Applying for an apostille: which office, costs, time

An apostille confirms that a German public document is genuine, for states party to the Hague Convention. The office depends on the issuer: for register offices and cities the Bezirksregierung (district government), for notaries and courts the Landgericht (regional court), for federal documents the Federal Office of Foreign Affairs. Köln, Düsseldorf and Arnsberg charge 25 to 75 euros.

Apostille: the essentials

Purpose
confirms the issuer's signature, seal and authorityAs of: 27.10.2026 · Auswärtiges Amt
Responsible office
depending on the issuer: district government, regional court or federal officeAs of: 27.10.2026 · Auswärtiges Amt
Original
only the original or a certified copy from the issuing officeAs of: 27.10.2026 · Bezirksregierung Köln
Age limit
register office certificates at most 6 months old, registration certificates 3 monthsAs of: 27.10.2026 · Bezirksregierung Arnsberg
All details (4)
Official fee
district governments Köln, Düsseldorf, Arnsberg €25 to €75; regional courts Essen and Duisburg €25 per document
Processing time
district government Düsseldorf currently 8 to 10 weeks; regional court Duisburg about 5 working days
EU
no apostille needed for certain documents within the EU (Regulation (EU) 2016/1191)
Behördenfix fixed price
€129 for a privately used document from Köln, Düsseldorf, Essen, Dortmund, Duisburg or a federal authority, fee up to €50 included

Which office issues the apostille?

City, register officedistrict government Köln, Düsseldorf or Arnsberg
Notaryregional court at the notary's seat, also for powers of attorney
Courtregional court, sometimes the local court first
More rows (5)
Translationby sworn translators: regional court at their seat
Federal authorityFederal Office of Foreign Affairs, for example for the certificate of good conduct
Kölncity and register office: district government Köln
Düsseldorf, Essen, Duisburgcity and register office: district government Düsseldorf
Dortmundcity and register office: district government Arnsberg

As of 27.10.2026, according to the Federal Foreign Office, the district governments Düsseldorf and Arnsberg and the regional courts Essen and Duisburg (see official sources).

How we apply for the apostille with you

  1. 1Give your detailsDocument, issuer, destination country.
  2. 2Upload a scanWe identify the responsible office.
  3. 3Send the originalAs we instruct you.
  4. 4We applyFee included; we track the application.

Applying for the apostille yourself

The way without us, step by step

Without us you send the document yourself to the responsible office. The Federal Foreign Office and the district governments describe it like this:

  • Ask the issuer which office issues the apostille, as the Federal Foreign Office recommends, because responsibility differs between federal states.
  • Fill in the office's application form and state the destination country, your address and an email address; Köln requires the email.
  • Enclose the original or a certified copy from the issuing office. A simple copy is not certified.
  • Pay by invoice or in advance. Arnsberg charges in advance for written applications, Köln for delivery abroad.
  • Costs compared: at the office you only pay the fee of 25 to 75 euros. With us you pay 129 euros including a fee of up to 50 euros, for identifying the office, submitting and tracking.
  • We are not an authority. Whether the apostille is enough in the destination country is decided by the office there.

Open the official page

What you need

  • Original document or certified copy from the issuer.
  • Name of the destination country.
More documents (2)
  • Your address in Germany and an email address.
  • A signed power of attorney for us.

Good to know: original, age, delivery

The district governments Köln and Düsseldorf only certify documents issued in their district, as the original or a certified copy from the issuer. Register office certificates should not be older than six months there; if yours is older, the register office issues a new one.

All details (2)

Arnsberg requires registration and residence certificates to be issued at most three months earlier and only delivers to an address in Germany. Düsseldorf offers no consultation hours until further notice and only accepts written applications.

We offer translation and apostille together as a separate service.

When does our help make sense?

You do not need it if you know the responsible office. Applying by post with the office's form costs only the fee.

It can help if it is unclear whether the district government or the regional court is responsible, if your document first needs a preliminary certification, if it is federal, such as the certificate of good conduct, or if German forms are hard to understand. We identify the office, submit, pay the fee and track the application.

What we do not do: we do not predict whether the destination country accepts the document, give no legal advice and do not legalise at embassies.

Questions about the apostille

Where do I apply for an apostille?

It depends on the issuer. In NRW, documents from a register office, registration office or city are certified by the district government of the place of issue, notarial and court documents by the regional court, federal documents by the Federal Office of Foreign Affairs. If in doubt, ask the issuer, advises the Federal Foreign Office, as each state sets its own rules.

How much does an apostille cost?

For private purposes the district government Köln charges 25 to 50 euros, Düsseldorf 25 to 40 euros and Arnsberg 25 to 75 euros. Commercial documents cost 40 to 70 in Köln and 60 to 75 euros in Düsseldorf. Delivery abroad adds 10 euros there. The regional courts Essen and Duisburg charge 25 euros per document. As of 27 October 2026.

How long does an apostille take?

The district government Düsseldorf currently states 8 to 10 weeks, Köln up to 8 weeks for delivery abroad. Arnsberg's flyer states about 14 days, the regional court Duisburg about 5 working days. Düsseldorf does not answer receipt confirmations or status queries. We do not promise a shorter time.

What is the difference between apostille and legalisation?

In states party to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 the apostille replaces legalisation. The Federal Foreign Office keeps the list of these states. For other states the embassy of the destination country in Germany legalises, usually after a preliminary certification by German offices. The office abroad tells you whether legalisation is needed.

How do I get an apostille on the certificate of good conduct?

You apply for the paper certificate of good conduct (Führungszeugnis) yourself, naming the apostille and destination country, at the registration office or on the Federal Office of Justice portal; representatives are excluded (§§ 30, 30c BZRG). The Federal Office of Foreign Affairs then issues the apostille. We make this application for 129 euros. No apostille is possible on the digital certificate of good conduct.

Do birth and marriage certificates need an apostille?

The destination country decides. The apostille is issued by the district government of the register office; the certificate should not be older than six months. According to the Federal Foreign Office, multilingual civil status certificates under the Convention of 8 September 1976 are exempt from any formality in its member states; within the EU, Regulation 2016/1191 exempts certain documents.

Official sources

Sources (10)

Reviewed by M. Gabal on 27.10.2026

Provided by Behördenfix (M. Gabal). Behördenfix identifies the responsible office for your document, applies for the apostille with your power of attorney and tracks the application. Whether the apostille is enough in the destination country is decided by the office there. We are not an authority, give no legal advice and do not assess your individual case.

In these cities (12)
Related services (7)
What we do and what we don't
  • We fill in applications based on your details, file them and follow them up.
  • We give no legal or tax advice and do not assess chances of success.
  • We are a private service, not a public authority.

Fee included: we check your scan, file the application and track it until the document is back.

Request your apostille· 129 €