Marriage Certificate Translation for Germany

Which procedure needs it, and who receives it

In Germany the marriage certificate is requested for family reunification, for entering the marriage in the German register and in surname matters; the bodies concerned are the Standesamt and the Ausländerbehörde. For a marriage contracted in Türkiye to be recognised in Germany, a birth certificate and identity documents are usually submitted alongside the marriage certificate, so it is worth establishing in advance which document set is wanted. Because the documents are read together, the spouses’ names must be written the same way on the marriage certificate, on the birth certificate and in the passport.

A difference in spelling makes it harder to match up the parties to the marriage. The translation carries names and identity data across in a way that is consistent with the official documents, without interpretation.

Annotations of a previous marriage or a divorce

Where one of the spouses has married and divorced before, this may appear as an annotation in the civil registry record, and the Standesamt wants to see that the previous marriage has ended. The translation carries these divorce or death annotations across in full; leaving one out makes it harder to prove that the person is free to marry again. The dates in the annotations are also carried across with the month spelled out so that day and month cannot be confused, since the date on which the previous marriage ended matters for the validity of the new application. A separate divorce decree is translated where necessary, but that document covers different ground from the marriage certificate.

Its relationship with the certificate of capacity to marry

In German marriage procedures a document showing that a person is free to marry, the certificate of capacity to marry (evlenme ehliyet belgesi), often comes up alongside the marriage certificate, and the Standesamt may ask for it as a separate document. The two do not stand in for one another: one shows a marriage that has taken place, the other the capacity to marry. The translation carries each document across with its own identity and does not make one resemble the other. Where the documents are submitted together, the spouses’ names, the dates and the place details must be consistent across all of them; a different spelling on one document makes it harder to match up the parties. Finding out from the Standesamt in advance which document set is required prevents an application being made with a document missing, and allows the translation to be prepared with the right scope in a single pass. Each translation is bound to its own source and submitted together with the verification features.

The marriage register extract and the multilingual copy

For a marriage, Turkish civil registry offices can issue both the standard extract from the marriage register and the multilingual (formula B) international marriage certificate. Because the multilingual copy shows the standard fields in several languages, some German offices may accept it without asking for a separate translation; in some cases, though, the Standesamt will still want a sworn translation. It is therefore worth asking in advance whether the multilingual copy is accepted. If it is not, the standard document is translated.

The married surname (Namensführung) wording

The most critical field on a marriage certificate in Germany is which surname the spouses will use in the marriage; the Standesamt looks for this information (Namensführung) in order to register it. However a change of surname or the spouses’ choice of surname is expressed in the Turkish document, the translation must carry it across in full and without interpretation. Whether the wife keeps the surname she had before the marriage, takes her husband’s surname or uses a combined form, it is translated in whatever way it appears on the document; wording about a surname that is left out or rendered wrongly causes problems at registration directly.

Date format and consistency of identity

Spelling the month out in the date of marriage prevents day and month being confused. The spelling of the spouses’ given names and surnames must match their passports exactly; inconsistent conversion of Turkish special characters breaks the identity match. The place of marriage is kept under its original name and the register numbers are carried across exactly. This consistency allows the Standesamt to verify the document quickly.

The order of certification, and common mistakes

The order runs: official copy of the marriage certificate, apostille where required, then translation including the apostille. An official translation in Germany must carry the stamp of a court-sworn translator (öffentlich bestellter und beeidigter Übersetzer). Common mistakes:

• Translating the surname (Namensführung) wording incompletely, or interpreting it.
• Not asking whether the multilingual copy is accepted.
• Obtaining the apostille after the translation.

Germany is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; confirm the current position on the official HCCH list. You can see the level of certification required for other documents on our document types page, review the cost on our pricing page, and upload your document for a quote. Institutional practice can change, so verify from an official source before you apply.