Need your German document translated for the U.S. — or a U.S. document accepted in Germany? Start with the direction: the translation, certification, and apostille rules are not the same.
Requirements reviewed by Klaus Weber
European Medical & Scientific Translator · Last verified June 2026
Reviewed June 2026 · Klaus Weber
Germany requires a beglaubigte Übersetzung — a certified translation by a translator publicly appointed and sworn before a German regional court (Landgericht), who stamps and signs it. For a German document used in the United States, a certified English translation with a signed Certificate of Accuracy is what USCIS and universities accept. Germany has been in the Hague Apostille Convention since 1966, so a German Geburtsurkunde is apostilled by the competent German authority — not consularized.
Confirm final requirements with the authority receiving the document.
Need a certified German → English translation?
From $24.95/page · signed certification included
Quick reference
Confirm final requirements with the authority receiving the document.
| Translation standard | Sworn translation · beglaubigte Übersetzung |
|---|---|
| Who can translate | Publicly appointed and sworn translator registered in Germany |
| Apostille | When the receiving authority requires authentication; separate from translation |
| Apostille authority | Depends on the issuing Land and document type: federal documents are apostilled by the Bundesverwaltungsamt; civil-registry and administrative documents by the regional administrative authority (Regierungspräsidium or Bezirksregierung); court and notarial documents by the regional court (Landgericht). |
| Accepted languages | German |
| Responsible authority | German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) |
Official-use requirements
The local certification system, who may translate, and what gives the finished document legal effect.
Cross-border authentication
Germany is part of the Hague Apostille Convention (since 1966), so public documents are authenticated with a single apostille — no consular legalization.
From Germany
Depends on the issuing Land and document type: federal documents are apostilled by the Bundesverwaltungsamt; civil-registry and administrative documents by the regional administrative authority (Regierungspräsidium or Bezirksregierung); court and notarial documents by the regional court (Landgericht).Germany has been bound by the Convention since it entered into force for it in 1966.
Toward Germany
A U.S. document going to Germany is apostilled in the United States — the state Secretary of State, or the U.S. Department of State for federal documents — and then translated into German by a court-sworn (vereidigt) translator.
When the receiving authority requires an apostille on the original, obtain it before translation so the apostille certificate can be translated too. See how apostilles work, or order a certified translation.
Submission checklist
For a German document used in the U.S., USCIS requires a certified translation, not an apostille. Some universities or state licensing boards may ask for one — confirm with the receiving office before paying for it.
Cover the Standesamt registry data, every stamp, and any apostille, with a signed Certificate of Accuracy.
File the original with the certified translation to USCIS, the university, or the credential evaluator (WES/ECE).
Need the German translation service rather than the rules?
Continue to the language hub or choose the exact document you have.
Two directions, two rulebooks
Choose the destination first. It determines the language, certification, and whether an apostille belongs in the packet.
German birth certificates, diplomas, transcripts, and other non-English records need a complete certified English translation for USCIS, U.S. universities, and credential evaluators.
A U.S. document going to Germany is apostilled in the United States — the state Secretary of State, or the U.S. Department of State for federal documents — and then translated into German by a court-sworn (vereidigt) translator.
Choose the document you have for its format-specific translation guidance. These links cover the records most often submitted from Germany to USCIS, universities, and credential evaluators.
deGeburtsurkunde
German birth certificate translation is one of the most common request types for USCIS petitions and identity verification workflows.
Signed & stamped Certificate of Accuracy
Word-for-word · exact structure preserved
German diploma translation is often required for admissions, licensing, and employment verification.
Signed & stamped Certificate of Accuracy
Word-for-word · exact structure preserved
Academic supporting records require line-level translation of courses, grades, scales, and institutional headers.
Signed & stamped Certificate of Accuracy
Word-for-word · exact structure preserved
Heiratsurkunde
Scheidungsurteil · Scheidungsbeschluss
Sterbeurkunde
Reisepass · Personalausweis
Gesellenbrief · Meisterbrief
German records reviewed by Klaus Weber — Medical translation specialist — DE / NL
Avoid preventable delays
The mistakes we see most often on German documents — and what a correct certified translation does instead.
