Sworn Translation in Berlin for Your Foreign Documents
Last updated: 2 October 2026
Do you live in Berlin and need your foreign documents in German? We make your sworn translation (beglaubigte Übersetzung) for Berlin offices, such as the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), your district Standesamt and the driving licence office. We translate from Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, Dari, Pashto, Persian, Ukrainian, Russian, English, Hindi and other Indian languages. Our partner translators are sworn by German courts. You order online, and we post the signed original to your Berlin address.
- Made for Berlin offices: LEA, district Standesamt, LABO driving licence office and LAGeSo
- Names copied exactly as on your document and transliterated from Arabic, Cyrillic, Persian or Devanagari script
- PDF in 3 working days, signed original posted to your German address (usually 1–3 working days)
- No trip across the city: upload from home, get the original in your letterbox
Fixed price from €39 · You see the price before you pay
Do I need a sworn translator from Berlin?
No. A translator sworn by any German court can make your translation, and it is valid throughout Germany. A translator sworn in Hamburg or Bavaria is just as fine for the LEA as one sworn in Berlin. What counts is the oath at a German court and the signed, stamped translation. The office makes the final decision.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who translates | Our partner translators sworn by German courts (beeidigt / ermächtigt) |
| German name | beglaubigte Übersetzung (sworn translation) |
| Languages | Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish (Kurmanji/Sorani), Dari, Pashto, Persian, Ukrainian, Russian, English, Hindi and other Indian languages |
| Price | From €39 (English documents), from €49 (all other languages) |
| Delivery | PDF in 3 working days, signed original posted to your address in Berlin |
| Where to verify the translator | The official register at justiz-dolmetscher.de |
Online and by post: we have no office in Berlin
We have no office in Berlin, so you cannot drop off papers with us. You upload a scan or photo, we send a fixed price, and the PDF comes by email. Then we post the signed original to your Berlin address. New to the topic? Read what a sworn translation is.
Which Berlin offices may ask for a sworn translation?
Most people in Berlin meet the same handful of offices: the LEA for permits and citizenship, a district Standesamt for marriage and births, and the LABO for driving licences. Each office sets its own document list, so check its website before you order.
| Office (German name) | What it may ask for in German | Our page |
|---|---|---|
| Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) – immigration office | Birth and marriage certificates for a settlement permit or for your family | PR (Niederlassungserlaubnis) translation · family reunion translation |
| LEA – citizenship (Einbürgerung) | Birth, marriage and divorce documents, name change papers | Einbürgerung (citizenship) translation |
| Standesamt of your district | Birth certificate, proof of single status, parents' marriage certificate | Standesamt marriage translation · baby's birth registration |
| Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) – Fahrerlaubnisbehörde | Your foreign driving licence | driving licence conversion |
| Familienkasse Berlin-Brandenburg | Foreign birth or marriage certificates for Kindergeld | Kindergeld and Elterngeld translation |
| Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales (LAGeSo) – Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe | Degree, transcripts and registration papers for doctors and nurses | degree recognition (Anerkennung) |
You can find every Berlin service with its document list on the Berlin service portal.
Einbürgerung in Berlin: one office since 2024
Since 1 January 2024, the LEA is the central citizenship office for all of Berlin. Before that, each district handled citizenship itself (berlin.de). So today your residence file and your citizenship file sit with the same office, and the same names and dates must match in both.
Germany has allowed dual citizenship since 27 June 2024, so you may be able to keep your current citizenship if your home country allows it. Wait for the LEA's list, then order all translations together, for example a birth certificate translation and a marriage certificate translation. One translator then spells every name the same way.
How is my document itself checked? Apostille and legalisation by country
A sworn translation confirms what your document says. It does not prove that the document is genuine. For that, the LEA or Standesamt may ask for an apostille, a legalisation or a verification. Which one depends on the country that issued your document, as this table shows.
| Country | Typical document (local name) | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Nüfus Kayıt Örneği (civil registry extract), often from e-Devlet | Apostille plus sworn translation. Formül A, B and C need neither (German Embassy in Turkey). |
| Ukraine | Свідоцтво про народження (birth certificate) | Apostille from the Ukrainian ministries; none for Crimean documents issued after 17 March 2014. |
| Russia | Свидетельство о браке (marriage certificate) from the ZAGS | Apostille from Russian justice or civil registry authorities. |
| Syria | إخراج قيد (Ikhraj Qaid, civil registry extract) | The German Embassy in Beirut legalises certain database extracts; otherwise the office decides. |
| Iraq | البطاقة الوطنية الموحدة (Unified National Card) | Legalisation suspended (German Embassy Baghdad); the office decides. |
| Afghanistan | Tazkira (national ID), Nikah-Khat (marriage certificate) | No legalisation possible; the office decides. |
| India | Birth or marriage certificate | An Indian apostille is not valid in Germany. The office may ask the German mission in India for a document verification. |
Standesamt in Berlin: which district?
