requires and have it placed on the original before you order the translation.
The set of documents is incomplete
Only the main document is translated, while annexes, reverse sides, stamp impressions and handwritten notes are left out. A certified translation has to be complete, including notes that look incidental. Remedy: scan every page, including reverse sides that look blank but carry a stamp.
The form does not match the receiving office
The electronically signed file goes to an office that processes only paper, or the other way round. Remedy: ask the receiving office which form it processes before you order.
Documents can be handed in at the Dortmund office, though a scan is enough
Questions about sworn and certified translations in Germany
Certified translations in Germany at a glanceHide table
| Criterion | Details |
|---|---|
| Who certifies | Translators authorised by the competent court of a federal state, each for specific languages; in North Rhine-Westphalia the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) Hamm |
| Validity | Recognised throughout Germany, in whichever federal state (Bundesland) the authorisation was issued |
| Format | Paper with stamp and signature, or on request a PDF with a qualified electronic signature |
| Typical documents | Birth and marriage certificates, school reports and degree certificates, driving licences, certificates of good conduct (Führungszeugnis), divorce decrees, commercial register extracts, contracts |
| Certification | ISO 17100 and ISO 9001 (DEKRA, valid until 2 January 2028 and 7 March 2027) |
| Languages | All common languages, any further combination on request |
| Turnaround | Agreed with the quote, after the source text has been reviewed |
| Quote | With no obligation, usually on the same working day |
What is a certified German translation?
It is a translation that a court-authorised translator has confirmed with a certification note, stamp and signature, also known as a sworn translation. The note confirms that the translation is accurate and complete, down to annexes and handwritten notes.
What is the difference between an official translation and a certified translation?
In Germany there is none. Official, certified and sworn translation all describe the same document. What matters is not the label but whether the certification note is on the translation and whether the translator is authorised for your language pair.
Is a translation certified in another federal state recognised?
Yes. The authorisation applies nationwide, so a translator authorised in North Rhine-Westphalia can certify for proceedings in Bavaria. Only use abroad is different: there the law of the receiving country decides.
How long is a certified translation valid?
The translation itself has no expiry date. The limit often lies in the underlying document: many offices accept a certificate of good conduct only up to a certain age. Once the original is too old, you need a new one and with it a new translation.
How much does a certified translation cost?
Translations are billed per standard line (Normzeile) of 50 to 55 characters including spaces. The price depends on language pair, length, complexity and research effort, and on the quality of the source document: a handwritten certificate from the 1950s takes far more work than an editable file, so a price quoted without seeing the document would be guesswork. The quote comes with no obligation.
A scan of every page is enough, together with the target language and the country where the document will be used.