Certified translation: Passport and National Identity Card
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The certified translation of your Passport or National Identity Card is often a necessary step when applying for a visa or a residence permit in Germany or abroad. Since national passports (domestic passports) are often written exclusively in the local language or contain important stamps in Cyrillic script, a sworn translator confirms the complete and correct correspondence of the translation with the original document, which ensures official recognition.

The most common use case is submission to German or foreign authorities. When applying for a settlement permit or a visa, the translated National Identity Card serves as official proof of your identity, nationality, and often your marital status. Authorities require the translation to verify the legally binding authenticity of all information that is not available in Latin script.

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The National Identity Card or national identity card (as used, for example, in Russia, Ukraine, or China) is often the document that strictly requires a certified translation. In contrast to international Passports, these national papers frequently contain no or only incomplete information in English or Latin script.

The necessity typically arises when you:

• Must present entries in the local language (e.g., in Russian or Chinese) to German authorities (such as registry offices or immigration offices).
• Need to have specific stamps or notations (e.g., regarding residence registration, marriage, or citizenship) translated.

A sworn translator ensures that all national and local details in the original document are correctly transferred into the target language, thus ensuring the validity of the National Identity Card is recognized.

Another important use case for the certified translation of your Passport or National Identity Card is identity verification in the context of international applications.

German and foreign universities or employers require the translation of identity documents if they do not clearly prove the identity and nationality of the person or are written in a script unknown to them (such as Cyrillic). This serves for legal security and compliance with documentation requirements.

The certified translation represents the official proof of identity, which is necessary, for example, for enrollment at a university or for registration at a new job abroad and cannot be questioned by any office.

The certified translation of your Passport or National Identity Card must always be complete to be recognized by most authorities (such as immigration offices or registry offices). It is generally not enough to translate only the main page with the personal data.

Important: All pages containing entries must be translated, including:

• The photo page with the personal data.
• All entries, stamps, and notations (e.g., regarding marriage or registration).
• The machine-readable zone (MRZ) at the bottom of the data page.

Since the sworn translator confirms the complete and correct reproduction of the entire document, the simultaneous translation of all existing official entries is mandatory.

The certified translation by a sworn translator is sufficient for official recognition in Germany and most EU countries. However, if you wish to use your translated Passport or National Identity Card at authorities outside of Germany or in countries that apply the Hague Apostille Convention, an additional apostille may be required.

The apostille is a certification that confirms the authenticity of the signature and stamp of the sworn translator (who performed the translation) through the competent regional court. It is attached directly to the translation.

Important note: Whether an apostille is required always depends on the requirements of the target authority abroad. Please check this requirement before ordering, as obtaining an apostille involves additional effort and costs.

The quality of the source document provided to us is crucial for creating a legally valid certified translation. Since Passports and National Identity Cards often contain stamps and handwritten entries, the scan or photo must be of the highest quality.

We require:

• A complete, sharp scan or a clear photo of every page and every entry that is to be translated.
• No cropped edges, reflections, or shadows that obscure important information (such as stamps or the machine-readable zone).

If the passport is difficult to read, the sworn translator cannot guarantee a correct reproduction. In case of doubt, we will request a better copy to ensure that the official recognition of your certified translation is not compromised.

A central element in both the Passport and the National Identity Card is the machine-readable zone (MRZ) at the bottom of the data page. This area encodes the most important biographical data in Latin script (ISO standards) and is of the highest importance for the certified translation.

The sworn translator uses the spelling of the surnames and first names stored in the MRZ to ensure correct transcription. This is crucial because German authorities and universities expect identical name spelling across all documents.

Should deviant spellings in non-Latin script exist in the original document (e.g., on stamps), this will be noted separately during the translation process. However, the MRZ provides the authoritative and official name spelling.

The National Identity Card presents a special challenge, as in many cases it still exists in paper format and is written entirely in the local language (Cyrillic script). In contrast to modern international Passports, a clear Latin transliteration for official entries is often missing.

Sworn translators must therefore correctly identify and translate every stamp, every handwritten note, and every official notation in the National Identity Card to ensure the completeness of the certified translation. An error in interpreting a stamp or a date can lead to the rejection of the document by German authorities.

Our sworn translators specialize in this complexity and are familiar with the specific formats and terminologies of these national identity documents.

The certified translation of your Passport or National Identity Card is legally inseparable from the original document. The certification by the sworn translator merely confirms the correct reproduction of the source text.

