In publica commoda

Information on pre-certification of University documents for use abroad:
Legalization and Apostille

German documents are often only recognized abroad if their authenticity has been confirmed by the consulate of the foreign country concerned in the Federal Republic of Germany (legalization) or if they have been provided with an apostille in accordance with the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. It is therefore important to ensure in international document transactions that the documents are issued by the competent authority and that their content is correct.

For legalization by foreign consulates, the documents must first be certified by the competent German authority.

For documents issued by the University of Göttingen (e.g. examination certificate, Bachelor's degree certificate, Master's degree certificate, doctoral degree certificate, etc.), you can obtain this authentication or apostille from the Göttingen Police Headquarters.

As a rule, however, you need a so-called preliminary certification by the University of Göttingen beforehand.

Pre-certification by the University of Göttingen

The Department Law and Foundation of the University of Göttingen (Von-Siebold-Str. 2, 37075 Göttingen,) carries out the pre-certification for all public documents of the University of Göttingen, in particular for

1. preliminary, intermediate and final examination certificates
2. certificates for the award of an academic title or degree,
3. study books, and
4. for translations in English, which are attached to the documents mentioned under 1. and 2. in accordance with the examination regulations.

The signatures of the staff members of the Department Law and Foundation who are authorized to sign are deposited with the Göttingen Police Head Office.

Requirements for the performance of preliminary certifications

The original document must be presented, as it is mandatory that the preliminary certification be made on this document itself. Therefore, please note: Pre-certification of a copy or officially certified copy of the document is generally not possible.

The original document presented must bear the handwritten signature of the respective authorized signatory and be provided with an embossed, colour-printed or machine-made seal of the University of Göttingen.

Costs for preliminary certifications

Pre-certifications on the part of the University of Göttingen are carried out within the framework of administrative assistance for the Göttingen Police Headquarters and are therefore not subject to a charge for the applicant.