What you need for Germany
Why people send Canadian documents to Germany
Each situation has its own requirements. Here are the ones we see most often, with the detail that avoids a refusal.
Getting married at a German Standesamt
To marry in Germany, the civil registry office (Standesamt) has to establish that you are free to marry under Canadian law. Canada does not issue a certificate of no impediment (Ehefähigkeitszeugnis), so the Standesamt sends your file to the president of the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht), who grants an exemption. The file usually includes your birth certificate, a sworn statement of your marital status made before a notary in Canada and, if you were married before, the previous marriage certificate and the final divorce order.
Registering a Canadian-born child's birth in Germany
A German parent can have their Canadian-born child's birth entered in the German register. The application goes through the responsible Consulate General and is then handled by Standesamt I in Berlin if the parent has never lived in Germany. You usually include the child's Canadian birth certificate showing the parents, both parents' birth certificates and, if applicable, the marriage certificate. The consulate notes that a Canadian birth certificate may need an apostille.
Having a degree or profession recognized
To work in a regulated profession (health care, teaching, engineering, skilled trades), you apply for recognition of your qualification (Anerkennung) with the competent authority. These authorities usually ask for plain copies, sometimes certified copies, and most documents must be translated into German by an authorized translator. In many cases no apostille is requested at all.
Joining a spouse or moving to Germany
Canadian citizens can enter Germany without a visa and apply for their residence permit directly at the foreigners' office (Ausländerbehörde) in their city. For family reunification, the office checks documents such as your marriage certificate or your children's birth certificates. The German missions point out that foreign public documents are verified by apostille and that any document that is neither in German nor in English must be translated into German.
Which Canadian authority apostilles your document
The authority depends on where in Canada the document was issued or notarized, never on where you live now or where the document is going. We confirm it at the free pre-check, before you send anything.
| Document | Canadian authority | Notary first? |
|---|---|---|
| Birth, marriage or death certificate | The province that issued it (Québec, Ontario, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan), or Global Affairs Canada for all others | No |
| RCMP criminal record check | Global Affairs Canada | No |
| Degree, diploma, transcript | The province of the institution | Often, depending on the province |
| Power of attorney, statutory declaration, affidavit | The province of the notary or lawyer | Yes, the notarial act is what gets apostilled |
| Corporate documents | The province of the registry, or Global Affairs Canada for Corporations Canada | Sometimes, depending on the document |
Do you need a translation for Germany?
German authorities usually ask for a translation done, preferably, by a translator who is sworn or authorized in Germany (öffentlich bestellt, beeidigt or ermächtigt). The German Federal Foreign Office says that whether a translation done abroad is accepted is up to each authority. For a Higher Regional Court exemption, the court sheets we reviewed require a full German translation by a translator authorized in Germany. Registry offices often accept English documents as they are, with no guarantee: the Standesamt can still ask for a translation.
Our advice: get the apostille first, then the translation, so the translator can cover the apostille if the authority wants it. For a marriage or a birth registration, using a translator authorized in Germany often saves you paying for a second translation. We can coordinate a certified translation once the receiving authority is confirmed.
Three mistakes that delay a file for Germany
Avoid this
A birth certificate without the parents' names
German registry offices work with certificates that show parentage, and the consulate asks for birth certificates that include the parents' details. A short-form certificate risks being refused, so order the long-form version before the apostille.
Avoid this
A document checklist written before 2024
Many checklists online still talk about legalization by a German consulate. That step no longer exists for Canadian documents: the apostille replaces it.
Avoid this
A Canadian translation that is not accepted
Each German authority decides whether it accepts a translation done abroad, and several require a translator authorized in Germany. A Canadian translation, even a certified one, may have to be redone at your expense. Ask for the rule before you order the translation.
Useful guides: Marrying abroad · Birth certificates · Apostille for a Canadian degree · Certified translation
Does Germany accept Canadian apostilles?
Can the German embassy still legalize my Canadian document?
Does my English document need a German translation?
Do I need an apostille to have my degree recognized in Germany?
How long do I have to register my child's birth in Germany?
Do my Canadian documents have to be less than six months old?
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