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Certified German Certificate of Conduct Translation
eVerbary translates your German certificate of conduct into English for $24.95 per page with no word cap, by a professional human translator, with a signed certification. Most orders are delivered within a few hours. Accepted by USCIS and by US universities, colleges and schools, or your money back.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, no word cap. No hidden fees.
Money-back guarantee
Accepted by USCIS and by US universities, colleges and schools, or your money back.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The certificate of conduct (Führungszeugnis), and the version sent to an authority
The German document is the certificate of conduct (Führungszeugnis), issued by the Federal Office of Justice. There is more than one version, and the distinction matters: a private certificate (Privatführungszeugnis) is sent to the applicant, while an official certificate (Behördenführungszeugnis) is sent directly to a named authority and never passes through the applicant's hands.
If an office requires the version sent directly to it, an applicant's own copy is not what they asked for and a translation of it will not close the gap. Ask which version before ordering anything. See our German birth certificate page.
Umlauts, and entries
German umlauts are commonly expanded abroad — Müller becomes Mueller — so a passport, a German certificate and a US record can carry three spellings of one name. We reproduce the German spelling and note a genuine difference.
Where the certificate records an entry, the offence is translated as classified in German law, with the provision cited, and no US equivalent asserted. See our German page.
What the certificate actually says
These documents are narrower than the English phrase that comes to hand for them. Most state that a specific register — a national criminal registry, a court archive, a police database — holds no entry for the named person as at the date of issue. "Has no criminal record" is a much larger claim: it asserts something about the person rather than about one registry on one day, and it silently covers jurisdictions the issuing authority never searched.
So the wording is translated at the scope the original had, with the registry named as the document names it. Where a certificate says an entry exists, the entry is translated exactly — the offence as classified in that country's own law, the article cited, the sentence — and no attempt is made to find a US equivalent offence, because there frequently is none and asserting one would recharacterise a conviction.
These certificates expire
Almost every country issues these with a validity period, commonly three or six months, and the receiving office applies its own rule on top. A certificate that has aged out will be refused whatever the translation says, and a translation cannot make an old certificate current. If yours is near the edge, order a fresh one before ordering a translation rather than after.
Check two things with the office before you buy anything: how recent the certificate has to be, and whether they want it apostilled — because an apostille is applied to the original document, so it has to happen before the translation, not after. Related: our general criminal record page and our USCIS page.
What USCIS requires
Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), a foreign-language document must be accompanied by a complete English translation and the translator's certification that it is accurate. Every seal, stamp and marginal note is part of the document, so every one is translated.
State agencies set their own rules — see government agencies — and what our certification states is on this page.
How it works
Upload a photo or a scan of your document, pick the language pair and check out online. You never have to mail originals: a legible copy is all we need.
A professional human translator, never machine translation, translates the document word for word and mirrors the layout of the original. Every certified translation ships with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy that meets the requirements of USCIS, courts and universities.
Your translation is delivered digitally, usually within 24 hours for documents of one to three pages, and same-day delivery is available. If anything needs adjusting, we revise it.
Certified vs. standard translation
A certified translation is a word-for-word translation accompanied by a signed statement attesting to its accuracy and completeness. It is what official bodies require: USCIS, courts, universities and government agencies. Certified translations are $24.95 per page, where one sheet of your document is one page, with no word cap.
A standard translation is the same professional human translation without the certificate, for when you only need to understand the content or for internal or informal use. It is billed at the same $24.95 per page with no word cap.
Frequently asked questions
Which Führungszeugnis do I need?
Ask the office. The version sent directly to an authority is a different document from the one sent to you.
The name is spelled Mueller elsewhere.
Umlauts are commonly expanded abroad. It is the same name and we note the difference.
Do you translate the offence into a US crime?
No. We translate it as classified in German law and cite the provision.
Ready to get started?
Upload your documents and receive your certified translation, typically within 24 hours.