Germany: notarial and documentary services guide
How someone in Germany can get documents legalised, witnessed or certified, take an oath, affirmation or affidavit and obtain informative notes on UK naming law
Overview
You can find general information on notarial and document services abroad, including advice on legalising documents, getting married, and registering a birth or death abroad.
The British consulates general and the British embassy in Berlin can only provide a very limited range of notarial and documentary services for British nationals in Germany.
Where local notaries public can provide services, the British consulates general and the British embassy will not provide them. This will be the case for the vast majority of notarial services requested.
Take a look at our list of English-Speaking Lawyers in Germany or our list of English-speaking Notaries in Germany. You can also search for an English-speaking Notary in Germany.
These professional bodies can generally provide services more cheaply, quickly and conveniently.
Services we provide in Germany
The British consulates general and British embassy in Berlin can only provide notarial services for British nationals in Germany where the requesting authority and the applicant can provide evidence that no other alternative is acceptable.
Where evidence can be provided, we can perform the following services by confirmed appointment only:
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Administer an oath, affirmation or affidavit
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Witness a signature – we do not handle wills or probate, power of attorneys, or witness deed polls. You must not sign the document before your appointment.
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Make a certified copy of a document, including British passports, Home Office registration/naturalisation certificates, British driving licenses and some British divorce decrees.
If you need your UK university degree certificate to be legalised (apostille), visit the Legalisation Office website for further information. The British consulates general and British embassy in Berlin cannot provide certified copies of educational certificates for legalisation purposes by the Legalisation Office. Visit the Higher Education Degree Datacheck website at www.hedd.ac.uk for further guidance.
For information about documents relating to marriage under local law, please see getting married abroad.
If you can’t find the service you are looking for on this page, please see other services provided by the British embassy in Berlin.
What to bring to your appointment
You must have a confirmed appointment before you come to the consulate or embassy. Once your appointment is confirmed, you will need to present the following documents on the day:
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Prepared documents – the consulate or embassy will not draft documents for you. You must have the document drawn up and/or checked by a professional.
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Proof of identity and proof of address – we accept British passports and national identity cards as proof of identity. We accept recent utility bills, bank/building society statements (not ones printed off the internet), or any official documents from the town authorities as proof of address.
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The correct fee – see the full list of consular fees and payment options.
If you fulfil the above requirements, you can request an appointment for a notarial service:
Berlin
Munich
Dusseldorf
Payment
We accept payment by credit or debit card (Visa, MasterCard only). See the full list of consular fees.
Other services we provide
Convert a civil partnership to marriage
This service is for couples who wish to convert an existing UK civil partnership into marriage.
We can convert UK civil partnerships formed between a British national and a national (including dual nationals) of any country except Germany. You must have been resident in Germany for 28 days.
Please read what you need to know about converting a civil partnership, and then make an appointment at the British embassy in Berlin to convert a civil partnership into marriage.
What to bring to your appointment
You must have a confirmed appointment before you come to the embassy. Once your appointment is confirmed, you will need to present the following documents on the day:
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your passport
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your partner’s passport;
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your original civil partnership certificate
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evidence of residence, such as an employer’s letter or bank statement
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the correct fee – see the list of fees
Services provided elsewhere
Legalise a UK document
Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on an official public document is genuine. It does not certify the authenticity of a document or give approval of its content. The Legalisation Office in the UK can legalise UK public documents such as birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. This is also known as an apostille.
The British consulates general and British embassy in Berlin cannot legalise UK public documents. You can find information on how to get your document legalised.
Life certificates
We no longer provide life certificates for British nationals claiming a British pension abroad. Please refer to the list of people working in a recognised profession who can do this for you.
Name change
An Informative note is required for a variety of notary and bureaucratic procedures in Germany. You can download the following Informative notes on change of name in the UK in German or English to show to the German authorities. This note cannot be personalised. It is not possible to change your name and/or surname by deed poll or declaration in Germany. You cannot change your name by deed poll if you’re a permanent resident overseas.
Data protection
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office holds and uses data for purposes notified to the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998. Such personal data may be disclosed to other UK government departments and public authorities.
Disclaimer
This information is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the embassy / consulate by the relevant authorities and may be subject to change at any time with little or no notice. Accordingly the FCDO and the British embassy / consulate will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information.
For all notarial and legalisation services it is the responsibility of the customer to ascertain the precise requirements of the person requesting the notarial or legalisation service and to satisfy themselves that the service provided by the embassy/consulate will be accepted.
Last updated 25 September 2023 + show all updates
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Content reviewed and updated.
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We have added information on how to legalise a UK document
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converting civil partnership to marriage information added
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updated booking options for customers
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Updated with new informative note
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Updated instructions for witnessing UK state pension life certificates.
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added informative note publications and consular district jpg
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First published.