Single Status Affidavit Apostille for Germany

A foreigner marrying in Germany normally needs a certificate of no impediment (Ehefähigkeitszeugnis) from their own country. The United States doesn't issue one, so the Standesamt prepares a request for an exemption, decided by the president of the regional appeals court (Oberlandesgericht). As part of that file, U.S. citizens are commonly asked for a sworn statement of single status. A Florida single-status affidavit before a notary, apostilled and translated by a sworn translator, is one way to provide it. Ask the Standesamt which format the court expects, and allow time for the exemption.

A sworn affidavit with a complete Florida jurat stating that you are not married and are free to marry and, if you were married before, the date, place and court or record that ended that marriage. Names must match your passport, and it must be signed within the window the foreign registry allows.

Use the registry's template if it has one, then swear to it before a Florida notary or through our online notarization add-on: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional document. First confirm that the country accepts a notarized affidavit rather than a consular or government-issued status certificate. Notarization is not included in our $220.

State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the single status affidavit apostille page.

The registrar's office (Standesamt) handles marriages, birth registrations and name declarations; births of children who never lived in Germany go to Standesamt I in Berlin. State justice departments recognize foreign divorces, probate courts (Nachlassgerichte) issue certificates of inheritance, and German notaries and land registries handle property. Recognition of qualifications runs through state authorities and the ZAB. The Consulate General of Germany in Miami serves Florida.

German offices that require a translation usually want one by a translator sworn, publicly appointed or authorized under German state law, searchable in the state justice administrations' database. Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida; some German offices accept it, but many will instead require a sworn German translator. For recognition of a Florida divorce, plan on the apostille plus a sworn German translation. Translate after the apostille, including the apostille page.

To marry in Germany, the birth certificate must not be older than six months. Other offices set their own limits, so ask; German notaries and register courts also tend to reject corporate certificates that are several months old.

Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Germany in Miami.

$220 per document, $380 for two and $160 each for three or more — the state fee, request form, in-person filing in Tallahassee and FedEx shipping inside the U.S. are included. Shipping the finished apostille to Germany is a flat $100 per order.

Not included: whatever the issuing office charges for the certified copy or certificate, and notarization (online notarization is $40 for the first document — $10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee — and $20 for each additional one).