Certified translation › Divorce certificate
Divorce decree translation is €59 per document from a sworn, court-authorised German translator, accepted by the Standesamt for remarriage in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The authority needs the final decree with its finality endorsement (Rechtskraftvermerk), case number and court seal translated in full. Recognition of the divorce itself is separate — automatic for EU judgments, otherwise via the regional justice authority — and this guide compares both. Fixed price includes certification and shipping.
Court-authorised (sworn) translators · finality endorsement & case reference number in full · apostille for court documents via the Regional Court president · Section 107 FamFG for foreign divorces · price includes postage
Short & clear
For submission to an authority in another language area: yes, in almost every case. What's usually required is not a short "divorce certificate" but the final divorce decree or judgment bearing its finality endorsement. A certified (Germany, Austria) or notarised (Switzerland) translation renders the decree, the finality endorsement and the case reference number in full. Recognising a divorce granted abroad is a separate legal procedure — see the comparison below.
One distinction matters: the translation makes the decree legible — recognition of a divorce granted abroad is a separate procedure under Section 107 FamFG. We help you sort out both, and translate only what your case actually needs.
When is it needed?
A divorce almost always turns on marital status — and on whether remarriage is possible. These are the procedures that call for a certified translation.
Court & apostille
The divorce decree is issued by the family court (a division of the local court, Amtsgericht). If it needs to be used abroad, the receiving authority often requires an apostille — and for court documents, that apostille is issued by the President of the Regional Court (Landgericht) whose district the family court sits in, not by the state authority responsible for civil-status certificates. termbase does not issue apostilles, but we tell you which office is responsible and in what order.
The reverse case: a divorce granted abroad only takes effect in Germany once it has been recognised under Section 107 FamFG — the competent body is the state judicial administration, often the President of the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht). EU divorces from 1 August 2022 onward are generally recognised under the Brussels IIb Regulation (EU) 2019/1111 without a separate recognition procedure; that relies on a court certificate, which we translate along with the decree.
Without finality, a divorce decree is just a piece of paper.
That's why we translate the finality endorsement, case reference number and court seal in full.
Where the value lies
Court documents fail on formalities: a missing finality endorsement, a mistyped case reference number, a legal term forced into the wrong system. The most frequent causes — and how we solve them.
| Pitfall | Why it matters | How termbase solves it |
|---|---|---|
| Finality endorsement left untranslated | Without finality, the divorce has no legal effect; the receiving authority rejects the decree. | The finality endorsement is translated explicitly; if it's missing from the original, we flag that. |
| Case reference number mistyped | The court's case reference identifies the proceedings — a transposed digit makes the file untraceable. | Case references and file numbers are carried over exactly, in their original position. |
| "Judgment" confused with "decree" | Since 2009, German divorces are issued as a decree (Beschluss), not a judgment — the wrong term reads as an error. | We use the term that matches the procedure and the German legal system, not a literal guess. |
| Foreign legal concepts forced into German terms | Concepts like "decree nisi/absolute" or foreign custody and property regimes change meaning if translated word for word. | The concept is translated with its meaning intact and explained, without implying a German legal institution that doesn't exist. |
| Recognition confused with translation | A translated foreign divorce is not automatically recognised in Germany — remarriage then fails at the registry office. | We separate the two clearly: we deliver the translation; the state judicial administration runs recognition under Section 107 FamFG. |
| Seal & signatures left out | Without a description of the court seal and signature, the translation is incomplete. | Seals, stamps and signatures are described and translated; anything illegible is marked as such. |
| Germany | Austria | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Document translated | Final divorce decree (Scheidungsbeschluss/-urteil) with finality endorsement (Rechtskraftvermerk) | Final Bezirksgericht decree (Beschluss or Urteil) with finality endorsement (Rechtskraftvermerk) | Final divorce judgment (Scheidungsurteil) from the Bezirksgericht/Regionalgericht with finality endorsement (Rechtskraftbescheinigung) |
| Certified by | Court-authorised translator (ermächtigter Übersetzer) | Court-sworn translator (allgemein beeideter und gerichtlich zertifizierter Dolmetscher) | A translator signs to certify accuracy; a Swiss notary then certifies that signature |
| Legal basis (translation) | § 142 (3) ZPO | § 14 SDG | Cantonal notarial practice |
| Recognition of a foreign divorce | Section 107 FamFG — competent body: state judicial administration / President of the Oberlandesgericht | Austrian civil-procedure law (generally not required for an EU divorce) | Swiss private-international-law rules |
| Apostille (court document) | Issued by the President of the Regional Court (Landgericht) where the family court sits | Issued by the president of the Landesgericht where the Bezirksgericht sits | Issued by the cantonal Staatskanzlei where the deciding court sits |
The translation makes the decree legible; recognising a divorce granted abroad is always a separate procedure from the translation itself.
Two separate steps: we make the decree legible and fit to submit through a certified translation. Whether a foreign divorce counts for a German registry office is decided by the recognition procedure under Section 107 FamFG — we tell you which documents that procedure needs.
Use cases
Remarriage, correcting your status, or a foreign procedure — the purpose determines the form and whether you need an apostille.
Remarrying abroad
Divorce granted abroad
EU case
How it works
You upload a complete scan of the final decree — every page, the finality endorsement and the case reference number included. We review the scope and language direction and name a binding fixed price. Once you approve it, a court-authorised translator translates it true to form and layout.
You receive the translation as a PDF in advance and the certified original afterwards by post. On request, we also clarify what your case needs for the apostille and — for a foreign divorce — for recognition.
Quote & price
Short divorce certificates are usually billed as a flat fee per document; multi-page decrees with full reasoning are priced per standard line. After a quick review we name a binding fixed price — certification, an advance PDF and postal delivery included.
| Certified translation by a court-authorised translator | ✓included |
| Certification note, stamp & signature | ✓included |
| Advance PDF for your review | ✓included |
| Postal delivery of the certified original | ✓included |
| Specialist quality check & final review | ✓included |
Standard certificates are usually a flat fixed price; longer documents from € 0.89 per standard line (55 characters incl. spaces). We confirm the exact amount after a quick review. How the price is made up →
Common occasions for this translation: family reunion · marrying in Germany. Both cover the full document set, including procedures and deadlines.
Sources & legal basis
All legal statements above are backed by primary sources. The receiving authority always decides recognition in the individual case.
FAQ
My judgment came with the reasons, the operative part and the certificate of finality, and I assumed the last page would do. The registrar wanted all of it in German, the finality note included. termbase translated the complete decision and kept the court's own section headings, and it was accepted as filed.
Camila Ferreira Lopes · project manager, São Paulo (Brazil) · divorce judgment → registry office
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