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citizenship translations - certified English German translator for German naturalisation documents

Certified translation › German citizenship

Naturalisation document translation for German citizenship.

Naturalisation document translation for German citizenship (§10 StAG) is €59 per certificate, produced by a sworn, court-authorised German translator. Your local naturalisation authority (Einbürgerungsbehörde) wants birth, marriage and identity records as certified German translations, with names identical across the whole file. This guide lists exactly which documents to submit. Fixed price includes certification and shipping.

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§10 StAG · certified translations for the naturalisation office · court-authorised translators · DIN EN ISO 17100

DIN EN ISO 17100registered · Reg. 7U517
Court-authorisedSection 142 (3) ZPO
Price up frontbinding fixed price
ConfidentialGDPR-compliant · NDA on request

Short & clear

Which foreign-language papers need a certified German translation under § 10 StAG.

Reviewed by specialists · termbase editorial team

For an application under Section 10 of the Nationality Act (StAG), every foreign-language document you file must come with a certified German translation — typically your birth certificate, and, depending on your situation, your marriage or divorce certificate, foreign police record, and qualification certificates. The naturalisation office (Einbürgerungsbehörde) relies on the German version, so it has to be produced by a court-authorised translator with a certification note.

Since the 2024 reform of the StAG you can be naturalised after five years of lawful residence (three with an exceptional level of integration and C1 German), with B1 German, a passed naturalisation test and the ability to support yourself and your dependants. The translations do not change those requirements — they simply make your foreign documents usable. This guide lists exactly what to translate and how.

Step by step

The § 10 StAG conditions the naturalisation office checks after the 2024 reform.

These are the entitlement conditions under Section 10 StAG, in the form the naturalisation office checks them. Each foreign document that proves one of them needs a certified translation.

Residence: five years lawful, three with C1 German

Five years of lawful, habitual residence in Germany — reduced to three for an exceptional level of integration with C1 German. Proven by your residence permit and registration record.

Language: German at CEFR level B1

A sufficient command of German at CEFR level B1. A foreign language certificate or school report is filed with a certified translation.

The Life in Germany test: 33 questions, 17 correct

The "Life in Germany" test — 33 questions, 60 minutes, at least 17 correct. School certificates can substitute; foreign ones are translated.

Secure livelihood, without SGB II/XII benefits

You can support yourself and your family without benefits under SGB II/XII. Foreign income or pension documents are translated where required.

Do children and spouses need their own documents?

Yes. Family members included in your application (co-naturalisation of a spouse or minor children) each need their own certified documents — usually a birth certificate, and for a spouse the marriage certificate. We handle a family set together so names and dates stay consistent across every document.

Documents you must translate

What the naturalisation office asks for: birth record, police certificate, diplomas, income.

Your naturalisation office issues the definitive list, but this is the set applicants are asked for most often. Each foreign-language item needs a certified German translation; each is linked to the page that handles it.

Documents commonly required for German naturalisation and where each is handled
DocumentWhy the office needs itHandled by
Birth certificateIdentity, parentage, correct name and date of birthBirth certificate guide · certified translation
Marriage / divorce certificateCivil status, name history, co-naturalisation of a spouseCertified translation
Foreign police clearance certificateProof of no relevant criminal recordCertified translation
Diplomas, school & vocational certificatesMay substitute the language or naturalisation test; integrationCertified translation · academic
Income, pension & employment recordsSecure livelihood without state benefitsLegal & business
Passport & residence-status pagesIdentity and lawful residence periodCertified translation

Apostille & legalisation

Authenticating civil-status documents: apostille, EU 2016/1191 form, or legalisation.

Reviewed by specialists · termbase editorial team

Often, yes. Naturalisation offices frequently ask for civil-status documents (birth, marriage) to be authenticated, so their genuineness is beyond doubt. Where the issuing country is party to the Hague Convention, that is done with an apostille — issued only by the competent authority in that country, not by a translation agency. termbase does not issue apostilles; we translate the document and the apostille once you have it.

If your documents are from another EU member state, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 removes the apostille for many public documents and provides multilingual standard forms that can spare a translation. For documents from outside the Hague system, legalisation via the German mission may apply. Because practice varies between offices, confirm the required route with your naturalisation authority before ordering.

Languages & origin countries

Arabic, Turkish, Ukrainian, Russian — and the court-authorised translators assigned.

Germany naturalised record numbers of people in recent years, and the documents reflect where new citizens come from. termbase assigns a native-speaker, court-authorised translator for each of these.

Largest groups: Arabic, Turkish, Ukrainian, Russian

  • Arabic (Syria, Iraq)
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Russian

Middle East and Asia: Persian, Kurdish, Hindi, Vietnamese

  • Persian / Dari
  • Kurdish
  • Hindi
  • Vietnamese

Europe and the Balkans: Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Bulgarian

  • Polish
  • Romanian
  • Serbian
  • Bulgarian

Africa: Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya — plus English

Common pitfalls

Five inconsistencies that send a citizenship file back to the applicant.

