Notarization of Documents

For the application, notarized documents are not required. Scans of the official original documents are sufficient.

Please note: notarizations may be necessary to enroll. Please ensure that the documents are correctly notarized by a recognized institution.

Documents that have been notarized in Germany usually contain a statement certifying that the photocopy is a true copy of the original document, the signature of the person notarizing the document, and an official seal.

We accept notarizations by any German public authority which has an official seal (for example a local authority or notary). The German institution that issued the document can also notarize copies of it. This means that a school is able to notarize copies of the Abitur certificates it issues, for example. We do not accept notarizations by the following (even if they have an official seal): banks, health insurance providers, insurance companies, lawyers, associations, auditors or accountants. 

If a copy of a document contains several pages, you must prove that each page belongs to the original document. If the pages are bound together, it suffices if the statement certifying the copy’s authenticity and the signature of the person notarizing the document are provided on one page, but the document must be stamped in such a way that ensures part of the seal is visible on every page. 

Of course, each page can also be notarized separately. If a copy is double-sided, and both sides of the page contain significant information, the statement certifying the copy’s authenticity must refer to both sides of the page. If this is not the case, each side of the page must be notarized separately.

Embossed seals are usually not very clear on copies of documents. The statement certifying the copy’s authenticity must therefore indicate that the original document bears an embossed seal.

If you do not live in Germany, you can have your documents notarized by an embassy, a notary, or a local or state authority. We also accept apostilles, a government-issued form of certification. Providing such a document is not mandatory. Documents that have been notarized correctly bear an official stamp, a signature, and a seal.
Please note that we cannot accept documents that have been notarized by a bank, health insurance provider, military personnel, medical staff, or similar. We accept degree certificates and transcripts of records that have been signed and stamped by the issuing institution, or that are submitted in a closed envelopes bearing the seal of the issuing institution.

Photocopies of the notarized documents cannot be accepted for enrollment. If required, please submit the original notarized documents.