German Contract Translation
German contract translation for leases, purchase agreements, company agreements, AGB and notarial deeds from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, into certified English for a US court, bank, buyer or lawyer. We also translate US contracts into German for the other party.
- 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 legal contract records
Where German contracts differ from US ones
German contracts are shorter than US ones because the civil code fills the gaps, and the clauses lean on terms with no exact US match.
Notarial deeds
A real estate Kaufvertrag or a GmbH share transfer must be signed before a Notar, so it arrives as a notarielle Urkunde with a UR-Nr., the notary's roll number, and a closing note that the deed was read aloud, approved and signed. A US reader may take the Notar for a notary public. We translate the role as civil law notary and keep the roll number.
Clauses with German meanings
Gewährleistung is the statutory warranty and Garantie is a promise beyond it; mixing them up changes liability. The salvatorische Klausel is the severability clause. A Schriftformklausel requires changes in writing, and the Gerichtsstand names the court. We translate each by its legal effect and keep the German term in brackets where a lawyer will look for it.
Who signs for a German company
A GmbH signs through its Geschäftsführer, an AG through its Vorstand. A Prokurist signs with ppa. before the name, and other staff sign with i.V. or i.A., which carry less authority. A US lawyer checking whether the contract binds the company compares those signatures with the Handelsregisterauszug, so we translate the signature blocks and keep the abbreviations with an English gloss.
Who is asking for your German legal contract translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
Courts
A contract offered as evidence in a US court is filed with a complete English translation and a signed certification from the translator. Add notarization if the local rules ask for it.
USCIS
Employment contracts and leases filed with a visa petition need a complete English translation and a signed certification from the translator. No notarization is needed.
Banks and lenders
An underwriter reviewing a foreign lease, a purchase agreement or a loan contract accepts a certified translation they can read next to the original.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a German legal contract.
Send the signed version with every annex
Schedules, annexes and the signature page are part of the contract. Upload the executed copy so the translation shows the signatures, initials and dates.
Tell us the terms you already use
If your company translates a term a certain way, or a party name has an official English form, put it in the order notes. The translation follows your list.
Say where the translation is going
A contract going to a court, a lender or USCIS needs a complete translation with a signed certification. Say in the order notes who will read it.
Details and pricing
What is included in a German legal contract 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 legal contract 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 Legal Contract FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- What about the AGB on the back?
- Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen are the standard terms, often in small print on the reverse or in an annex. They count as part of the contract and are often where the dispute sits, so we translate them in full. Small print is dense, so the word count, not the sheet count, sets the price.
- Our contract is bilingual. Do you translate only the German side?
- Tell us which version governs. If the contract says the German text prevails, we translate that side and you can compare it with the English column. Where the two columns differ, we translate the German as written and do not copy the existing English.
- Can you translate a US contract into German?
- Yes, from English into German, for a German, Austrian or Swiss partner, landlord or employer. If the German version will be signed or filed with a court there, a lawyer in that country should review it, and some courts want a translator sworn locally.
- 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
Legal contract translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's legal contract records.
Sending it with an application? Read the Certified translations, Notarized translations before you order.