Legalization and The Hague Apostille

In order to use state-issued German documents abroad, in many cases not only certification but also an apostille or even legalization is required. In international trade, it is especially important to have legally valid, legalized documents. If the necessary fonts or stamps are missing, the documents will not be recognized.

We offer you a fast and reliable legalization service that you can conveniently order online.

To order legalization of documents, simply fill out the legalization order form and email it to us.

The Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization of Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille Convention) simplifies the use of documents abroad. The so-called Hague Apostille replaces legalization, which is often required and can only be done at diplomatic and consular missions of the country of destination.

An apostille is an official stamp with which an authorized body confirms the authenticity and legal validity of a signature and, if necessary, a seal. In Germany, depending on the type of document, the apostille procedure is carried out at the Federal Office for Administration, police departments or ministries. The duties are regulated individually in each federal region.

The original document must be presented for an apostille.

The following documents can be legalized with an apostille:

• Affidavits
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificates, civil partnership certificates
• Death certificates
• Divorce papers
• Name change documents
• Constituent documents
• Identity documents
• Religious documents
• School diplomas and university certificates
• Court documents from Germany
• Medical certificates
• etc.

You can have us apostille your documents if you intend to use them in a Hague Convention country. We will take care of the administrative formalities and then send you the documents with legal effect abroad.

In a general sense, legalization is comparable to an apostille. Here it is also necessary to confirm the authenticity of signatures and seals on documents used abroad. However, it cannot be carried out at the national level. Diplomatic and consular missions of the countries where the documents are used are responsible for legalization.

Diplomatic missions abroad usually require a document to be legalized beforehand at a German office; in some cases, an additional, so-called final legalization or recertification is also required. Who is responsible for legalization depends on the federal state and the type of document. You can find out what steps need to be taken from the recipient to whom the German document is to be transferred abroad.

In Germany, final legalization is carried out by the Federal Office for Administration. Countries where provisional and final legalization is usually required include China, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iran, Somalia and Togo.

Documents that usually need to be legalized include:

• University certificates, school certificates
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificates, civil partnership certificates
• Employment and business contracts
• Criminal record certificate
• Declarations of residence
• Immunization certificates
• Medical certificates
• Veterinary certificates
• Invoices
• Patents
• Constituent documents

We will not only help you with legalization and liaise with Embassies or Consulates, but also provide a service to obtain the necessary (preliminary) certifications.