Certified copies of documents Certification of copies of official documents by a German notary under German law
Certified copies, ready to submit to any authority — We handle the full cycle, from receiving the originals to handing over the certified copies
Notarial certification of document copies under German law confirms that the copy fully matches the original presented. Without the notary's seal and signature, many German educational institutions, consulates and public authorities do not accept copies of documents: they require a duplicate certified specifically by a German notary.
If copies are not certified by a German notary, the university or authority may reject your application documents, which will delay your admission, visa or registration. Moreover, you should not send original documents to universities – in most cases they simply won't return them.
Who this service is for
Applicants and students planning to apply to or transfer to a German university who need copies of school-leaving certificates, diplomas and other certificates certified under German law.
Visa and residence permit applicants dealing with German consulates or immigration authorities, where copies of documents with a notary's seal are required.
Employees and professionals who need certified copies of employment contracts, reference letters, certificates and other documents to submit to an employer or authority.
Organisations and legal representatives who need the authenticity of copies confirmed by a German notary in accordance with local law.
What the result is built on
What's included
- Receipt and registration of the original document
- Making a copy on German-format paper
- Notarial certification of the copy by a German notary
- Quality control of the printing, notarial details and signatures
- Return of the original and handover of the certified copies for collection
- Arranging delivery of the original to Germany (can be ordered separately)
- Translation of the original document (ordered separately)
- Apostille and legalisation (separate service)
- Delivery of the certified copies to a university or other institution with tracking (ordered separately)
- Delivery of the certified copies and originals by courier service (ordered separately)
A fixed price per certified copy, including the notary's work and the handling of the original
From request to result
Handing over the originals
You hand over the originals of the required documents to us (yourself or via a reliable courier service). We register them and photograph them for our records.
Making the copies
Our representative scans the documents to a high standard and prints the copies on paper of the recommended format.
Notarial certification
The copies are presented to a German notary: the notary compares the copy with the original and adds a seal, signature and official details.
Quality control
We check that all the required notarial details are present, that the seal is correct and that there are no errors in the text of the copies.
Return of originals and copies
The originals are returned to you together with the certified copies. On request, they are sent by courier or can be collected from our office.