Do you need a certified translation?

Birth certificates

Marriage certificates

University diplomas

Driving licenses

Our sworn translations are accepted across Germany.

Quick turnaround and competitive prices.

Get a quote

Absolutely stunning in their efficiency, friendliness, and level of customer service.

Alex Maxwell, Berlin

Red Tape Translation has been in Berlin for 10 years. When it comes to coordinating your official translations, we are a well-oiled machine. We’ll make sure that your translator is qualified, your translation is word-perfect and delivered to you on-time.

Authorities typically ask for “sworn”, “official” or “legalised” translations. Our certified translations tick all the boxes for marriage, visa and study applications and driving license conversions.

Kathleen Parker founded Red Tape Translation in 2012. She completed a two-year Ausbildung in translation and interpreting, specialising in civil law, real estate law and administrative law (the language of red tape!). Over the years, Red Tape Translation grew in response to the demand for interpreting, translation and online help with bureaucracy. The Berlin-based business is now a team of 20, many of whom are state-certified, sworn translators and members of the German Federal Association of Translators and Interpreters.

Types of documents we can translate and certify:

Marriage certificate
Divorce decree
Birth certificate – long form
Birth certificate – short form

Certificate of no impediment
Certificate of good conduct
Driver’s licence
Passport

Diploma certificate
Degree certificate
Academic transcript
Work contract

Tax return
Payslip
Annual wage tax statement
Freelance tax number issuance

Letter of recommendation
Reference letter
Registration certificate
Deregistration certificate

Rental contract
Medical records
Bank statement
Citizenship certificate

… and more.

Upload your scanned documents and get a quote by the next business day.

Get a quote

Highly recommend the red tape translation services.

Josephine Haas, Berlin

FAQs about certified translations

1. What is a certified translation?
The translator works off a good quality scan and doesn’t need to sight your original document/s. They translate all text, including headers, footers, signatures, stamps and small print. They will also format it in a way that is similar to the original and might include footnotes. At the end, they include an attestation and an individual stamp that confirms they are qualified, sworn in by the court, and have translated accurately and completely.

The finished product is a physical document: the translator prints out the scanned original, attaches the translation to the back and puts the stamp over the top of both pieces of paper so they can’t be separated.

If you are getting this translation done for a foreign authority, please check in advance to make sure they accept certified translations done in Germany. If there are any special instructions or requirements, just let us know in advance!
2. Can I get a digital scan as well as a physical copy?
Yes, we will send you a digital scan for your approval before we complete the physical copy. You can check the scan to make sure you’re satisfied before we post it – no extra charge.
3. Can I pick up my translation in person?
If you live in Berlin, you can pick up your translation at a time that’s convenient for both you and your translator if you let us know in advance. Whether you pick up or get it posted by registered mail does not affect the price.
4. How does your pricing work?
With certified translations, it’s not just about the word count. Certified translations have to follow strict legally mandated standards and the formatting of seemingly simple documents can be very complex. So we take everything into account (the text, how easy it will be to format, any small-print on the document, stamps, signatures, seals, abbreviations that we’ll need to research, footnotes we will need to insert) and we give you an individual quote for each document. A one-page certificate might cost 55-75 Euros including VAT and postage by registered mail.
5. How long will it take to arrive?
When we send you a quote, we will tell you how much it will cost and how many days we need to complete it. We then post it by registered mail, which we can track if necessary. For a short translation of 1-2 pages, the average time from receiving your payment to you getting the documents in your letterbox is around 3-4 business days.
6. Can you match a quote I get from elsewhere?
No. Our prices are already very competitive. We’d be surprised if you find a significantly cheaper price with another agency.
7. Can you certify copies of documents? (Not translations)
No, translators are not permitted to certify the authenticity of documents. We wrote a blog that tells you where to get certified copies of documents in Germany. However, we can send you multiple copies of your certified translation, in case you need them for multiple offices. Just let us know when you ask for a quote.

We booked a coaching session with Kathleen from Red Tape Translation and it was worth every Euro.

Christina Tse, Berlin

Ready to upload your documents? Fill out this form and we’ll get back to you within 1 business day with a quote.

Written Translation Booking Form

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Translation

I would like to receive my translation/s by the following date:

Certified Translation

My translation/s need to be certified.

We post the translation to you unless you need to pick it up in person, e.g. if you've been told specifically that the translator must sight the original document.

Pick up will be at a translator's home office in Friedrichshain or Prenzlauer Berg. We're sorry, we can't guarantee a particular location for pickup.

Please post my translation/s to me.

I need to pick up the translation/s in person (Berlin only).

Do you need extra certified copies?

The quote we send you includes one certified translation of each document you upload. Will you need more than one copy? If so, please indicate how many (extra certified copies are 12 EUR each). Example: I uploaded 2 documents and I'd like 1 extra copy of each (the extra cost would be 24 EUR). If you don't need extra copies, leave blank.

