🏛️ Services
Legalisation of documents
Updated: October 2026
For non-apostille states: UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Thailand – pre-certification, federal office, embassy.
When needed
If the destination country is not party to the Hague Apostille Convention: United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Thailand, Vietnam, Canada for documents before 2024 and others. The German document is then certified in several stages: pre-certification by the state authority → final certification by the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs (BfAA) → legalisation by the destination country's embassy in Berlin.
Process and duration
BfAA 2–4 weeks (online application, €25 per document), embassies 1–3 weeks with their own fees (UAE about €150, Egypt about €60). For commercial documents also a chamber of commerce certificate. Total 4–8 weeks.
Price
Handling per document €150 plus authority and embassy fees, courier. Translation into Arabic/English by sworn translators separate.
Our fee: Document check from €150, full support for one application from €490. Government fees, translations and apostille are charged separately and quoted in advance. Prices →