Certified German Translation for Australian Visa Applications
Last updated: 2 October 2026
Are you living in Germany and getting ready to move to Australia? We make a certified German translation for Australian visa applications and for Australian citizenship. The Department of Home Affairs asks for an English translation of every document that is not in English. Our own German–English translators translate your document in full. Because we translate outside Australia, the translator adds the details Home Affairs asks for: full name, address, phone number and qualifications. This is not a German sworn translation (beglaubigte Übersetzung). Home Affairs does not ask for one.
- Translator's full name, address, phone number and German–English qualifications on every certificate
- Made for skilled, partner and family visas, and later for Australian citizenship
- Names kept exactly as on your document, with your passport spelling in a translator's note
- PDF in 3 working days, signed original posted to your German address (usually 1–3 working days)
Fixed price from €25 · You see the price before you pay
What does Home Affairs need on a German translation done outside Australia?
If your translation is made outside Australia, Home Affairs wants the translator's full name, address, phone number and qualifications in the language. Translations made inside Australia follow a different rule: there, the translator must be accredited by NAATI. In both cases, you give Home Affairs the English translation together with a copy of the German original.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who translates | Our own professional German–English translators, working outside Australia (not NAATI, not a German sworn translator) |
| German name of the document | Geburtsurkunde, Heiratsurkunde / Eheurkunde, Führungszeugnis, Zeugnis, Arbeitszeugnis and more |
| Price | Fixed price from €25 per document (+ €9 for a signed paper copy by post), shown before you pay |
| Delivery | PDF in 3 working days, signed original posted to your German address (usually 1–3 working days) |
| What to upload | A clear scan or photo of every page, front and back |
| Where to verify the translator | Name, address, phone number and qualifications are printed on the certificate. They are not on justiz-dolmetscher.de, because this is not a German sworn translation. |
Translated in Germany or in Australia: two different rules
Home Affairs looks at where the translation was made. This is the key point for people who still live in Germany.
| Where the translation is made | What Home Affairs asks for |
|---|---|
| Outside Australia (for example, by us) | The translator's full name, address and phone number, and their qualifications and experience in the language |
| Inside Australia | A translator accredited by NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters), with their NAATI number |
Our translators work outside Australia, so the first rule applies to our translations. We are not NAATI-accredited. Sometimes another body, such as a skills assessment authority, asks for a NAATI translation by name. In that case, please use a NAATI translator for that document. Check the body's website before you order.
What our translator's certificate for Australia contains
Each certificate is written in English and signed by the translator. It includes:
- A statement that the English text is a complete and accurate translation of the German document
- The date of the translation
- The translator's full name and signature
- The translator's address and phone number
- The translator's qualifications and experience in German and English
We also number the pages and attach a copy of your German document. The case officer (the Home Affairs officer who checks your file) can then match every page. Home Affairs asks for both the translation and the original-language document, so upload them together.
Übersetzung Deutsch Englisch for an Australian visa: documents we translate
These German documents often come up in Australian applications. Your own visa's document list is always the one to follow.
| Document (German name + English) | Where it can come up |
|---|---|
| Geburtsurkunde (birth certificate) | A baby born in Germany, child and family visas, citizenship |
| Heiratsurkunde / Eheurkunde (marriage certificate) | Partner visas, adding your spouse to a skilled visa |
| Scheidungsurteil / Scheidungsbeschluss (divorce decree) | Proof that an earlier marriage has ended |
| Führungszeugnis (certificate of conduct) | The character check, when Home Affairs asks for police certificates |
| Arbeitszeugnis, Arbeitsvertrag (job reference, work contract) | Skilled visas, proof of work experience |
| Gehaltsabrechnung, Kontoauszug (payslip, bank statement) | Proof of work, income or a shared household |
| Zeugnis, Diplom, Bachelor- or Masterurkunde (certificates) | Skilled and student visas |
| Meldebescheinigung (proof of address) | Partner visas, to show you live together |
Skilled visas, such as the Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189): German job references are long and formal. We translate them in full, including the lines about your performance. Your skills assessment is a separate step with its own body.
Citizenship later: Home Affairs guidance may ask for overseas police certificates again, based on your time outside Australia since age 18. Keep your signed translations safe.
German police certificate (Führungszeugnis) for Australia
Home Affairs may ask for police certificates as part of the character check. The exact rule depends on your visa. For example, one Home Affairs checklist asks for police certificates from every country where an applicant aged 16 or over lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years. Check the list for your own application.
