Questions before ordering
If your document does not match one of these situations, send it anyway. Support replies in 15–30 minutes during support hours.
How much does a German passport translation cost?+−
The certified translation is priced per physical page. A data page on its own is one page, and each stamp or endorsement page you add is another.
Do I need the whole passport translated?+−
Almost never. Most filings want the data page, and some add a visa or entry stamp as evidence of status or travel. Send what you have and we will tell you which pages to drop before you pay.
Will my German passport translation be accepted by USCIS?+−
The delivery includes your source-document scan, a complete English translation, and a signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy. If a receiving authority rejects the translation for a translation-related reason, we revise it free. If it is still rejected, we refund the translation cost.
My German passport already prints English. Do I still need a translation?+−
Usually yes, because the EU layout translates the labels and not the values. The issuing authority, any endorsement, and the relationship between your two name spellings all need stating, and a certification covers the page as you submit it.
My name is spelled two ways on the same page. Which one is correct?+−
Both, and that is by design. The printed field keeps the umlaut while the machine-readable lines expand it, so MÜLLER appears as MUELLER and ß appears as SS. We show both and state that they differ by the standard expansion, so one page is not read as two identities.
What is the Geburtsname line on my passport?+−
It is your name at birth, printed as a separate field when it differs from your current family name. Your Geburtsurkunde carries only that name, so this is the field that connects the passport to your birth record.
My passport shows DR before my surname. Is that part of my name?+−
It travels with the name without being part of it. German law allows a doctoral degree in the name field, so we label it as a degree rather than letting a reviewer file you under a surname beginning with DR.
My Swiss passport shows a place I have never lived. Why?+−
That is the Heimatort, the commune your citizenship traces to, and it is not a birthplace. We label it as the place of origin so it does not appear to contradict the birthplace on your birth certificate.
Do you translate the machine-readable lines?+−
Yes, both of them, in full. They repeat the name, number, nationality, and dates in a fixed format that a reviewer may compare against the printed fields.
My passport is expired. Can you still translate it?+−
Yes, and expired German-language passports are common evidence of prior status or travel. The translation states the validity dates as printed rather than presenting the document as current.
How long does a German passport translation take?+−
A data page is usually delivered within 24 hours after we receive a clear scan. Adding several stamp or endorsement pages extends that slightly, and we confirm the window before work begins.
Is there a word cap on a page?+−
No. We bill the physical page you upload, never a 250-word unit. A stamp-covered page stays one billed page.
Do you need my physical passport?+−
No. A clear scan or phone photo of the pages you need is enough, and the passport never leaves you. Photograph the page flat, in even light, with all four corners visible.
