Information on document certification and translation

Officially certified copies of relevant certificates, diplomas and other documentation issued overseas are required for applying for a place to study at FAU as well as for enrollment. This is the only way we can ensure that the copies you submit to us are identical with the original documents. You must also provide officially certified translations of any original documents that are not in German, English or French.

Here you will find brief guidelines on what certified copies should look like, who can issue them and which documents must be translated. Please check carefully that any documents requiring certification comply with the criteria specified below.

Copies that have not been correctly certified will not be considered.

Document certification

Outside Germany, copies of documents can be officially certified by:

  • In non-EU countries: German embassies or consulates or (if available) in the form of an apostille
  • In EU countries: The school or university that issued the document. In this case, copies must be certified by the school’s head teacher or the university’s dean/president and include an official stamp. This stamp should show the official emblem of the institution. A stamp consisting of text only is not acceptable. Certifications provided by the secretary’s office of one of the above individuals are not acceptable.

  • China: Applicants with documentation in Chinese must in all cases submit their booklets that have been certified and stamped by a Chinese notary.
  • Cameroon: Applicants currently located in Cameroon must have their documents certified by the local police.
  • Pakistan: For applications for a Master’s degree program at FAU, prospective students who have documentation from Pakistan must submit certified copies with an attestation stamp of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan both on the certificate and on the overview of subjects and grades.

Official certification of documents can be undertaken by any German public agency that has an official seal – for example, courts or municipal and local authorities. However, not all local authorities in Germany are willing to provide certification of copies of documents in foreign languages.

Notaries are also authorized to certify copies of documents. However, lawyers, auditors, tax advisors, associations and translators/interpreters are not. Certified translators are only authorized to issue certified translations and cannot certify copies of documents.

In all cases, the certified document must be an accurate copy of the original document.

An official certification must include the following:

  • A statement specifying that the copy is identical with the original (this statement must be written in German, English or French)
  • Date and the signature of the certifying body
  • Its official stamp

The stamp must show the official emblem of the body – a stamp consisting of text only is not acceptable. If a copy has several pages, it must be confirmed that each page is part of the same document. It is sufficient for the statement and signature to be included on only one page provided that all pages are placed on top of one another, stapled together and stamped in such a way that part of the official stamp is visible on each page. Each page may also be certified individually. If this is the case, please ensure that your name is specified on each page of the original document. If this is not the case, the corresponding information should be included in the certification statement. Statements must also include identification of the type of document.

If a page is printed on both sides and the content of both sides is relevant, the statement must refer to both sides (for example: “Hiermit wird amtlich beglaubigt, dass die vor-/umstehende Kopie mit dem Original übereinstimmt” or “It is hereby certified that the copy above and overleaf corresponds to the original”). If this is not the case, both sides must be certified individually.

If the original document contains an embossed seal, this will usually not be visible in the copy. In this case, the statement should also specify that an embossed seal is present on the original document.

Documents cannot be accepted if the certification does not conform to the requirements above.

Document translations

Translations of documents must be prepared and duly certified by a court-certified translator for the relevant language. The translator’s seal must contain the text “öffentlich bestellter und beeidigter Übersetzer” or similar wording. The language for which the translator is legally accredited must be clear from the stamp.

Translations of documents must be accurate translations of original documents. The corresponding information must be provided in the translator’s certification statement. The source language for the translation must also be stated. A copy of the original document must be inseparably attached to the translation. Stamps and annotations must also be translated.

  • Documents must be translated by certified translators.
  • FAU also accepts translations into English or French.

Please only send us the officially certified copies of your original documents and their translations and never the original documents. FAU accepts no liability for lost application documents.