Germany discontinued the Abstammungsurkunde; it records parentage differently from a Geburtsurkunde and needs a translator's note explaining the form, or the packet reads inconsistently.
See how we handled itUnder the BGB a spouse may take a combined surname; a Familienbuch entry must be rendered so the name matches the passport and the rest of the documents.
See how we handled itA German Führungszeugnis is issued by the Bundesamt für Justiz, not the Bundeskriminalamt; naming the wrong authority undermines the translation for USCIS.
See how we handled itAnonymized German-to-English orders. Each case shows the exact translation problem and how we solved it for the receiving authority.
A client submitted a German Abstammungsurkunde (Certificate of Descent), a civil-status record that Germany stopped issuing in 2009. The document type has no modern equivalent, and its literal English name means nothing to a US reviewer. We translated the title literally and added a Translator’s Note explaining that the Abstammungsurkunde was Germany’s former birth-and-parentage record. The certified translation was delivered for the client’s USCIS filing.
An Austrian birth certificate issued by Landeshauptstadt Linz carries the institutional label 'Magistrat' — in Austria, the municipal administration of a Statutarstadt (statutory city), not a judicial 'magistrate'. We rendered 'Magistrat der Landeshauptstadt Linz' as 'Municipal Administration of the Provincial Capital Linz' and added a Translator's Note naming the Austrian civil-registry meaning, so a USCIS adjudicator would not read the issuing authority as a court. The certified translation was delivered for the client's US immigration filing.
A German Familienbuch from Standesamt Augsburg recorded the husband's surname as 'Gilliam' (governed by American law) and the wife's as 'Christl-Gilliam' — her birth name prepended to the married name under §1355 BGB. We preserved the hyphenated surname exactly and added a Translator's Note naming the dual-regime spousal-name rule, so a USCIS adjudicator would not read the mismatch as a clerical error. The certified translation was delivered for the client's I-130 filing.
Clear per-page pricing
A one-page Geburtsurkunde is priced as a single page; multi-page Zeugnisse and court documents are priced by their page count. Standard translation delivery is 24 hours for most 1–3 page orders. Notarization, hard-copy mailing, and apostille service are priced separately because their timelines differ.
Certified translation from
One physical source page, any length.
Start my translation See all pricing and add-onsQuestions people ask before submitting
Germany requires a beglaubigte Übersetzung — a certified translation by a translator publicly appointed and sworn before a German regional court (Landgericht). You can verify a sworn translator in the official justiz-dolmetscher.de database run by the Land justice administrations.
German translation servicesNo. U.S. authorities do not require a German court-sworn translator. A German Geburtsurkunde or Zeugnis needs a certified English translation with a signed Certificate of Accuracy, accepted by USCIS, WES, and ECE.
certified German translationFor official use inside Germany — a Standesamt, court, or university — authorities generally require a beglaubigte Übersetzung by a translator sworn in Germany. For German documents coming to the U.S., a U.S. certified translation is what is accepted.
requirements by destinationYes, since 1966. A German public document used abroad is apostilled by the competent German authority — which varies by Land and document type — not legalized at a consulate.
how apostilles workIt depends on the issuing Land. Civil-registry documents like a Geburtsurkunde are typically apostilled by the regional administrative authority (Regierungspräsidium or Bezirksregierung); federal documents by the Bundesverwaltungsamt.
Geburtsurkunde translationGerman grades run from 1 (sehr gut) to 6 (ungenügend) — the inverse of the U.S. scale. A certified transcript translation preserves the German grades and scale so WES or ECE can map them; it does not convert them to a U.S. GPA.
WES translationPricing is per page. A one-page Geburtsurkunde is a single page; multi-page Zeugnisse are priced by page count. Notarization and apostille are optional add-ons.
see live pricingNo. USCIS and universities reject self-translation. An independent qualified translator must complete and certify the translation with a statement of accuracy.
what a certified translation isInformation verified against official sources. Last verified June 2026.
