Does the translation need to be notarized?

Not for USCIS, which requires the translator's signed certification of completeness, accuracy, and competence rather than notarization. Probate courts, insurers, and banks set their own rules, so confirm the specific recipient's requirements if the translation is not for USCIS.

The record is old and partly handwritten. What happens with parts no one can read?

Unreadable words are marked [illegible] in the translation. A qualified professional translator does not guess at names, dates, or medical terms, because a wrong guess creates a conflict with the other documents in your file. If a critical field is unreadable, a clearer certified copy from the issuing registry is the fix.

Can I use a translated burial permit or funeral home document instead of the death certificate?

Usually not. Immigration authorities and most US institutions expect the death certificate issued by the country's civil registration authority. Translating a substitute document does not make it the required record, so confirm what your process accepts before ordering.

I need the translation for a probate case in a US court. Is a certified translation enough?

Certified translation is the standard starting point, and many courts accept a translation with a signed translator certification. Some courts have additional formal requirements set by state law or local rule, so check the rules of the specific court handling the estate.

German to English

Certified Death Certificate Translation, German to English

A certified German to English translation of a death certificate costs $24.95 per page, where one page is up to 250 words of the source document. A typical death certificate runs 1 to 2 pages, so most orders come to $24.95 to $49.90. Certified orders are delivered in 2 to 3 business days as a PDF containing the complete translation and a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy from the qualified professional translator who completed or reviewed the work, prepared for official use including USCIS filings.

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Pricing

Exact prices, shown before you pay

Most death certificates are one page of up to 250 source words; certificates with a detailed medical cause of death section or attached registry transcriptions can reach two. Certified translation is $24.95 per page, so a typical order of 1 to 2 pages comes to $24.95 to $49.90. The exact total is measured from your real document and shown before payment.

Standard

$19.95 per page

3 to 5 business days

A professional translation with digital delivery.

Certified

$24.95 per page

2 to 3 business days

A certified translation accepted for official use.

Premium

$39.95 per page

1 to 2 business days

A certified translation, translated first.

One page is up to 250 words.

Requirements

What reviewers require for a certified death certificate translation

A foreign language death certificate submitted to USCIS must be accompanied by a full English language translation certified by the translator as complete and accurate, with the translator's certification of competence to translate from that language into English (8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)).
For immigrant visa processing, the Department of State requires certified translations of civil documents, including death certificates, that are not in English or in the official language of the country of application, with a signed translator statement of competence.
The translation must be complete and word for word, covering the decedent's name, the date and place of death, the registering authority and registration data, informant details, seals, stamps, signature blocks, and any medical cause of death section if the certificate contains one.
The decedent's name must be transliterated consistently and should match the name as it appears in the related file, for example the prior marriage certificate in an immigration case or the estate documents in a probate matter.
Older or handwritten death registers frequently contain hard to read script. Illegible portions are marked [illegible] in the translation; a qualified professional translator does not reconstruct unreadable names, dates, or causes of death.
Seals, stamps, and signatures on the certificate are described in brackets in the translation so every element of the original is accounted for.
USCIS requires certification of the translation, not notarization. Courts, insurers, and other recipients set their own formal requirements, which can differ.

Common reasons translations get rejected

Only the main data fields are translated and the medical section, stamps, or registry annotations are skipped, so the translation is not the full rendering the regulation requires.
Illegible handwriting in older death registers is guessed at instead of being marked [illegible], producing a name or date that conflicts with other documents in the file.
The decedent's name in the translation does not match the name on the related marriage certificate or estate papers because of inconsistent transliteration, so the reviewer cannot connect the death to the person in question.
A burial permit, funeral home document, or medical certificate of death is translated and submitted in place of the civil registry death certificate that the process actually requires.
In immigration cases, the death certificate proving a prior marriage ended is missing or untranslated, which blocks a finding that the current marriage is valid and triggers an RFE.

Good to know

About German-language death certificates

The death certificate is the Sterbeurkunde in Germany and Austria but the Todesurkunde in Switzerland. It is distinct from the German Todesbescheinigung, the medical certification of death completed by a physician; US filers usually need the Standesamt's Sterbeurkunde. A multilingual CIEC Convention No. 16 death extract exists in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Belgium are all contracting parties to the Hague Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961 (entry into force: Germany 1966, Austria 1968, Liechtenstein 1972, Switzerland 1973, Belgium 1976, Luxembourg 1979), so public documents from these countries destined for US use are authenticated by apostille rather than consular legalization.

USCIS regulation 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3) requires that any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, together with the translator's certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

How it works

From upload to certified delivery

Step 1

Upload and get an instant quote

Send us your document, choose your languages, and see your price right away.

Step 2

A professional translator translates it

A qualified professional translator translates your document.

Step 3

Reviewed for accuracy and certified

Your translation is reviewed for accuracy and certified with a signed certificate of accuracy.

Step 4

Receive your certified translation

You receive your certified translation, ready for official use.

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Questions

Common questions

Does the translation need to be notarized?: Not for USCIS, which requires the translator's signed certification of completeness, accuracy, and competence rather than notarization. Probate courts, insurers, and banks set their own rules, so confirm the specific recipient's requirements if the translation is not for USCIS.
The record is old and partly handwritten. What happens with parts no one can read?: Unreadable words are marked [illegible] in the translation. A qualified professional translator does not guess at names, dates, or medical terms, because a wrong guess creates a conflict with the other documents in your file. If a critical field is unreadable, a clearer certified copy from the issuing registry is the fix.
Can I use a translated burial permit or funeral home document instead of the death certificate?: Usually not. Immigration authorities and most US institutions expect the death certificate issued by the country's civil registration authority. Translating a substitute document does not make it the required record, so confirm what your process accepts before ordering.
I need the translation for a probate case in a US court. Is a certified translation enough?: Certified translation is the standard starting point, and many courts accept a translation with a signed translator certification. Some courts have additional formal requirements set by state law or local rule, so check the rules of the specific court handling the estate.
My death certificate was issued in Germany. What should I know before ordering?: The death certificate is the Sterbeurkunde in Germany and Austria but the Todesurkunde in Switzerland. It is distinct from the German Todesbescheinigung, the medical certification of death completed by a physician; US filers usually need the Standesamt's Sterbeurkunde. A multilingual CIEC Convention No. 16 death extract exists in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

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A translation error is ours to fix

If your certified translation is rejected because of a translation error we made, we correct it at no charge, and if the corrected translation is rejected again for that same error we refund what you paid for it. Our Refund Policy sets out the conditions and what it does not cover. Your documents are encrypted and kept confidential from start to finish.

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