Apostille beantragen

Do you need your documents to be notarized for your trip abroad or work abroad? Then you may need an apostille.

German public documents and certificates that are intended for use abroad must be notarized in Germany under certain conditions if the foreign state requires this. The following are notarized

• the authenticity of the signature,
• the capacity in which the signatory has acted and
• if applicable, the authenticity of the seal or stamp affixed to the document.

Depending on the country of use, confirmation of the aforementioned points on a document is carried out by certification with subsequent legalization or by issuing an apostille.

• An apostille is required for countries that have acceded to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. You can find out which countries these are in detail on the website of the Federal Foreign Office
• Documents intended for other (non-acceding) countries are legalized. Legalization is then carried out by a consular official at the diplomatic mission or consular post in Germany of the country in which the document is required.

You will need the original documents to be notarized as well as your identity card,

The standard fee for the certification of a public document for use abroad is 26.00 euros.

For documents with the same signature and if the certifications are requested with an application, the fee is reduced to EUR 24.00 from the 11th certification, EUR 22.00 from the 51st certification, EUR 20.00 from the 101st certification and EUR 18.00 from the 201st certification.

If possible, find out about the exact procedure from the competent authority before submitting your application.

• Suchen Sie die zuständige Behörde auf. Make an appointment by telephone.
• Identify yourself with your identity card or passport.
• State the country in which you wish to use the certificate.
• Present the original document.
• Pay the fee at the relevant office.

Further information on legal and consular matters can be found on the websites of the Federal Foreign Office and the German missions abroad.

German public documents and certificates that are intended for use abroad must be notarized in Germany under certain conditions if the foreign state requires this.

The Federal Office of Administration is generally responsible for federal documents.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Ministry of Justice is responsible for documents from the administration of justice for the documents it issues and the presidents of the regional courts are responsible for all other documents issued in their respective districts.

The Supervisory and Service Directorate issues the apostille for all other public documents.