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Documents from Bavarian courts or notaries for use abroad; application for preliminary certification for legalization
If you wish to use a document from a court or notary abroad, it may have to be legalized. It may have to be pre-certified by the competent German authority.
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Landgericht München II
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80335 München
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80320 München
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Electronic legal transactions
Sie können mit dem Gericht sicher elektronisch kommunizieren und z. B. Anfragen, Anträge und Unterlagen einreichen.
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Procedure details
Description
German public documents are generally only recognized abroad if their authenticity has been confirmed by the competent representation of the country concerned in Germany (legalization). The representations of foreign countries generally require the German documents to be legalized by the competent German authorities beforehand.
In Bavaria, the president of the regional court in whose district the document was drawn up is responsible for the preliminary legalization of documents from the area of ordinary jurisdiction, including notaries. As part of the legalization procedure for foreign representations, the regional courts certify, for example, German judgments, decisions, court documents, notarial deeds and translations.
There are international agreements according to which certain documents are exempt from legalization.
Requirements
You would like to use a court or notarial deed abroad and need a preliminary certification for legalization.
Required documents
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Document from the court or notary in the original
Proceedings
If you need a certification for a legalization procedure, you can send an informal letter to the president of the respective regional court, depending on the jurisdiction.
The country for which the document is required must be specified when sending it by post. The original documents must generally be enclosed. The documents can also be handed in personally.
Fees
There are framework fees for certification as part of a legalization procedure. A fee of EUR 25.00 is to be expected for each document.
Deadlines
none
Processing time
A processing time of 2-3 working days must be accepted for the completion of the certificates.
Special notes
The representations of certain countries require a so-called final certification for the legalization of German documents - irrespective of the preliminary certification described above. This must be applied for at the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs.
Legal bases
Related links
Related issues
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Official certification; obtaining from the municipality or administrative community
As the authorities closest to the citizens, the municipalities and administrative communities in particular are generally authorized to officially certify copies and signatures.
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Documents from Bavarian courts or notaries for use abroad; application for an apostille
If you wish to use a deed from a Bavarian court or notary abroad, you may need to have the deed notarized. The authenticity of the document can be certified by issuing an apostille.
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Documents from state authorities or municipalities for use abroad; application for an apostille or preliminary certification for legalization
If you wish to use a document from a Bavarian state authority or a municipality abroad, you may need to have the document notarized. The authenticity of the document can be certified by legalization or the issue of an apostille.
Status: 05.03.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium der Justiz
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