When people move from one country to another, they often face the problem that their documents are not readily accepted. In most cases, however, a simple translation is not enough. There are precise regulations on what is required in order to use domestic documents abroad: Either an apostille or a legalization—certificates of recognition are required. For example, if you want to have your child’s German birth certificate recognized in Ukraine, you need an apostille. “With the apostille, the German public document is recognized directly abroad,” explains Sebastian Wiest, spokesman for the Tübingen Regional Court for Civil Matters, when asked by tuenews INTERNATIONAL. This means that the Ukrainian government can be sure that the German document is correct. Apostilles are a kind of simplified procedure between countries that have acceded to the Hague Convention of 1961. These are more than 100 countries worldwide, including Ukraine and Turkey, but not Syria, Afghanistan or Iran. For some EU states and Switzerland, there are further simplifications in Germany.
If documents are now used in a country that has not acceded to the Hague Convention of 1961, the owner of the document requires legalization. “In this case, the German authorities notarize the documents beforehand,” says Wiest. Applicants must then go to the consulate of the country in which the document is to be used. There, the document is then “legalized”, i.e. “over-certified”, as it is called in official German. Only then can it be used in the country. This procedure is required, for example, for people from Syria, Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan and some other countries.
There are different responsibilities for different types of documents: “The Regional Court of Tübingen is only responsible for certifying documents from the courts in our regional court district (Tübingen, Reutlingen, Bad Urach, Münsingen, Rottenburg, Nagold and Calw) as well as the notary’s offices in the regional court district,” the press office explains. It can take up to three weeks for an application to be processed. For other documents, the offices that issued them will help. The costs for an apostille start at 30 euros, depending on the document and country. The respective regional council is responsible for administrative documents. There are also agencies that handle the entire procedure. However, this incurs additional costs. The consular missions of the countries in which an apostille or legalization is to be recognized are also the point of contact.
If foreign documents are to be recognized in Germany, the procedure is similar in principle. However, problems arise because, for example, refugees cannot easily travel to their country of origin to initiate the legalization process. The German Embassy in Tehran describes the alternatives available for Iran, for example:
https://teheran.diplo.de/ir-de/-/2402396
Further information can be found on the website of the Tübingen Regional Court:
https://landgericht-tuebingen.justiz-bw.de/pb/,Lde/Startseite/Service+_+Wegweiser/Apostillen+_+Legalisationen
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