Documents to bring to Germany: originals, apostilles and translations

• Bring originals of civil-status documents (birth, marriage, divorce), degree certificates and anything your visa or permit depends on. Keep them in your hand luggage.
• Certified copies. Some offices accept officially certified copies instead of originals. In Berlin, a Bürgeramt certifies copies for €5 per page (2026), but only if the original was issued by an authority or you need the copy for an authority. Birth, marriage and death certificates can only be certified by the office that issued them, and a foreign-language document must usually be accompanied by a German translation from a sworn translator.
• Translations. German authorities usually ask for translations by translators who are sworn or publicly appointed by a German court. The justice ministries of the federal states run a shared directory at justiz-dolmetscher.de where you can search by language and location. The Federal Foreign Office points out that a translation is not a public document, so it cannot itself receive an apostille or be legalised; the authentication goes on the original.
• Ask before you translate. Some offices accept documents in English or can work with other languages, and missions abroad have their own rules. Check with the office that will receive the document before paying for a translation.

Whether a foreign public document needs extra authentication depends on the country that issued it:

• Apostille. If the issuing country is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention in relation to Germany, a designated authority in that country attaches an apostille to the original. No German involvement is needed.
• Legalisation. If the issuing country is not a party, the document is legalised by the German embassy or consulate in that country, which confirms the signature and seal. The Federal Foreign Office notes that some countries require a pre-certification by their own authorities first.
• Document verification instead of legalisation. For a group of countries where the conditions for legalisation are not met, German missions have suspended it. The Federal Foreign Office list includes, for example, Afghanistan, Ghana, India, Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Syria. Instead, a German authority can ask the mission to check whether a document is genuine (Urkundenüberprüfung). This happens on request of the German authority, not the individual, and can take time.
• Neither, within the EU. Under EU Regulation 2016/1191, authorities in one EU country must accept public documents such as birth, marriage and residence documents issued in another EU country without an apostille. You can also ask the issuing country for a multilingual standard form to attach instead of a translation.
• Neither, under special agreements. Germany has bilateral agreements with Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland, and multilingual civil-status extracts issued under CIEC conventions are exempt from formalities.

The receiving German authority decides what it accepts. If in doubt, ask it in writing which form of authentication it needs for your country.

Visa application (abroad)

Passport, photos as specified by the mission, proof of your purpose (job offer, admission letter, marriage certificate), proof of funds or blocked account where required, health insurance, and degree certificates or recognition documents for work routes. The mission's own checklist is binding.

Address registration (Anmeldung)

Passport or ID card, the landlord's move-in confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) and the registration form. Service Berlin notes that for your first registration in Berlin you may also need civil-status documents such as marriage or birth certificates, which matters if you register as a family.

Residence permit (immigration office)

Passport, a digital biometric photo, your registration certificate, proof of health insurance and the documents behind your purpose of stay (employment contract, degree, recognition notice, admission letter, marriage certificate). Since 14 July 2025, LEA Berlin no longer accepts paper photos for electronic residence permits: bring a QR code from a certified photo studio, or use the photo terminal at LEA for €6.

Bank account and health insurance

Passport or ID card, usually your registration certificate, and for health insurance your employment contract or proof of enrolment. A basic account (Basiskonto) can also be opened without a fixed address, according to BaFin.

Renting a flat

ID, proof of income (employment contract, salary slips), and if possible a reference from your current landlord. You will not have a German credit report (SCHUFA) at first; see the rental application checklist.

Childcare and school

Children's birth certificates, recent school reports and proof of measles protection. Under the Measles Protection Act, children from their first birthday who attend a Kita or school, and staff in schools, childcare and health facilities born after 1970, must show a vaccination record or medical certificate.

Driving

Your licence and, for a licence from outside the EU/EEA that is not in German, a translation or an international driving permit. Section 29 of the Driving Licence Ordinance allows a non-EU licence for six months after you take up residence.

Recognition of qualifications

Degree certificates, transcripts and proof of professional experience, often as certified copies with certified translations. Requirements vary by profession and responsible body.

• Passport, visa and a second form of ID if you have one
• Birth certificate (and for each family member), recent issue if your country dates certificates
• Marriage, partnership or divorce certificates
• Degree certificates, transcripts, vocational certificates, employer references
• Employment contract or offer letter; admission letter for students
• Proof of health insurance for the first weeks
• Vaccination records, including measles proof for children; copies of prescriptions and relevant medical reports
• Driving licence and translation or international permit
• Recent bank statements, and proof of your blocked account if you have one
• For pets: microchip record, vaccination certificate and health certificate
• For shipped goods: an inventory list and the customs declaration for removal goods
• Scans of all of the above in a secure cloud folder