Notarising UK documents in Germany
 

Hi guys,
I'm a Brit's spouse with access to the Internet (he hasn't :p). We're preparing our documents for our wedding...
His birth certificate from the UK is on the way to us but we need it notarised for the registry office "Standesamt". Is it possible to translate ourselves and get the "Notar" to notarise it or will we need to get it officially translated by some expensive translator and have this and the original copy from the UK certified "beglaubigt" by a German Notar? Basically we're looking for the cheapest option.
I couldn't find anything about this online at all. So hope to find a tip or two here. We live in the Munich area.
Thanks. :)

Re: Notarising UK documents in Germany
 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there isn't really a cheap option! We went through the same thing near Munich in 2002, and AT THAT TIME the requirements meant that you had to have a legally state recognised translator and notary do the work, for it to be legally accepted.

However, the rules change, and I suggest the most reliable way is to make an appointment to speak to your Beamte at the local Standesamt now, ahead of time and make him/her aware of the nationalities involved. Get them to list in writing what documents you need and what is acceptable. Ours provided us with a list of locally acceptable translators and notaries.

We were also required to get a statement of single status from the Landesamt, but that seemed to vary from region to region. All in all, the paperwork requirements were several hundred Euro.

Good luck.

Re: Notarising UK documents in Germany
 

Hi,
thanks for your reply. We got married last week. :thumbsup:
I did surf a bit more after I'd posted here and found an answer to my original question.

Translation of his birth certificate was done by a certified translator ("vereidigter Ãœbersetzer") in our region and cost 39 Euros.

Birth certificates can only be up to 6 months old. British Expats can apply to the British Embassy in Düsseldorf (even by e-mail), and they will take care of it. That's not expensive either. The spouse's doument took 2 weeks to arrive.

In hindsight it wasn't problematic at all and everybody, really everybody, tried to help us in every way the could. We therefore had a very smooth and wonderful little wedding at the Standesamt before the end of October as we'd intended to. :thumbup:

Re: Notarising UK documents in Germany
 

CONGRATULATIONS!! :wub: