Scheidungsbeschluss
Court decree from 2009 onward
The form German family courts have issued since the FamFG reform replaced the judgment with a decree.
Certified German Divorce Decree Translation
ScheidungsbeschlussScheidungsurteilRechtskraftvermerk
Certified English translation for USCIS, spouse and fiancé(e) petitions, naturalization filings, courts, and other marital-history review.
Ready within 24 hours
Complete submitted record
Finality and court structure preserved
Case caption · ruling · finality · seals · registration notes
Certified package
Signed and Stamped Certificate of Accuracy
Company letterhead · translator signature · company stamp
USCISMeets all translation requirementsPrepared in accordance with 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)
How much does a German divorce decree translation cost?
1
any length · no word capone or more · PDF, image · up to 25 MB ea.
Your total$24.95
We check your files and confirm the total before you pay
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Your filing package
What is included in a certified German divorce decree translation?
You get three files: a scan of your German record, the full English translation, and a signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy.
- Every heading, ruling, seal, signature, and court note translated
- The Rechtskraftvermerk translated with its date, never treated as a decorative stamp
- Scheidungsbeschluss and Scheidungsurteil kept apart, because the term dates the ruling rather than weakening it
- Versorgungsausgleich and Zugewinnausgleich rendered as the distinct legal mechanisms they are
- Review the translation and request corrections before certification
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Files checked and total confirmed before payment
Documents we translate
Which German divorce documents can we translate?
Send the ruling and the page that carries the finality mark. We confirm the document, the page count, and the price before you pay.
Scheidungsurteil
Judgment issued before 2009
Older German rulings, and the current form in Switzerland, where the court still issues an Urteil.
Rechtskraft
The finality mark or certificate
A Rechtskraftvermerk stamped on the ruling, or a separate Swiss Rechtskraftbescheinigung.
Real German-language casework
What can complicate a German record translation?
Neither case is a divorce file. Both are German-language civil records, and both turn on checks that decide divorce packets too: which date is the legal one, and how a surname is actually built.
Germany · competing dates
Two ceremonies, two dates, one legal answer
We translated both entries and labeled which date the civil register treats as binding, so the reviewer was not left choosing between them.
Read the case
Germany · surname rules
A combined surname that German law builds by rule
We rendered the surname exactly as the register formed it under the civil code, instead of normalizing it to the spelling used elsewhere in the packet.
Read the caseCountry-specific evidence
Do I need a Beschluss, an Urteil, or a Rechtskraftbescheinigung?
Three German-speaking countries, three names for the ruling and three ways to prove it is final. We name the one you hold instead of forcing all of them into a single template.
Germany
Scheidungsbeschluss from the Familiengericht
Under the civil code a German marriage ends only by court ruling, and only once that ruling becomes final. The family court sits inside the local Amtsgericht.
Since the 2009 procedural reform the court issues a Beschluss rather than an Urteil. An older file will say Urteil, and that word dates the document rather than weakening it.
The Rechtskraftvermerk is the part that proves the divorce. It is a stamp with a date, and a copy without it does not show that the marriage actually ended.
Austria
Beschluss from the Bezirksgericht
An Austrian divorce by consent runs under §55a of the Marriage Act at the district court, and it also ends in a Beschluss rather than a judgment.
Where the spouses waive appeal at the hearing, the ruling is final at once. The court confirms that with a finality note on request, and the settlement agreement often travels with the decree.
Switzerland
Urteil plus a separate Rechtskraftbescheinigung
Swiss courts still issue a Scheidungsurteil, which becomes final after the appeal period unless both spouses waive it at the hearing.
Finality here is usually a separate certificate rather than a stamp on the ruling. Offices ask for the judgment and that certificate together, so send both if you have them.
How it works
How do I get a German divorce decree translated into English?
Upload the ruling first. We identify the court and the document type, confirm the page count and the price, then translate, check, and certify.
- 01
Upload the ruling and the stamped page
Send every page of the Beschluss or Urteil, the page carrying the finality mark, and any settlement or pension annex attached to it.
Document identified · total confirmed - 02
We translate the ruling and its finality
A German specialist translates the court structure and the operative provisions. A second reviewer checks names, the file number, and every date against the source.
Translated · independently checked - 03CertTranslateCertifiedTranslation
Review and receive the certified set
Ask for fixes before we certify. You then get the source copy, the full English translation, and the signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy.
Certified · typically within 24 hours
How much does a German divorce decree translation cost?
No 250-word cap on dense court pages.
Certified price
$24.95/ page
Get my certified translation
No payment until file review
Client reviews
What do clients say about their German divorce document translations?
4.9 / 52,400+ client reviews
Google Trustpilot Direct feedback
Klaus R.
Miami, FL
“My Scheidungsbeschluss was 6 pages with Versorgungsausgleich calculations and Sorgerecht provisions. CertTranslate translated all of it, not just the ruling page.”
Germany · Beschluss with pension split
Full record translated
Ingrid T.
Phoenix, AZ
“I had a pre-2009 Scheidungsurteil from before the FamFG reform. They used the correct judgment terminology and preserved the court structure.”
Germany · Pre-2009 Urteil
Era terminology kept
Daniel F.
Minneapolis, MN
“My Austrian divorce was a Scheidungsvergleich ratified by the Bezirksgericht. CertTranslate preserved the Austrian-specific structure instead of forcing a German template.”