Attach Documents*

Please send your documents as a PDF or Word attachment: without seeing them first, we can’t even give you a ballpark quote. There’s a Spätkauf on every corner that can most likely organise a PDF scan for you for a few cents per page.

You can send us a JPG using your smartphone if you have to, but it needs to be bright, clear, straight and really good quality – so that we can zoom in and see all the letters, numbers and markings clearly. If your JPG files are around 1MB per page and well-lit, they’re probably good enough.

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: jpg, pdf, png, gif, doc, docx, jpeg, Max. file size: 4 MB.

Special Instructions

If it's a complex project, please give us as much information as you can. If you're sending multiple pages of one document as separate files, you can clarify the page order here.

How did you hear about us?

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Terms of Service*

Written Translation – Terms of Service

1. The client (that’s you!) only engages the services of Red Tape Translation for written translation once payment has been transacted.
2. Work commences only once payment has been received in full, unless otherwise agreed in writing in advance.
3. Translations requiring certification will be completed by a qualified, court-sworn translator.
4. Red Tape Translation UG will deliver an electronic scan of certified translations to the client for approval before posting as registered mail.
5. Red Tape Translation UG may require the client’s cooperation in deciphering handwritten entries, stamps, codes and other intricacies. If we have questions about translations, we generally ask them by email. A belated response by the client may influence the delivery time of the translation. E.g. Your mother’s middle name on your birth certificate is handwritten and hard for us to decipher, so we ask you to confirm it. If it takes you five days to respond, we can’t complete your translation until we hear back from you.
6. Certified translations will generally be posted by registered mail at the client’s expense.
7. Certified translations may only be picked up in person in Berlin. The option to pick up in person must be confirmed by Red Tape Translation UG before the quote is finalised.
8. The client nominates the postal address for delivery when making payment and has a chance to confirm it once more before the translations are posted as registered mail.
9. If the translations are not deliverable to the address nominated by the client, the client must pay a second postage fee (5 EUR) to have it sent out again as registered mail.
10. Documents sent to Red Tape Translation are processed in accordance with Federal and European data protection laws.

I agree to the Terms of Service.

Data Protection Policy*

First, some definitions

1. Personal data: any piece of information concerning an identifiable person, including their factual circumstances. These may include name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, communication ID (e.g. Skype, Hangouts), and other details you leave in notes or send as attachments. The personal data may be sensitive in nature (e.g. you might attach a medical report for translation).

2. Processing: this means working with these pieces of personal data on your behalf. This could include collection, storage (including cloud-based), amendment, transfer, translation, proofreading, discussion or deletion.

The Data Protection Policy

1. Kathleen Parker takes data protection issues seriously and strives to protect customer rights.
2. Kathleen Parker processes personal data only with customer consent or if a legal provision allows it. Personal data is only processed in a way necessary for responding to inquiries and processing orders, and, if necessary, only after the client has consented to this voluntarily.
3. Personal data will be stored for as long as necessary to perform service or maintain the relationship desired by the customer. The customer can request deletion of personal data at any time following delivery of the service requested. Mandatory data retention periods (e.g. for tax purposes) remain unaffected by this provision.
4. Personal data is processed by Kathleen Parker, her employee/s and/or other authorised representatives or translators commissioned by her, all of whom are contractually obligated to treat personal data in compliance with this policy and with statutory provisions.
5. Kathleen Parker has set up organisational and security measures to protect your data from unauthorised access or misuse. These measures are updated regularly in line with relevant statutory provisions.
6. To find out more about how this website processes your personal data, read my Data Privacy Policy (https://www.redtapetranslation.com/data-privacy-policy/).
7. At any time, the customer can request information at no charge about the information stored or the security measures taken by Kathleen Parker. Incorrect entries can be rectified. Data stored unnecessarily can be deleted upon customer request. A simple email request is fine.

For more information, please contact Kathleen Parker: e-mail info@redtapetranslation.com, tel: 030 2089 6634, postal address: Red Tape Translation, c/o Factory Berlin, Rheinsberger Str. 76/77, 10115 Berlin.

I agree to the Data Protection Policy

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Do you need a certified translation?

Our sworn translations are accepted across Germany.

Quick turnaround and competitive prices.

Red Tape Translation has been in Berlin for 10 years. When it comes to coordinating your official translations, we are a well-oiled machine. We’ll make sure that your translator is qualified, your translation is word-perfect and delivered to you on-time.

Authorities typically ask for “sworn”, “official” or “legalised” translations. Our certified translations tick all the boxes for marriage, visa and study applications and driving license conversions.

Types of documents we can translate and certify:

Upload your scanned documents and get a quote by the next business day.

FAQs about certified translations

Written Translation Booking Form

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