Frequently Asked Questions

What is a certified translation?

These days, anyone can translate online using common translation tools, right? That’s true – but it’s not always the right approach. For a certified translation, i.e. one that is officially valid with authorities, government offices, regional courts and the police, you need more than the internet. You need sworn specialist translators who are authorised to certify translations and can give your translation the official stamp it needs.


A certified translation is officially valid and bears a stamp confirming that the source text has been translated completely and correctly.



What are sworn translators?

Sworn translators are (in our case in Germany) authorised translators who have taken a general oath at a regional court, higher regional court or an interior authority. They are examined and have the necessary authorisation and qualifications to translate and certify content in specific languages. You can find out more about our services as an translation agency for certified translations here.


For which languages can I order certified translations?

At Beglaubigung24, you can order certified translations in 19 language combinations. One of the two languages – either the source or target language – must be German.


The most popular language combinations are: German – English, English – German, French – German, Spanish – German, Russian – German, Italian – German, Polish – German.


Here you can find all our language combinations:

Source language Target language
Arabic German
Bosnian German
Bulgarian German
English German
French German
Greek German
Italian German
Croatian German
Dutch German
Polish German
Portuguese German
Romanian German
Russian German
Serbian German
Spanish German
Turkish German
Hungarian German
Ukrainian German
German English (American)
German English (British)
German French
German Spanish


For multi-page documents, what counts as one page?

When you order a certified translation from us, we ask you for the number of pages in the original for some document types. It’s not always clear what should count as one page. At Beglaubigung, this is what we consider to be one page:

  • One page is one side of a sheet of paper, regardless of the word count. The front and back – provided the back is printed – each count as separate pages.
  • The format and size of a page have no effect on the page count. This means that one page in A4 format counts as a page just as much as a document page in A5 format.
  • For the translation, we take into account all relevant pages contained in the original document (and not just your uploaded file!). So if you upload a file in which one A4 page contains scans of two A5 pages, this still counts as two pages.


I entered the wrong number of pages when ordering – what do I have to do?

First, you don’t have to do anything – except inform us if you notice it before we do. Since the number of pages also determines the price you pay for your certified translation, we have to cancel your order if the page count is too low or too high. We will then be happy to create a new order for you in our system with the updated number of pages. You will receive a payment link from us. As soon as your payment has been received, we will start processing your order.


Does Beglaubigung24 also obtain an apostille?

We do not obtain apostilles. An apostille is a very specific form of certification used in international document traffic. However, you can usually apply for this yourself quite easily – namely at the regional court where the translator is sworn in. You can see which court this is from the translator’s stamp.

If your documents already have an apostille, we will of course translate it as well.


I have ordered my translation – when will I receive it?

You can conveniently order your translation in our webshop 24/7. We will send it back to you as quickly as possible – as a rule, we need 3 business days (Mon–Fri) from the order date.


You will then promptly receive your certified translation as a PDF by e-mail. A few days later, you will receive it as a priority letter or by registered mail. Within Germany, this usually takes 1 or 2 additional business days (Mon–Fri), but this is in the hands of the postal service provider.

What is the difference between the delivery options?

At Beglaubigung24, we offer two different delivery options:

  • Option 1 – PDF only: You receive your certified translation exclusively as a digital PDF file by e-mail.
  • Option 2 – PDF & original by post: You receive your translation both digitally as a PDF and as a certified original by post. For this option, there is an additional charge of €9.90 per page.


What can I do if I ordered only a digital copy but now need an original?

If you initially selected the “PDF only” option and later realise that you also need a certified original, unfortunately it is not possible to extend the existing order afterwards. In this case, you will need to place a new order with the “PDF & original by post” option. Please bear this in mind when placing your original order and choose the delivery option that best suits your needs.

For which documents and language combinations is the “Express” shipping option available?

We currently offer the 24-hour express option for translations of birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates and driving licences in the following language combinations:

Source language Target language
German English (American)
German English (British)
German Spanish
German Italian
English German
Italian German
Spanish German


Can I select the express option for individual documents in my shopping cart?

No, the 24-hour express option is only available if all products in the shopping cart can be shipped via express. Partial express delivery for only some items is not possible.



What happens if I order my express translation at the weekend?

If you order at the weekend, your translation will be delivered on the next business day (Mon–Fri). For example, if you order on Saturday, your translation will be delivered in digital form on Monday.

Why are the Cyrillic names in my translation not in the same format as in the original document?

When translating documents with Cyrillic script into German, it is necessary to transliterate names into the Latin alphabet according to a defined standard. Our sworn translators use the international standard ISO 9:1995. This standard specifies exactly how each Cyrillic letter is systematically and unambiguously rendered in Latin letters – regardless of pronunciation.

This means that the spelling in the translation may differ from the original form and may also differ from the spelling in your passport. Why? Because the spelling in the passport is often based on phonetic transliteration abroad, whereas ISO 9:1995 defines a uniform scholarly transliteration that is frequently required for official translations in Germany.

📌 Examples:

Original (Cyrillic)

ISO 9:1995

Passport spelling

Алексей Иванов

Aleksei Ivanov

Alexey Ivanov

Юлия Петрова

Ûlija Petrova

Yulia Petrova

Дмитрий Соколов

Dmitry Sokolov

Dmitry Sokolov

💡 Tip: If your name already appears with a specific Latin spelling in an official document (e.g. in your passport), please let us know! We can use this spelling in the translation to avoid misunderstandings with authorities.