Certify documents issued in France and abroad for official use in Germany
Isarey works across multiple jurisdictions to legalize international documents so that they are valid for submission to German authorities.
We legalize all types of official documents for use in Germany, including identity documents, birth and marriage certificates, criminal record certificates, academic diplomas and corporate documents.
We work locally with certification specialists, notaries, law firms and certifiedGermantranslators in over 100 countries, certifying documents for use in Germany, including documents issued in:
Germany is a signatory to the 
Hague Apostille Convention. This means that official documents issued in other signatory countries can be certified by an Apostille Stamp in the country where they have been issued. This stamp will generally be accepted directly by German authorities as confirmation of the document’s authenticity without need for further certification in Germany.
However, documents from non-Apostille countries must be legalized by the authorities of the issuing country and then attested by the local German embassy or consulate. This applies to documents in countries such as: United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar
Submission within the European Union
Certain documents do not require Apostilles for submission to authorities in Germany when they are issued in another European Union Member State (the receiving authority should accept the original or a certified copy).
When applying for certain public documents, a multilingual standard form may be requested to accompany the original. A multilingual standard form must always be issued and signed by an authority of the EU country where the public document is issued, providing a translation aid designed to help the receiving authority to understand a public document which is in a language not accepted by Germany.
See: EU Multilingual standard forms
Documents not requiring Apostilles for use in Germany include birth, death, marriage certificates, absence of a criminal record (a clean criminal record of a citizen of the issuing country), certificates of nationality and residence:
See: Regulation (EU) 2016/1191
Other documents, including academic certificates, still require Apostille certification and certified translation to be valid in Germany.
Civil status certificates (multilingual extracts from the civil status registers)
Birth, marriage and death certificates should not require Apostille Stamps for submission in Germany when issued in accordance with the conventions of the International Commission on Civil and Civil Status by one of following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cape Verde, Estonia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey
Multilingual certificates of no impediment to marriage
Certificates of no impediment to marriage should not require Apostille stamps for submission in Germany when issued by one of the following countries (Munich CIEC Convention):
Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.
Public documents issued in Ethiopia cannot be legalised for use in Germany. The German Embassy in Addis Ababa may agree to carry out a document verification, but only upon a request issued by a German authority. Copies of Ethiopian public documents can only be authenticated if the authenticity of the original can be determined without a doubt, i. e. documents with security features such as drivers’ licenses or passports.
Verification of Ethiopian documents for use in GermanyThe Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Libreville cannot authenticate or legalize documents. It also cannot certify that the original copies of documents are true.
See:
German embassy in Gabon - Legalization of Documents (in French)The legalization of Nigerian public documents and certificates by German consulates in Nigeria was ceased in May 2000 due to the lack of security features. It was replaced by a verification process in which Nigerian public documents are verified upon request by a German court or authority. The verification process can only be initiated on request of a German authority, not by a private person.
Verification of Nigerian Documents by the Embassy of GermanyIf you have documents issued in Germany:
Isarey also certifies documents issued in Germany for use abroad, including German birth, death and marriage certificates, diplomas and criminal record certificates. For further information, please see:
Certified Translation
When documents are written in a language that is not an official language of Germany, then a certified translation may also be required. It is important to ensure that the certified translation is valid for use in Germany. Translations not done in Germany may require separate legalization alongside the original document.
Isarey provides document attestation services to private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide. Our presence in different jurisdictions and our local experience and expertise dealing directly with authorities and embassies in different countries means we can save you time, frustration and money, ensuring that documents are properly prepared so that they are accepted by German authorities.
To find out about certifying documents for use in Germany, use our online quotation form or email us a scan or description of the documents you need to certify. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed:
6 steps to certify document for use in Germany
- Our experts will pre-check your documents to ensure that they are eligible for Apostille certification or consular legalization in the country where they are issued, and we’ll assist you locally in preparing them if required.
- We’ll send you a quotation with the total cost of the process (final price including all fees, certified translation when required and courier costs) and an estimation of how long the process will take to complete.
- We’ll arrange a secure courier to collect your original documents (where electronic versions are not sufficient).
- As soon as we receive your documents, we will confirm your order and proceed with the attestation process. Where appropriate, we will arrange certified copies for the attestation process so that we can return your originals directly.
- We return the attested documents to you by secure international courier.