Death Certificate Translation for Germany

The Standesamt and the Sterbeurkunde context

In Germany, civil status is updated through the Standesamt; when an estate or a widow’s or orphan’s pension has to be resolved, that office looks for the document showing that the death has been officially recorded. A Turkish death registry extract is not the equivalent of a German Sterbeurkunde; it is a foreign record proving the same fact, and in translation it is not equated with a Sterbeurkunde. The title of the document, the civil registry directorate that issued it and the information it carries are all rendered as they stand; the identity of the deceased, the date of death and the place of death are preserved in full, because the Standesamt assesses the record on the basis of that information.

The document rarely travels alone; in an estate file it is used together with the certificate of inheritance, in a pension file together with the social security paperwork. In such files the name of the deceased and the date data are expected to match the other documents exactly; a single difference in the Latin-script spelling weakens the impression that the file relates to one and the same person, and the matter is left waiting.

The CIEC multilingual standard-form extract

Documents relating to civil status events may be issued in a standard multilingual form under an international convention (CIEC), and a death record can be obtained as a multilingual standard-form extract on that basis. Because this form sets out its fields pre-printed in several languages, it can often be used in countries party to the convention, Germany among them, without a translation being required as well; that saves both time and a step in the process. If such an extract can be obtained, ask the relevant Standesamt or the authority handling the matter whether a separate sworn translation is still needed; the choice is made at the outset, according to the proceeding the document is intended for.

It should not be assumed that a multilingual extract will be accepted in every case; certain proceedings may still call for a sworn translation of the monolingual extract. Which route holds good depends on the nature of the matter and on the authority concerned, so this point is clarified in advance. Where a translation is required, the person’s name, the date and place of death and the details of the issuing authority are all carried across in full.

Date and place format, and consular registration

At the core of a death certificate lie the identity of the deceased and the date and place of death. These are factual identifiers and are rendered faithfully to the source format; a date format that becomes muddled, or a place of death written incorrectly, can affect rights and time limits that turn on when and where the death occurred. If the death took place abroad and was registered with the civil registry through a Turkish consulate, that chain of registration on the document is also reflected accurately.

Where the death also bears on a family record held in Germany, the Standesamt amends the marriage or family register entry accordingly; at that stage the death certificate is expected to carry the same name and date data as the marriage record and the certificate of inheritance. A single inconsistency between the documents can put the request for amendment on hold. Where repatriation of the deceased or an international notification is involved, the document moves in step with consular and medical paperwork; in such a difficult period, preparing the papers in a coordinated way from the start keeps delays to a minimum.

• Do not equate the Turkish registry extract with a Sterbeurkunde; render the issuing authority as it stands.
• Confirm with the authority whether the multilingual standard-form extract is accepted.
• Render the date and place of death faithfully to the source format.

Certification: apostille and the sworn translator

Because a death registry extract originates with the civil registry, an apostille, where one is needed, is obtained not from the courthouse but from the governor’s office or the district governor’s office; confusing the competent authority holds the file up. A translation submitted for official use in Germany bears the stamp of a court-sworn translator (öffentlich bestellter und beeidigter Übersetzer), whereas a separate translation is in most cases unnecessary once a multilingual standard-form extract is used. Germany is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; confirm the current position from the official HCCH list. You can handle the matter through our single office in Ankara Kızılay, see the cost on our pricing page and request a quotation by uploading your document. This page is for general information; please confirm the required form of the document with the relevant Standesamt or the authority handling the matter.