Certified translations are translations that are requested by a government agency such as the registry office. Translations of certificates may only be carried out by translators who have been sworn-in or authorized as translators by a German court. Freelance translators who are not sworn may not certify translations with their stamp and cannot verify the accuracy and completeness according to Section 142 (3) sentence 2 ZPO (Code of Civil Procedure) .
Certified translations are issued by translators who have been authorized to do so by a court in Germany. According to Section 142 (3) sentence 2 ZPO (Code of Civil Procedure) the authorization relates to the certification that a translation is correct and complete. Such translations are usually accepted by all authorities in Germany in accordance with section 189 GVG (Courts Constitution Act).
In most cases, translations made abroad are not accepted by German authorities. Here it is often stated that the translations must be made by a translator sworn-in in Germany.
Depending on the type of document to be translated, the prices for translations also vary.
We provide officially recognized and certified translations for submission to authorities for all languages. Contact us.
We offer state-approved translations for all languages through our network of over 2,000 highly qualified and sworn translators.
For a free, nonbinding offer, please email us the documents you would like translated.
Certified translations issued in Germany for use abroad require preliminary authentication and overauthentication by the Higher Regional Court and often need to be legalized by foreign consulates and embassies before they are valid abroad. Some consulates and embassies only accept their own translators accredited by the respective consulate or embassy.
If you plan to use translations abroad, we advise to contact the receiving agency beforehand and clarify the requirements for recognition of the translation from Germany there.
In theory, translations made by a translator sworn-in abroad should be recognized in Germany if they have appropriately overauthentication or legalization. In practice, however, it turns out that many German authorities do not accept certified translations from abroad. Government agencies often demand that the certified translations of certificates and documents must be issued by a translator sworn-in or authorized in Germany for the respective language.
How can I order certified translations?
You can easily order certified translations of your certificates online via our store system for frequently requested document translations.
Here’s how it works:
- Search for the document you want to have translated by selecting the country or using the search field (example: driver’s license Canada).
- Upload scanned file or send it to us after completing the order.
- Add selection to shopping cart and complete order.
- Relax, get the certified and officially recognized translation sent to your home by mail or email in a few days.
If your certificate is not included in our product catalog, you can send us the document scanned as a file via e-mail. Please feel free to contact us directly or use our contact form. We will then immediately send you a binding offer.