Naturalisation is document-heavy and offices are strict on consistency. These are the recurring translation issues that send a file back — and how a certified, court-authorised translation prevents them.

Common naturalisation translation pitfalls and how they are avoided
PitfallWhy it goes wrongHow termbase solves it
Name inconsistent across documentsThe birth, marriage and police certificates transliterate the same name three different ways; the office cannot tie them together.We translate a family set as one project and fix a single passport-matched spelling used on every document.
Transliteration not matching the passportA name from Arabic, Cyrillic or another script is rendered by sound, diverging from the ID and triggering a query.Names are transliterated by the rules and matched exactly to your passport, character for character.
Document authenticated, but not translatedThe apostille or foreign stamp is present but left in the original language, so the office cannot read it.Apostilles, stamps and marginal notes are translated too, so the whole document is usable.
Certificate certified abroad, not in GermanyA translation stamped in the home country is filed; the German office requires a translator authorised in Germany.Certification is by a translator authorised by a German court under Section 142 (3) ZPO — recognised nationwide.
Outdated civil-status extractAn old birth or marriage extract predates a name change or correction, so it conflicts with newer records.We advise which current extract to obtain and translate it, keeping dates and names consistent with your file.

One spelling, running cleanly through the whole file

Naturalisation offices reward consistency. When one spelling of your name runs cleanly through every certified document, and each foreign stamp is legible in German, the file moves. Scattered spellings and untranslated seals are what create the back-and-forth.

Citizenship files are won on consistency, not on paperwork volume.

So: one passport-matched spelling of your name, on every certified document in the file.

Quote & price

What a whole citizenship package costs: one binding fixed price.

We review your document set, the languages and the field and name a binding fixed price for the whole naturalisation package. Personal certificates are usually a flat fee per document; longer texts are per standard line — certification, an advance PDF and postal delivery included.

Binding fixed price
from € 0.89 / standard linestandard certificates at a flat fee per document
Price up front · no unannounced extra costs
Certified translation by a court-authorised translator✓included
Certification note, stamp and signature (recognised nationwide)✓included
Passport-matched spelling of names✓included
Advance PDF & postal delivery of the hard copy✓included
Quality management & final check✓included

Standard civil-status certificates are usually a flat fee per document; longer documents are priced per standard line (55 characters incl. spaces), from € 0.89. We name the exact amount after a brief review. How the price is made up →

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Sources & legal basis

Sources: the Nationality Act (StAG) Section 10, BAMF, Section 142 (3) ZPO, EU 2016/1191.

Every legal and procedural claim on this page is tied to a primary, verifiable source — German law in its official English translation, the responsible federal authorities and the relevant EU/Hague instruments. Acceptance of any individual document is always decided by the receiving authority.

FAQ

What applicants ask the naturalisation office — and ask us.

Which documents do I need to translate for German naturalisation?

Most commonly your birth certificate, and depending on your case a marriage or divorce certificate, a foreign police clearance certificate, diplomas or school certificates, and proof of income. Every foreign-language document filed with a §10 StAG application needs a certified German translation; your office issues the definitive list.

What are the requirements for German citizenship since the 2024 reform?

Under Section 10 StAG: five years of lawful residence (three with an exceptional level of integration and C1 German), B1 German, a passed naturalisation test, and the ability to support yourself and your dependants without state benefits. Certified translations make your foreign documents usable but do not change these conditions.

Does my foreign birth certificate need an apostille for naturalisation?

Often. Offices frequently require civil-status documents to be authenticated. An apostille is issued only by the competent authority in the issuing country — termbase does not issue apostilles. For EU documents, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 often removes it. Confirm with your office.

Can a translation certified by a translator in my home country be used?

Usually not. The German office generally requires a translation certified by a translator authorised in Germany under Section 142 (3) ZPO. One certified abroad may need an apostille on the certification, or may not be accepted — check before ordering.

How do you keep names consistent across all my documents?

We translate your documents as one project and fix a single spelling of each name, matched to your passport, then use it on the birth, marriage, police and other certificates. That consistency is what prevents queries from the naturalisation office.

How much does translating a naturalisation document set cost?

Personal certificates are usually a flat fee per document; longer texts are per standard line of 55 characters, from € 0.89. After reviewing your set we name a single binding fixed price for the package — certified PDF and postal hard copies included. How the price is made up →
The German certificate of conduct only shows what happened in Germany, so my Pakistani one was asked for as well. termbase translated both, plus the birth and marriage certificates, in one order and to one deadline. Nothing came back for a correction.
★★★★★

Zainab Malik · pharmacist, Islamabad (Pakistan) · naturalisation file → immigration office

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