General Documents

When you arrive in Germany, you will be asked by authorities, employers and some service providers to present various documents and personal records.

In general, you will need to bring the following:

  • Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD or other university certificates
  • Other relevant credentials
  • Birth certificate
  • Marriage certificate (if applicable)

Bring originals and copies of all documents. German authorities want to see originals and keep a copy for their records.

All documents not issued in English or German have to be translated. In addition, the correctness of the translation has to be confirmed (authenticated) by a German diplomatic or consular authority in your home country or, if you are already in Germany, by a certified translator in Germany.

For visa applications, check with the German diplomatic or consular authority in your home country to find out what documents are required. Please be aware that you will have to bring some of the above documents for family members who are accompanying you as well.