Apostille, Legalisation or Verification: Foreign Documents in Germany

Which rule applies to your country?

The table shows what the German missions say for seven countries. Find your country, then read its section below. Your office's letter always has the last word, because German offices may ask for more proof or accept less.

Rules and office practice change. Check the current information of the German mission for your country on the website of the Federal Foreign Office, and follow your office's letter.

Turkey: apostille, and Formül A, B and C

Germany and Turkey both apply the Hague Apostille Convention. So most Turkish public documents need an apostille from the Turkish authorities and a sworn German translation. This applies, for example, to a Nüfus Kayıt Örneği (civil registry extract), a Boşanma Kararı with Kesinleşme Şerhi (divorce judgment with finality note) or an Adli Sicil Kaydı (criminal record).

There is one important exception. According to the German Embassy in Turkey, the international multilingual extracts Formül A (birth), Formül B (marriage) and Formül C (death) need neither a translation nor an apostille in Germany. They are based on the Vienna Convention of 8 September 1976. If your Standesamt accepts a Formül, you may not need us for that document at all.

Ukraine and Russia: an apostille from the issuing state

Ukrainian and Russian public documents usually need an apostille from the country that issued them. Your sworn translation then covers the document and the apostille together.

Ukraine: the apostille has applied between Germany and Ukraine since July 2010. Ukrainian ministries issue it: the Ministry of Justice for civil status, court and notarial documents, the Ministry of Education for diplomas. Ukraine issues no apostilles for documents issued in Crimea after 17 March 2014. Older Soviet-era certificates are often in Russian.

Russia: the Convention has applied in Germany since 1966 and in Russia since 1992. Russian justice authorities and civil registry offices (ZAGS) issue the apostille, for example for a Свидетельство о браке (marriage certificate).

India: verification instead of an apostille

India joined the Apostille Convention in 2005, but Germany objected. So an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has no effect at a German office. The German missions in India also stopped legalising Indian documents in 2000. If a German office has doubts, it asks the German Embassy or a Consulate in India for a verification.

1. 1Your office decides. The Standesamt, Ausländerbehörde, Einbürgerungsbehörde or a court sees a reason to check the document.
2. 2The office declares it will pay. It signs a cost declaration (Kostenübernahmeerklärung) and may pass the fee on to you.
3. 3Local experts check the document. The German mission responsible for the Indian state that issued it commissions trusted lawyers or licensed agencies.
4. 4The office receives a statement. It is a decision aid. Your originals go back to the office, which then decides.

According to the German Missions in India, as of 29 September 2026:

You cannot start a verification yourself. What you can do: give your office complete addresses in India and keep scans before your originals go away for weeks. Fees and times change, so your office sees the current figure.

Syria: legalisation through the German Embassy in Beirut

According to the German Embassy in Beirut, it legalises extracts of Syrian civil status documents from the electronic database. These must be originals with German translations, certified by the Syrian Foreign Ministry after 1 January 2012. Some regions and periods are excluded. Appointments are booked through VFS Global in Beirut.

Typical documents are an إخراج قيد (Ikhraj Qaid, civil registry extract), a بيان عائلي (family statement) or a marriage contract from a Sharia court. If legalisation is not possible for your document, the German office decides case by case what it accepts.

Iraq and Afghanistan: your office decides

For Iraqi and Afghan documents, no apostille, legalisation or verification route is open at the moment. Your German office decides at its discretion whether it accepts a document and what other proof it may want.

Iraq: according to the German Embassy Baghdad, legalisation of Iraqi documents is suspended and formal verification is not possible. Documents such as the Unified National Card (البطاقة الوطنية الموحدة), a nationality certificate or a marriage contract from the personal status court are assessed by the office itself. Documents from the Kurdistan Region may be in Kurdish and Arabic.

Afghanistan: the German Embassy in Kabul is closed. The office decides whether it accepts a Tazkira, a Nikah-Khat (marriage certificate) or school certificates without further proof. Birth certificates are often missing; people then use the Tazkira and an affidavit. Ask your office what it needs.

How the apostille, verification and translation fit together

An apostille, legalisation or verification confirms that the document is genuine. A sworn translation shows its content in German. They are separate steps, and most offices want both. A translation never replaces the apostille, and the apostille never replaces the translation.

• Apostille first, then the translation. If your country issues apostilles, get it before you order. Many offices want the apostille translated too, and we translate it together with the document.
• Verification and translation run side by side. For Indian documents, order the translation from a scan before your originals go to the office.
• Translations made abroad are usually not accepted. German offices want a translator sworn by a German court. You can check any translator in the official register at justiz-dolmetscher.de.
• Names stay as written. Arabic, Cyrillic, Persian and Devanagari names are transliterated; a different passport spelling goes in a translator's note.

Documents checked most often are civil status documents: a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, a divorce decree or a single status certificate. They matter for Einbürgerung and family reunification. Read more about what a sworn translation is.

Frequently asked questions about apostille and verification