Therefore, the following principle applies: German authorities generally always require the simultaneous presentation of the certified translation and the original document (the passport itself). Without the original, the authority cannot verify the authenticity of the document to which the translation refers.

Ensure that you carry the original passport with you at all official appointments where the certified translation is submitted to guarantee the full validity of the documents.

In the case of older National Identity Cards or certain stamps, it may happen that historical place names (e.g., due to political renamings) are recorded in the original document. For German registry offices and authorities, however, it is crucial that the translation follows the original text literally.

The sworn translator will therefore translate the name of the city or place exactly as it appears in the passport. If the name is different today, it is the translator's task to note this in an official remark within the certified translation.

This careful handling of renamed locations ensures that authorities can correctly assign the origin of the document and that the validity of the passport is recognized in Germany.

Trust our transparent, digital process. In just three steps, you will receive the certified translation of your Passport or National Identity Card – guaranteed to be recognized and delivered on time.

1. Upload document online and receive an offer immediately

Upload the high-quality scan or a clear photo of your Passport or National Identity Card via our online portal. Within a few minutes, you will receive a transparent fixed-price offer including the estimated processing time.

2. Processing, verification, and final confirmation by the translator

After your order and payment, the document will be immediately assigned to one of our publicly appointed and sworn specialist translators. The translator creates the draft translation, which we send to you for approval before final confirmation. You can carefully check all personal data (names, date of birth, place of issue). Only after your confirmation will the translator provide the legally compliant certification, which is accepted nationwide by all authorities and courts.

3. Receipt of the certified translation (digital and original)

Upon completion, we will first send you the certified translation as a PDF scan via email. The legally valid original document, provided with the translator's stamp, will be sent immediately by post to your preferred address.

We prioritize complete cost transparency, so you know exactly from the start what costs will arise for the certified translation of your Passport and National Identity Card.

• Fixed price guarantee: You will always receive a binding fixed price from us for the translation of your Passport or National Identity Card, based on the length and format of the document. There are no hidden fees.
• Free preliminary review: The review of your document and the creation of the offer are, of course, free of charge.
• Regular processing time: Standard delivery takes place within a few business days by post.
• Express option (Only by arrangement): Should you require the certified translation at very short notice, we offer express processing. Since the availability of our sworn translators for urgent orders is limited, this service is only possible after prior consultation and availability check. Please contact us directly with your desired deadline.

Yes, provided that the certified translation of your National Identity Card was created by a publicly appointed and sworn translator in Germany, it is recognized nationwide.

This includes all German authorities, such as:

• Immigration offices (for visas, residence permits)
• Registry offices (for marriages)
• Universities and colleges (for enrollment and applications)
• Courts and notaries

The official certification by the translator's stamp and signature guarantees the legal validity of the document.

The costs for the certified translation of your Passport or National Identity Card depend on several factors:

• The number of pages to be translated (especially the number of stamps and notations).
• The complexity of the script (e.g., Cyrillic or Asian characters).
• The required language combination (e.g., Russian-German).

With us, however, you will always receive a guaranteed fixed price based on your uploaded document. Simply upload your passport to our portal to receive a transparent and non-binding offer within a few minutes.

No, as a rule, you do not need to have empty pages of your Passport translated. This would cause unnecessary costs.

For the certified translation, it is crucial that the sworn translator confirms the completeness of all written pages and all official entries, stamps, and notations. Empty pages are generally ignored, provided the translator notes in their certification statement that the translation is based on the pages of the original that contain entries.

It is only important that you provide us with a complete scan of the entire document (or all pages with entries) so that the translator can assess this.

The correct spelling of names is a crucial detail for the official recognition of the certified translation. For this, our sworn translator follows the machine-readable zone (MRZ) on the data page of your Passport or National Identity Card.

The MRZ contains the standardized, Latin transcription of your name. This spelling is adopted into the translation as it is internationally valid and thus ensures the greatest possible validity of the translation.

Additionally, we recommend that you provide us with any existing, officially recognized spelling of your name (e.g., from a German ID card or registration certificate) when placing your order to avoid discrepancies.

The certified translation itself has no expiration date and does not expire. As long as the translation accurately reflects the contents of the original document, it remains theoretically valid.

The validity of the translation is however directly linked to the status of your Passport or National Identity Card:

• If the passport becomes invalid (e.g., due to expiration), you must replace it, and the translation of the old document often becomes irrelevant.
• If new, relevant entries or stamps (e.g., a new address or a changed marital status) are added to the passport, the old translation is no longer complete and must be updated.

If the passport is not changed or replaced, the certification performed by the sworn translator remains valid.