German Death Certificate Translation
German death certificate translation for settling an estate, claiming life insurance or applying for survivor benefits in the US. We translate the Sterbeurkunde from a German or Austrian Standesamt, the Swiss Todesschein and the probate papers that travel with them, and US death certificates into German.
- 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 death certificate records
What a German death record shows, and what it leaves out
A US death certificate prints the cause of death. A German Sterbeurkunde does not, and US insurers are sometimes surprised by that.
Sterbeurkunde and Todesbescheinigung
The Sterbeurkunde from the Standesamt gives the name, the date, time and place of death, the last address and the marital status, with the spouse named. The cause of death is on the Todesbescheinigung, the doctor's form that goes to the health office and stays confidential. If a life insurer needs the cause, it usually comes from the hospital or the treating doctor, and we translate that report too.
Erbschein and the Nachlassgericht
Heirs prove their right to an estate with an Erbschein from the Nachlassgericht at the local Amtsgericht, or with the opened will and the court's Eröffnungsprotokoll. US banks and brokers holding the deceased's accounts often ask for the Erbschein beside the death certificate. It names each heir and their share as a fraction, zu 1/2 or zu 1/4, which we keep as written.
Austrian and Swiss estates
In Austria a notary acting as Gerichtskommissär runs the Verlassenschaftsverfahren, and the court closes it with an Einantwortungsbeschluss that hands the estate to the heirs. Swiss heirs receive an Erbbescheinigung from the authority at the last domicile, which differs by canton. Each has its own wording, and we translate the title as printed rather than forcing it into the German term.
Who is asking for your German death 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.
Insurers and Social Security
Life insurance and survivor benefit claims accept a certified translation. Add the medical certificate if the claim turns on the cause of death.
Courts and consulates abroad
A probate court or a consulate handling a repatriation or an estate usually wants the original apostilled and the translation certified or notarized.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a German death certificate.
Send the civil record, not only the medical form
The registry act is the document recipients ask for. Add the doctor's certificate as a second file if an insurer or a court wants the cause of death.
Include the reverse and the stamps
Issue stamps, the registrar's signature and folio numbers often sit on the back or at the edge. Photograph both sides flat with the whole page in frame.
Give us the names as they appear elsewhere
Tell us the English spelling of the deceased and of the spouse or parents named on the record, so the translation matches the petition, policy or probate file it joins.
Details and pricing
What is included in a German death 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 death 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 Death Certificate FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- Can you translate a US death certificate into German for a pension or probate?
- Yes. A widow or widower claiming a Witwenrente or Witwerrente from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung sends the US death certificate, and a German Nachlassgericht asks for one when a US resident leaves property in Germany. A Nachlassgericht may insist on a translator sworn in Germany, and we are not one. The Rentenversicherung's letter usually says what it accepts.
- My relative died in Germany decades ago. Where is the record?
- Ask the Standesamt of the place of death first. Death entries older than 30 years move from the Standesamt to the town or state archive, which issues a copy from the old Sterbebuch instead of a modern Sterbeurkunde. We translate either, including the marginal notes about later corrections.
- Which pages does a US life insurer usually want?
- The Sterbeurkunde, and often the Erbschein or the Austrian Einantwortungsbeschluss to show who may collect. If the policy has an accident or suicide clause, the insurer will want the medical cause, which means a hospital report. Notarization is available as an add-on if the insurer asks for it.
- 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
Death certificate translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's death certificate records.
Sending it with an application? Read the Inheritance claim translations, Insurance claim translations before you order.