German Birth Certificate Translation
German birth certificate translation in both directions: a Geburtsurkunde from Germany, Austria or Switzerland into certified English for USCIS, or a US birth certificate into German for a citizenship by descent application. We read old register copies, including the handwriting on pre-war entries.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
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Written for German birth certificate records
Which German birth document do you have?
A Standesamt issues the same birth in three forms, and the one you hold decides what the translation can prove.
Geburtsurkunde or Registerausdruck
The Geburtsurkunde is a one-page extract: name, date and place of birth, sex, parents. The beglaubigter Ausdruck aus dem Geburtenregister is the full entry and adds the Folgebeurkundungen, the later changes written under it, such as an adoption, a name change or an acknowledgment of paternity. Before 2009 the full copy was an Abstammungsurkunde, and many adults still hold one. Each is one page at $25, and the translation names which one it is.
Internationale Geburtsurkunde
The mehrsprachige Geburtsurkunde, Formular A, prints its headings in several languages, English among them, but the entries, the Standesamt name, the Randvermerke and the stamp are German, and the US never joined the convention behind it. Most US recipients still ask for a certified translation. We translate the whole form, including the key of symbols on the back, and keep the English headings as printed.
Old entries, Sütterlin and Austria and Switzerland
A Geburtsurkunde issued before 1945, or a copy from the Geburtenbuch of a former German town, is often handwritten in Sütterlin or Kurrent, and we read the hand rather than guess at it. An Austrian Geburtsurkunde follows the same layout. A Swiss Geburtsschein or Geburtsurkunde from the Zivilstandsamt adds the Heimatort, the family's place of origin, which is not the birthplace, and the translation labels it so.
Who is asking for your German birth certificate translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
USCIS
USCIS asks for a complete English translation and a signed certification from the translator. No notarization is needed.
US passports and the Department of State
The Department of State wants the translation notarized. Add notarization at checkout and we handle the rest.
Consulates abroad
Consulates receive the translation of a US document, often with an apostille on the original. Tell us the consulate in your order notes.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a German birth certificate.
Scan the whole page
Include the back, the margins and any marginal notes. A later correction or a recognition of paternity is often written in the margin, and the recipient needs to see it translated.
Give us the English spelling of each name
If your passport or green card spells a name without an accent, tell us at checkout. The translation keeps the names as the certificate writes them and notes the spelling you use.
Order the format the recipient asked for
If they want the long form, send the long form. We translate what you upload and cannot add parents' details that a short-form extract leaves out.
Details and pricing
What is included in a German birth certificate translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the birth certificate is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
German Birth Certificate FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- I am applying for German citizenship by descent. Do you translate into German?
- Yes. Applications to the Bundesverwaltungsamt under § 5, § 15 or § 30 StAG are built from US birth, marriage and death certificates going back a generation or more, and the office wants each one in German. We translate the chain of certificates into German and keep every name spelled the same across them. Check the BVA checklist for your application, since some offices want the translator's details in a specific form.
- Does USCIS need a translation of an internationale Geburtsurkunde?
- Yes, in practice. The multilingual headings help a reader, but the entries, the issuing office, the Randvermerke and the seal are in German, and a part-English page is not a translated page. We translate the full form so the officer is not left reading German.
- My ancestor's birth record is from Breslau or Königsberg. Can you translate it?
- Yes. Records from the former eastern provinces now come as a copy from a Polish or Russian archive, often with a Polish or Russian cover certificate stapled to a German handwritten entry. We translate the German entry and the cover document together, give the town its historical German name and its current name, and mark anything the archive copy has made illegible.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other German documents we translate
Birth certificate translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's birth certificate records.
Sending it with an application? Read the USCIS translation requirements, Apostille service before you order.