Berlin has one Standesamt in each of its 12 districts. For a wedding, you go to the district where one of you lives. To register a baby, you go to the district where your baby was born, not where you live (service.berlin.de).
Berlin's service portal says documents not in German must be translated by a translator sworn in Germany. For births, it also says the Standesamt generally needs the original documents. So bring your originals – a Syrian family statement (بيان عائلي), a Russian birth certificate or an Afghan Nikah-Khat – together with our signed translation.
Converting your foreign licence in Berlin
In Berlin, the driving licence office is part of the LABO, and you usually apply at a Bürgeramt (citizens' office). The Berlin service portal says a translation is always needed if the licence is not in German or English. In case of doubt, the office decides (service.berlin.de).
- Turkey, Russia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, India: these countries are not on the Anlage 11 FeV list, so you need a theory and a practical test to convert.
- Ukraine: valid Ukrainian licences follow special rules. Since 18 August 2026, certain classes can be exchanged without tests. Check with the LABO.
Many Führerscheinstellen accept both an ADAC translation and a sworn translation, so check first. If the LABO asks for a sworn one, we translate the full card, front and back. See our driving licence translation page.
Doctors and nurses: recognition at LAGeSo
In Berlin, the LAGeSo handles recognition for health professions, including the licence to practise medicine (Approbation). Its nursing page says foreign documents must come with translations by translators sworn or authorised in Germany. Whether your degree is from Kyiv, Damascus or Chennai, we translate your degree certificate and transcripts as one set.
beglaubigte Übersetzung Berlin: what to send us
Usually a clear scan or photo of every page is enough, including the back side and the apostille. Some offices want the translator to see the original, so check your letter. Our team checks names, dates and stamps a second time. See how our process works.
Prices for your sworn translation in Berlin
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Document in English | from €39 |
| Document in Turkish, Arabic, Ukrainian, Russian, Dari, Pashto, Kurdish, Persian or an Indian language | from €49 |
| Citizenship set (birth + marriage certificate) | from €69 |
| Express (PDF in 1 working day) | + €15 |
| Extra signed paper copy | + €9 |
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.
You can also see all prices.
What our customers in Berlin say
Living somewhere else?
Living in another German city?
We work the same way everywhere in Germany, online and by post. If you move, or a family member lives elsewhere, see our pages on sworn translation in Munich, sworn translation in Frankfurt, sworn translation in Hamburg, sworn translation in Stuttgart and sworn translation in Cologne. Each page lists the local offices and what they may ask for.
Frequently asked questions about sworn translation in Berlin
Do I need a sworn translator who lives in Berlin?
No. A translator sworn by any German court can translate for Berlin offices. A sworn translation is valid throughout Germany. The office makes the final decision.
Can I bring my documents to your office in Berlin?
No, we have no office in Berlin. We work online and by post. You upload a scan or photo, and we post the signed original to your address.
Will the LEA accept a translation I had made in Turkey or Syria?
Usually not. German offices normally do not accept translations made abroad or by notaries abroad. They want a translation by a translator sworn by a German court.
My Ukrainian birth certificate is an old Soviet document in Russian. Can you translate it?
Yes. Older Ukrainian documents are often Soviet-era and in Russian, and we translate from both Russian and Ukrainian. The LEA decides whether it also needs an apostille or a newer extract.
What if my Iraqi or Afghan document cannot be legalised?
Legalisation of Iraqi documents is suspended, and Afghan documents cannot be legalised either. The Berlin office then decides at its discretion whether it accepts your document. We translate what you have, for example your Tazkira or Unified National Card.
Will the Standesamt in Berlin ask for my original documents?
Often yes. Berlin's service portal says the Standesamt generally needs original documents, for example for a birth. Bring your originals together with our signed translation.
Which Standesamt registers my baby's birth in Berlin?
The Standesamt of the district where your baby was born, not where you live. Our translation is the same for every district.
Get your Berlin documents ready
Upload your documents today and see your price before you pay. You can also get your fixed price online.
Questions? Email us: info@germantranslators.de