How much a certificate costs in Germany
German fees are modest and tabulated — what is expensive in the Germany corridor are the edges: paying a €12 fee from abroad can cost more than the fee, and the sworn translation of German documents is among the priciest per page. The honest bill considers both.
The typical items
Typical figures — every Land and every city has its own table:
- Certificate (Urkunde): €10-15 per copy; the Registerausdruck (record copy) in the same range.
- Paying from abroad: an international transfer can add €10-30 in fees — the invisible cost of the remote request.
- Apostille: issued by the Land's designated authority (Regierungspräsidium, court or similar) — typically €15-25.
- Shipping Germany→Brazil: ~€15 (Einschreiben) to €50-80 (courier).
- Sworn translation at destination: German is among the most expensive languages per page — for a certificate with a Registerausdruck, expect a few hundred in local currency.
- A Stadtarchiv search (century-old records): many archives charge per half hour of research, plus the certified reproduction.
Where the bill surprises
- The small fee's exchange cost: a €12 fee + €25 in bank charges is a remote-request classic — and the economic argument for settling payments with someone local.
- Complete family records: proceedings asking for birth + marriage + death multiply everything by three — and each may sit at a different Standesamt.
- The old handwriting: a record in Kurrent may require specialised transcription before translation — an item nobody budgets in advance.
A sample bill
Geburtsurkunde + Registerausdruck (~€25) + apostille (~€20) + courier (~€60) + sworn translation at destination (a few hundred in local currency): the German side lands around €100; the destination side (translation) usually equals or exceeds it. With a Hand in the Standesamt's city, the local payment gets out of the way and the whole cycle fits into a few working days.
Frequently asked questions
Is the German apostille federal?+
No — each Land designates its apostilling authority, and it varies even by document type. The Standesamt knows which one applies to your case; it is the right question to ask in the request itself.
Can I avoid the sworn translation?+
For official use in Brazil, no. The international multilingual format (when available) helps in European uses, but Brazilian bodies require a sworn translation of a German document.
Informative content about request procedures. We do not cover citizenship or visa eligibility. Rules and amounts may change; always confirm before acting.