In Germany, the police certificate is the Führungszeugnis (certificate of conduct). The Bundesamt für Justiz (Federal Office of Justice) issues it on green special paper, in German. You can apply at your local registration office (Bürgeramt) or online with your eID card. As it is in German, Home Affairs needs an English translation. We translate the whole certificate, stamp included. Check Home Affairs' instructions for Germany to see which certificate type they want.
Names, dates and places in your translation
We copy every name exactly as on your German document, letter by letter. The machine-readable line of a passport writes umlauts differently. If your passport shows another spelling, we add it in a translator's note.
| On your document | In your passport | In our translation |
|---|---|---|
| Björn Schäfer | BJOERN SCHAEFER (machine-readable line) | Björn Schäfer (translator's note: passport spelling BJOERN SCHAEFER) |
Dates are written in full, for example 14 March 2021. German place names stay in German, so they match official records.
How it works
- 1Upload your German document. Usually a clear scan or photo is enough. Some offices want the translator to see the original, so check your letter.
- 2Get a fixed price and a delivery date. You pay online.
- 3Check the draft. Tell us if a date or place looks wrong before we certify it.
- 4Receive your translation. You get the signed PDF by email for ImmiAccount. The signed paper original comes by post if you order it.
Read more about How our process works.
Prices for a certified German translation for Australian visa files
| Option | What you get | Delivery | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Full translation + signed certificate with the translator's details, as PDF | PDF in 3 working days | from €25 per document |
| Signed paper copy | The signed original, posted to your German address | usually 1–3 working days after the PDF | + €9 |
| Express | Same translation, faster | PDF in 1 working day | + €15 |
| Notarised affidavit (only if asked) | Translator's affidavit sworn before a notary, arranged on request | Confirmed with your quote | Price in your quote |
Home Affairs does not list a notary among its requirements for translations made outside Australia. We only arrange a notary if another body asks you for one.
All prices shown are starting prices incl. VAT and postage within Germany. Your exact fixed price comes in a written quote after upload, before you pay.
Your files are transferred encrypted and deleted after 30 days (GDPR).
If your office asks for a change to our translation, we correct it free of charge.
See our prices for longer documents, or Get a fixed-price quote for your exact files.
Moving somewhere else, or still dealing with German offices?
Plans can change. We also make a certified German translation for Ireland, a certified German translation for New Zealand, a German translation for Canada (IRCC) and a German translation for the UK Home Office. See all German to English translations in one place. Need the other direction for Germany? Our partners make an English to German sworn translation. For the Ausländerbehörde or Standesamt, see our sworn translations for German offices.
Frequently asked questions about German translations for Australia
Do I need a NAATI translator if I live in Germany?
Not for a translation made outside Australia. Home Affairs then asks for the translator's full name, address, phone number and qualifications in the language. NAATI is the rule for translations made inside Australia. Other bodies, like a skills assessment authority, may set their own rule, so check with them.
Do I need a beglaubigte Übersetzung for Australia?
No. Home Affairs does not ask for a translator sworn by a German court. It asks for the translator's details and qualifications. A German sworn translation is made for German offices, not for Australia.
Should I upload the German original as well?
Yes. Home Affairs asks for copies of both the translated document and the document in the original language. Upload them together, so the case officer can compare them page by page.
Do I need to translate my Führungszeugnis for Australia?
Only if Home Affairs asks you for police certificates. If it does, the German Führungszeugnis needs an English translation, because it is issued in German. We translate the whole certificate, including stamps and reference numbers.
Is a PDF enough for my online application?
Many applications are made online in ImmiAccount, where you attach scanned documents. Our signed PDF is made for this. Keep the signed paper original at home in case you are asked for it later.
How long does it take?
The PDF comes in 3 working days, or 1 working day with express. The signed original then comes by post, usually in 1 to 3 working days. We confirm the time with your quote.
Will Home Affairs accept my translation?
Our certificate includes every detail Home Affairs lists for translations made outside Australia. But only Home Affairs decides on your application. We cannot guarantee a decision.
Ready to take your German documents to Australia?
Order your certified German translation for Australian visa files today. Upload your documents and see the fixed price before you pay. Still unsure? See More questions answered.
Questions? Email us: info@germantranslators.de