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Certified German Property Deed Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record the ownership of land and buildings 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 Grundbuch, and why it is conclusive
German title lives in the Grundbuch, a court-administered land register, and registration is constitutive: ownership passes on entry, not on the contract.
A German buyer relies on the register's public faith. That is much stronger than a US recording system and it is why the Grundbuch extract, not the notarial contract, is the document that answers "who owns this".
The three sections, and what each holds
A Grundbuch sheet has an inventory and three divisions: Abteilung I the owners, Abteilung II encumbrances and restrictions — easements, Wohnrecht, Nießbrauch, Vorkaufsrecht, insolvency notes — and Abteilung III the mortgages.
The structure carries the meaning: the same right means something different depending on the division it sits in. We keep the divisions and the entry numbers rather than flattening them into a list.
Auflassung and Auflassungsvormerkung
The agreement to transfer, the Auflassung, is separate from the sale contract, and a buyer is protected between signing and registration by an Auflassungsvormerkung, a priority notice in Abteilung II.
A US reader seeing a priority notice may read it as a defect. It is the buyer's protection, and we translate it as that.
Erbbaurecht, and the Teilungserklärung
Property may be held as Erbbaurecht, a heritable building right over someone else's land for a term, with its own register sheet — not freehold.
An apartment is governed by a Teilungserklärung setting out the shares and the community rules. 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
When does ownership pass?
On entry in the Grundbuch. Registration is constitutive, not evidentiary.
What is in Abteilung II?
Encumbrances and restrictions — easements, rights of residence, usufruct, pre-emption rights, insolvency notes.
What is an Auflassungsvormerkung?
A priority notice protecting the buyer between signing and registration. Not a defect.
What is Erbbaurecht?
A heritable building right over another's land for a term, with its own register sheet. Not freehold.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.