FAQ | Frequently Asked Questions

All German civil status documents:

• Certified birth certificate
• Certified copy of birth register (required for marriage)
• International birth certificate (for use abroad)
• Notarized marriage certificate
• International marriage certificate (for use abroad)
• Death certificate
• International Death Certificate (for use abroad)

International documents are multilingual documents (German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Serbian/Croatian, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish) for use abroad

International documents are multilingual documents (German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Serbian/Croatian, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish) for use abroad.
However, because they are easy to read, international documents do not contain all the information in a civil status book.
We can only order from German registry offices. Special case: Registry Office I in Berlin.

The processing times of the registry offices vary and depend on various factors. Documents are usually sent from the registry office within 5 to 14 working days of the application being submitted. If longer processing times are to be expected, we will inform our customers accordingly if we are aware of them. However, in some exceptional cases the processing time can be up to 10 to 12 weeks.

The processing time for archival documents is usually 4 to 10 weeks.

If your certificate has not arrived within the delivery time stated in the order confirmation, please send an email to info@urkundenservice.online – we will contact the responsible registry office immediately.

You can easily pay via PayPal or credit card. Paypal and credit card payments are charged immediately.

The certificate fee is already included in our price. If you are still asked by the registry office to pay the document fee, please contact us. We will refund you the document fee or pay the registry office’s bill afterwards. (Invoice/fee notice provided)

Certificate order and will be announced by email before debiting.

All payments will be refunded immediately upon request (via email: info@urkundenservice.online):

• if the registry office cannot issue the certificate for various reasons, such as incorrect jurisdiction, incorrect information, etc. (exception: see archive order)
• in the event of a timely cancellation (i.e. if the order has not yet been executed by us – after receiving our email about the order execution, a cancellation is no longer possible – see right of cancellation)

As soon as the retention period for birth, marriage and death certificates ends, these documents must be requested from the archives. The retention period in registry offices for birth certificates is 110 years, for marriage certificates 80 years and for death certificates 30 years.

We can order documents from our own customers or from direct relatives (parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren). Birth certificates can sometimes and death certificates can in most cases also be ordered by siblings. Other people must credibly demonstrate a legal interest.

§ 62 Issuance of documents, information, inspection

(1) Civil status certificates must be issued upon request to the persons to whom the register entry relates, as well as their spouses, life partners, ancestors and descendants. Other people have the right to have civil status certificates issued if they credibly demonstrate a legal interest; For the birth register or death register, proof of a legitimate interest is sufficient if the application is submitted by a sibling of the child or the deceased. Persons over 16 years of age are eligible to apply.

(2) Paragraph 1 applies accordingly to information from and inspection of a register entry as well as information from and inspection of the collective files.

(3) Before the deadlines set for the maintenance of the civil status register have expired, use in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 must be permitted if a legitimate interest can be substantiated if 30 years have passed since the death of the last deceased person involved; Those involved are the parents and child in the birth register, the spouses in the marriage register and the life partners in the civil partnership register.

You can conveniently order via our website and pay via PayPal or credit card. Immediately after placing the order you will receive the order confirmation with the order number by email.

If all information and necessary documents are complete (otherwise we will contact you by email), we will pass on the certificate order to the responsible registry office. You will usually receive another email within 48 hours about the execution of the order and the expected processing time of the registry office.

Some registry offices require a power of attorney signed by the applicant, and some registry offices require a copy of ID in addition to the power of attorney.

We will communicate these requirements in the order confirmation or you will receive an email from us within a few hours of placing the order.

If you do not want to give us power of attorney after placing your order, simply revoke your consent by email and we will cancel your order (if you pay via Paypal or credit card, you will receive an immediate refund).

As soon as we receive the power of attorney or your power of attorney and copy of your ID, we will carry out the order and you will receive the ordered certificate(s) from the registry office.

Our service includes all fees – there are no hidden costs or additional fees. Inquiries from the registry office are possible.

Certificates are sent from registry offices worldwide by normal mail. In some countries it is often necessary to send letters by registered mail or by express mail. If you present a power of attorney (if necessary, an additional copy of your ID), the documents will be sent to us in advance by the registry office and we will then immediately forward them to the applicant by registered mail or express post (the tracking number is provided by email) – if requested, we will send the documents beforehand via email scan .

In cases of urgency or to countries where postal delivery is unreliable (e.g. China, parts of Africa, etc.), we also offer a courier service for an additional charge. You can select the courier service during the ordering process.