Certified German Translation in the UK
We translate German documents into English for use in the UK: visas and settlement, British passports, courts, universities and employers. Each translation is certified in the form UK authorities ask for and delivered as a PDF by email.
Documents come to us from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Send a photo or scan and you receive a quote by email, usually within 30 minutes during business hours. Standard single documents start from £30.
German documents we translate into English
German-language civil documents are precise and heavily abbreviated, and their legal terms rarely have a one-word English equivalent. We translate each document in full and keep the original term alongside where it helps the reader.
- Geburtsurkunde and Auszug aus dem Geburtenregister
- Heiratsurkunde, Eheurkunde and Familienbuch
- Scheidungsurteil or Scheidungsbeschluss, with the Rechtskraftvermerk
- Abiturzeugnis, Bachelor- and Masterurkunde, and Transcript of Records
- Führungszeugnis (certificate of good conduct)
- Führerschein, Personalausweis and Meldebescheinigung
- Arbeitszeugnis, Gehaltsabrechnungen and Steuerbescheid
- Handelsregisterauszug and notarial deeds
What UK authorities ask for
The Home Office asks for a full translation of every document that is not in English or Welsh, and it must be able to verify that translation independently. HM Passport Office, the courts and universities ask for certified translations too.
Home Office guidance says each translation must contain:
- Confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document
- The date of the translation
- The translator's full name and signature
- The translator's contact details
How we handle the details in German documents
The points that matter most in German documents are spelling, finality and grades:
- Umlauts and ß are written as they appear in your passport, where the machine-readable line shows AE, OE, UE and SS
- The Rechtskraftvermerk on a divorce decision, which shows that it is final, is always translated; UK authorities look for it
- Grades are translated as shown on the German scale, where 1.0 is the best mark, and are not converted into UK classifications
- Registry abbreviations, seals and the certifying officer's wording on a beglaubigte Abschrift are translated or described
UK ENIC and academic documents
UK ENIC's Translation Waiver Service covers German for an extra £49.20 (free with its Fast Track Service), so for a Statement of Comparability you can choose between the waiver and a certified translation.
The waiver applies to UK ENIC's own assessment only. A university, an employer, a professional regulator or the Home Office may still ask you for a certified translation of the same documents. These are UK ENIC's published terms for November 2026.
English to German, for use abroad
German authorities usually ask for a beglaubigte Übersetzung by a translator sworn in before a German regional court (a beeidigter or ermächtigter Übersetzer). A UK certified translation is generally not accepted in its place. Austria and Switzerland have their own court-certified translator systems.
Tell us the country and the authority when you ask for a quote, and we will tell you what it normally accepts.
Prices and turnaround
Standard single documents such as a birth certificate, an ID card or a driving licence start from £30. Longer documents are priced by word count, and you see the exact price before you pay.
You receive your quote by email, usually within 30 minutes during business hours, together with the delivery time for your document.
Get a Free Quote
Upload your German document and receive a free quote by email, usually within 30 minutes during business hours.
Frequently asked questions
Is your German to English translation accepted by the Home Office?
Yes. It carries what Home Office guidance asks for: the translator's confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document, the date, the translator's full name and signature, and contact details.
Do I need to send the original document?
No. A clear photo or scan is enough. Send every page that carries text, stamps or annotations, including the reverse side.
My country issues a multilingual certificate that includes English. Do I still need a translation?
Possibly not. German registry offices can issue an internationale Geburtsurkunde or Heiratsurkunde, a multilingual extract with English headings. Ask the UK authority whether it will accept that version before you order a translation; if it prefers the full national certificate, that one needs translating.
How much does a certified German translation cost?
Standard single documents start from £30. Longer documents are priced by word count. You receive the exact price by email before you pay.