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Certified German Disability Certificate Translation
Certified translation of the documents that certify disability in Germany, including the registry annotations and endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The GdB is a number from 20 to 100, and it is not a percentage of anything
Germany assigns a Grad der Behinderung — degree of disability — in steps of ten from 20 to 100, decided by the Versorgungsamt on medical evidence. It is written as a bare number and it is not a percentage, despite looking like one and despite being universally misread as one.
A GdB of 50 does not mean half of anything. It is a position on a statutory scale, and 50 is the threshold at which a person is schwerbehindert — severely disabled — with the employment protections and tax allowances that follow. We reproduce the number and say what scale it belongs to.
The Merkzeichen are letters with defined meanings
The Schwerbehindertenausweis carries letter codes — Merkzeichen — each with a statutory definition: G for significantly impaired mobility, aG for exceptional mobility impairment, B for entitlement to an accompanying person, H for helplessness, Bl for blind, Gl for deaf, TBl for deafblind.
Each unlocks specific entitlements — parking, free transport, a companion travelling free. A translation that leaves the letters untranslated hands a US reader a code they cannot read; one that paraphrases them loses the statutory meaning. We give the letter, its German name and its defined effect.
The card, the Bescheid and the Feststellungsbescheid
Three documents circulate. The Ausweis is the card. The Feststellungsbescheid is the decision determining the GdB and the Merkzeichen, and it contains the reasoning. A later Bescheid may vary it.
The card proves status; the decision proves why. Offices asking for supporting evidence generally want the decision, and applicants generally send the card.
Validity, and Gleichstellung
The card carries a validity date and is reissued on review. Germany also has Gleichstellung — equal treatment — granted by the employment agency to people with a GdB of 30 or 40 who need it to keep a job, which confers some but not all of the severe-disability protections.
A Gleichstellungsbescheid is a different instrument from a severe disability card and should not be translated as one. See our German page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, and every seal, stamp and registry endorsement is translated with the text. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Is a GdB of 50 a 50% disability?
No. It is a position on a statutory scale from 20 to 100, and 50 is the threshold for severe-disability status. It is not a percentage.
What do the letters on the card mean?
Merkzeichen — G, aG, B, H, Bl, Gl, TBl — each with a statutory definition and specific entitlements. We give the letter and its defined effect.
Card or decision?
The card proves status; the Feststellungsbescheid gives the reasoning. Offices wanting evidence usually mean the decision.
What is Gleichstellung?
Equal treatment granted at GdB 30 or 40 to preserve employment. It is not severe-disability status and we do not translate it as one.
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Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.