Certified Copies

There are two ways to get a certified copy. You can receive a “Öffentliche Beglaubigung” from a notary. “Amtliche Beglaubigung” will be generated from an authority (“Behörde”). Authorities can be different administration departments or agencies. The “Amtliche Beglaubigung” is sufficient for most concerns. The certified copy issued by a notary is more expensive. 

Some authorities are allowed to assign stamps for certifications. This differs from federal district to federal district in Germany.

Most community administrations “Gemeindeverwaltungen”, “Landkreise” and other administrative authorities like “Verwaltungsbehörden” are allowed to issue certified copies.

In most cases the city administration, called townhall or municipality, “Stadtverwaltung”, “Rathaus or “Bürgeramt” or the management of the district (“Kreisverwaltung”), authorities “Behörden” are allowed to issue certified copies. The police (“Polizei”) and courts (“Gerichte”) can display certified copies as well.

In big cities you mostly need an appointment for the “Bürgeramt” or “Rathaus”. If you don’t have an appointment, you might have to wait in line. 

There is also publicly organized churches (“öffentlich-rechtlich organisierte Kirchen”) who run a “Pfarramt” and can do certified copies. These copies are in many cases for free or very cheap. But they are not always accepted. If an authority asks you to get a certified copy, read or ask which certified copies they exactly accept. If the university asks you for a certified copy of your high school degree, ask at the international office of the specific university from which authority the certified copy has to be. To know which church is “öffentlich-rechtlich” you can search in the internet.

Another option to get a certified copy is to go to a “Sparkasse” or “Krankenkasse” (AOK,TK or others). Sometimes these certified copies are not accepted. Again read or ask which certified copies are exactly accepted from the authority you need the copy for.

Another possibility is to go to the office, school or university that issued your original certificate. Due to the unstable political situation in many countries, this option is complicated or impossible in many cases.

If you got married in Germany and you need a certified copy of your marriage certificate, you can go to the “Standesamt” that executed your marriage. The “Standesamt” is also responsible for birth and/or death certificates.

If you are not in Germany but need a certified copy for a German authority, you can go to the German Embassy in your country of origin. You don’t need to go to the embassy of your country of origin. For example: if you are from Afghanistan you dont have to go to the Afghan Embassy.

Please note that the German Embassy in Damascus is currently closed. The next diplomatic mission for Syria is located in Beirut (Lebanon). You can get certified copies from there. All German embassies and diplomatic missions are listed here.

You need to bring the original document and a normal copy. Please note that you have to pay for the service.

The person in charge will check your copy (or make a copy) and the original document. If both documents are identical you will receive a stamped and signed certified copy. The amount you have to pay for that service is different in every city and authority. In case you receive financial support from the Jobcenter, keep the receipt as the amount of money might be refunded.

A certified copy consists of:

• a note, certifying a document as a legitimate copy
• the official stamp/seal (“Dienstsiegel” or “Emblem”) of the certifying authority. The seal is bound to the person or office with a seal number.
• the official signature of the certifying person

With a certified copy, you don’t need to give up the possession of the original document which might mean a risk of loss or damage.

In case your original document gets lost or damaged, you can use a certified copy of the original document. Furthermore, you might be asked for a certified copy from different authorities. For example, if you apply to university you might be asked for a certified copy of your original high school degree. What kind of certified copies will be accepted differs from university to university. Make sure to ask at the university’s international office which certifications will be accepted or check at the online assessment of uni assist.

In Germany, your university degree can be recognized by the “Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen (ZAB)”. You need a certified copy of your university degree for the official recognition. Please note that the required documents depend on the country from which you received your degree and the requirements of the ZAB.