Austria · Bezirksgericht settlement
Austrian format preserved
Questions before ordering
What does USCIS require for a translated German divorce record?
The translation rule does not change: file the German evidence with a complete certified English translation. Which record proves the divorce depends on the country that issued it.
How much does a German divorce decree translation cost?+−
The price is $24.95 per physical page, with no word cap. A short Beschluss runs two or three pages, and a decree with pension and custody annexes runs longer. We confirm the count before you pay.
How long does a German divorce decree translation take?+−
Most two- to four-page rulings arrive within 24 hours. Long decrees with pension calculations take more time, and we name the delivery window before production starts.
Will my German divorce translation be accepted by USCIS?+−
Your package holds the source copy, a full English translation, and a signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy. If USCIS raises a translation issue, we revise it free. That does not replace holding the right record in the first place.
What is the Rechtskraftvermerk and do I need it?+−
It is the court mark showing the ruling became final, and it carries a date. A German marriage ends on that date, so a decree copy without the mark does not prove the divorce on its own.
My document says Beschluss, not Urteil. Is that a problem?+−
No. German family courts have issued a Beschluss since the 2009 procedural reform, and older files say Urteil. The word tells the reviewer which era the ruling comes from, nothing more.
Do I need the pension equalization pages translated?+−
Translate the pages you are filing. Versorgungsausgleich sections carry financial rulings that courts and attorneys often need, while a straightforward immigration filing may not require them.
Do you translate Austrian and Swiss divorce records?+−
Yes. An Austrian Beschluss from a Bezirksgericht and a Swiss Urteil with its Rechtskraftbescheinigung are handled in their own formats, not converted into German court wording.
Does USCIS require notarization or an apostille?+−
USCIS generally asks for a certified English translation, not a notarized one and not an apostille. A court, consulate, or foreign registry may set its own rules, so follow that recipient’s checklist.
Only the last page has the stamp. Should I send the rest?+−
Yes. Send the complete ruling with the stamped page. A signature page on its own shows a mark without the decision it belongs to, which is what usually triggers a follow-up request.
Does a certified translation make my German divorce recognized in the United States?+−
No. A translation makes the ruling readable; recognition is a separate question for the U.S. state where you file. The Rechtskraftvermerk date is usually where that review starts.
What we check before certification
What can make a translated German divorce record unclear?
These issues repeat across German, Austrian, and Swiss files. The translation should show the ruling, its finality, and the court behind it without the reviewer having to reconstruct anything.
01
The finality mark is treated as a decorative stamp
Our check: We translate the Rechtskraftvermerk with its date and label it, because that date is when the marriage legally ended.
02
Beschluss and Urteil are used interchangeably
Our check: We keep the source term, since it places the ruling before or after the 2009 reform and differs again in Switzerland.
03
Versorgungsausgleich flattened into a generic phrase
Our check: Pension equalization is a distinct statutory mechanism, so we render it as such rather than reducing it to a property split.
04
The file number or court name is generalized
Our check: We preserve the Aktenzeichen and the issuing court exactly, so the ruling stays traceable back to the file it came from.
The standard behind these checks
AcceptReady™ is CertTranslate's published standard for certified translations: complete word-for-word translation, mirrored page layout, signed and stamped Certificate of Accuracy on letterhead, and matched to the receiver's published requirements.
How to check each one yourselfChecked before we certify. If an authority later asks for a translation-related correction, the revision is free.
Start my translationCommon USCIS contexts
When do I need a certified German divorce decree translation?
USCIS reads divorce evidence to see whether an earlier marriage ended lawfully and when, which is exactly what the finality mark establishes.
Send the German record together with its certified English translation. The translation must not replace the source, shorten it, or quietly tidy it.
I-130 / I-485
Spouse petition and adjustment
Proof that an earlier marriage ended supports the current marriage in a family-based case.
I-129F
K-1 fiancé(e) petition
Both parties must show that prior marriages ended and that they are legally free to marry.
N-400
Naturalization through marriage
USCIS asks for decrees or other records showing that an earlier marriage ended lawfully.
Courts
Name reversion and state filings
A U.S. court reading a German ruling needs the finality date and the court identifiers in English.
Document glossary
What do common German divorce terms mean in English?
These terms appear together on the same ruling, but they name different things: the document, its finality, and what the court ordered.
- Scheidungsbeschluss
- The divorce decree German family courts have issued since the 2009 procedural reform.
- Scheidungsurteil
- The older German term for the ruling, and the current one in Switzerland.
- Rechtskraftvermerk
- The court mark confirming the ruling is final; it carries the date the marriage ended.
- Rechtskraftbescheinigung
- The Swiss equivalent, issued as a separate certificate rather than a stamp on the ruling.
- Familiengericht
- The family division of the local Amtsgericht that decides German divorces.
- Aktenzeichen
- The court file number that traces the ruling back to its case.
- Versorgungsausgleich
- Statutory equalization of pension rights built up during the marriage.
- Zugewinnausgleich
- Equalization of the gain in assets accumulated during the marriage.
Reference library
Where can I verify divorce document requirements?
Guidance and source links last rechecked .
More from CertTranslate
Official references
Ready when you are
Ready to translate your German divorce decree into English?
Send the Beschluss or Urteil together with the page that carries the finality mark. We confirm the record type, the page count, the price, and when it will be ready.
Get my certified translation
No payment until file review