Amtliche Beglaubigung von Unterschriften

Do you need your signature to be notarized, for example on a power of attorney? Official certification confirms that you have signed the document yourself.

In principle, the local authority - or the municipal authority in the case of an official exemption - in your place of residence is responsible for the official certification of a signature if the signed document

• is required for submission to a German authority or
• must be submitted to another authority on the basis of a legal provision.

This also applies to hand signs, i.e. signs consisting of letters or other symbols made by people who cannot write.

However, you can also contact any notary for certification. You can find the addresses of notaries in Germany at the Bundesnotarkammer (bnotk.de).

Special features apply to:

• Signatures that require public notarization (declarations of intent or declarations with procedural content). These include, for example, registration in the register of associations or applications for entry in the commercial register. Here, the declaration is made in writing and the declarant's signature is notarized by a notary.
• Signature certifications that are intended for submission to a foreign authority or body. They are reserved for notaries.
• Notarized signatures on declarations of commitment for (visiting) entries and other stays by foreigners. They are reserved exclusively for the foreigners authorities.

• Identity card or passport
• Original document (exception: declarations of commitment, see above under "Procedure")

Notarization is an official act subject to a fee. The amount of the fee depends on the scale of fees applicable to the certifying authority. For certifications by the local authorities or independent municipalities, the current version of the Cost Ordinance in the Ministry of the Interior's area of responsibility applies. The notary's fee is based on the Court and Notary Fees Act. The fee for a declaration of commitment is based on the Residence Ordinance.

As a rule, signatures and hand signs may only be certified by the competent authority if they are executed or recognized in the presence of the certifying employee. You must therefore personally present the relevant document on which you have signed or on which the signature is to be made and show an identity card or passport so that your identity can be established. You must then sign the document in the presence of the employee or recognize the signature as yours. A notarization note will then be affixed.

Special rules apply when the notary certifies the signature of a signature intended for retention by the court: the signature must be executed in the presence of the notary; this is recorded in the certification note.

Special features also apply to the standardized federal forms for declarations of commitment for the residence of foreigners: They are only available from the local immigration authorities and must be completed and signed on site; they are not issued to the signatory to take away. For further information, please contact the responsible foreigners authority.

The certification note contains:

• Confirmation that the signature is genuine
• Exact name of the person whose signature is being notarized
• Indication of whether the official responsible for the certification has ascertained the identity of this person and whether the signature was executed or recognized in his/her presence
• Indication that the certification is only intended for submission to the specified authority or body
• Place and date of notarization
• Signature of the official responsible for the certification and
• Official seal

none

in principle - with the above-mentioned exceptions - the local authority - in the case of freedom of office, the municipal authority - of your place of residence

(The same applies to the administrative districts, independent cities and every authority within the scope of its functional responsibility).