Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Germany Requires

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Country requirements change. This page is re-checked periodically, and nothing on it replaces confirming the position with the German body that will receive your document.

For Germany the authentication answer is short: an apostille. Three things about Germany are not short. German offices usually want translations by a translator sworn in Germany. Australians marrying in Germany face a court step, because Australia no longer issues the certificate German registry offices ask for. And for some documents there is a route that skips DFAT altogether: signing at a German mission in Australia.

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Convention membership is a live fact. Confirm Germany's status against the HCCH status table for the Apostille Convention on the day you start. Germany has been a party for decades, so an apostille is the expected route for documents within the Convention's scope.

The usual chain

1. Notarise in Australia, if the document is a private one
2. DFAT apostille
3. German translation, if the receiving office requires one

Australian public documents such as registry-issued certificates may be able to go to DFAT directly without a notary. Confirm with DFAT.

Translation: sworn in Germany

German authorities commonly expect a translation by a translator who is sworn or authorised (beeidigter or ermächtigter Übersetzer) by a German court or state authority. An Australian NAATI translation is a professional translation, but many German offices will not accept it.

Ask the receiving office:

• Must the translation be made by a translator sworn in Germany?
• Will you accept the document in English?
• Must the apostille be translated as well?

If the answer to the last question is yes, the translation comes after the apostille.

Marriage in Germany: the court exemption

This is the point most specific to Australians. German registry offices (Standesamt) ask a foreign national for a certificate of no impediment to marriage (Ehefähigkeitszeugnis) from their home country. The Australian Embassy in Berlin states that it and the Consulate-General in Frankfurt stopped issuing Certificates of No Impediment on 1 December 2021.

Without that certificate, the Standesamt sends the file to the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) to seek an exemption from the requirement (Befreiung vom Ehefähigkeitszeugnis). That has two consequences:

• The file is judged by a court. The embassy notes that regional interpretations by German courts mean requirements vary, and that it cannot advise what a particular office will want. Ask your Standesamt for its complete list before you order anything.
• Documents must survive a longer process. The embassy's guidance for Australian residents lists an original birth certificate less than six months old and a single status document from the Australian registry of births, deaths and marriages, each with a certified translation where needed. The court step adds time, so order certificates late enough to remain within any window the Standesamt sets.

An Australian notary cannot issue a certificate of no impediment and cannot substitute for the court. What the notary can do, where the Standesamt asks for it, is witness a declaration or certify a copy for use in the file.

Signing at a German mission instead

German missions in Australia offer signature certifications (Unterschriftsbeglaubigung) for documents such as powers of attorney, consents and renunciations of inheritance. A signature certified by a German consular officer is a German act, so it does not go through DFAT at all. For German property and inheritance matters this can be the simpler route.

Things to know:

• You need an appointment, and you must attend in person with identification.
• There are limits. The German missions state that, following a change to German anti-money-laundering law, they no longer certify signatures or verify identity for opening bank accounts, loan applications and similar purposes. For those, the Australian notary and DFAT apostille route is the alternative.
• Ask the German side which it prefers. A German Notar, land registry (Grundbuchamt) or probate court will tell you whether a consular certification or an Australian notarisation with apostille suits the transaction.

Property, inheritance and the German Notar

A German Notar is a civil law notary, a legally trained public official whose role is much wider than an Australian notary's. Land transactions and many company matters in Germany require their involvement. If you are signing from Australia:

• Ask the Notar for the German text of the power of attorney and use it.
• Ask whether the signature must be certified (beglaubigt) and by whom.
• If you do not read German, tell the Australian notary in advance. They must be satisfied you understand what you are signing and may ask for a translation.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the German embassy to legalise my Australian document? Not for a Convention-covered document. The embassy's role here is the optional signature certification described above, and visas, which are a separate matter.

Can I get a Certificate of No Impediment from DFAT in Australia instead? Check with DFAT and the Standesamt, but do not assume that an Australian-issued document will stop the Standesamt referring the file to the court.

Will a German office accept a scan of my apostilled certificate? Usually not for civil status matters. Expect to provide the original.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT processing, the translator and, for marriage, the court. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.