Sworn interpreter and/or authorized translator with a professional qualification from abroad

• The Regional Court of Hanover has jurisdiction.

The requirements for personal reliability are

• Submission of a curriculum vitae,
• Submission of a police clearance certificate, which must be suitable for submission to an authority (document type "O"),
• Assurance that you are living in good financial circumstances,
• Self-disclosure from the central electronic debtor register in accordance with Section 882 b of the German Code of Civil Procedure,
• Assurance that no insolvency proceedings have been opened against the applicant's assets, rejected for lack of assets and no residual debt discharge is outstanding,
• Assurance that the applicant has no criminal record, that no preliminary proceedings are pending against him/her and that no sentence or disciplinary measure has been imposed on him/her in the five years prior to the application, and
• Permission from the immigration authority to pursue self-employment (possibly included in the residence permit), provided the applicant is not a German national or a national of an EU member state.

Prerequisites for professional suitability are

• Language skills which enable the applicant to understand practically everything he/she hears or reads with ease, to express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely and to make clear finer nuances of meaning even in more complex matters, both in German and in the foreign language at language level C 2,
• language mediation skills as an interpreter and
• knowledge of German legal language (legal terminology). You must be able to correctly understand and accurately translate legal terms from the various areas of court proceedings, particularly in the fields of civil, criminal and administrative law.

Proof of this must be enclosed with the application.

The application for general swearing-in and/or authorization can be submitted both electronically and in writing. The application must be in writing, i.e. it must be signed or authenticated by an electronic ID document.

You will find the link to the online application on this page. To use the online application, you must have a service account. You can also use the online application to register a service account. You must identify yourself with an electronic ID card to submit an application electronically only. You will find this option in the online ID function section of the service account application. If you have a foreign electronic ID card, you can use the federal service account for registration and identification.

If you do not have an electronic ID card, the application must also be printed out, signed and sent by post after electronic transmission.

For the swearing-in and/or authorization according to the NJG, the proof of professional suitability must currently still be submitted in the original. The evidence must therefore be sent by post to the Hanover Regional Court after the online application has been submitted. All evidence can be submitted electronically for swearing in as a court interpreter. If there is any doubt as to the authenticity of electronically submitted evidence, the original or a certified copy can be requested.

• Information and forms to download

Proof of personal reliability:

• Curriculum vitae
• Police clearance certificate, which must be suitable for submission to an authority (document type "O")
• Self-disclosure from the central electronic debtor register in accordance with Section 882 b of the Code of Civil Procedure
• Certificate from the competent insolvency court that no insolvency proceedings have been opened against the applicant's assets or that the opening of insolvency proceedings has been rejected for lack of assets

Certificate from the immigration authority that self-employment is permitted (contained in the residence permit, if applicable), unless the applicant is a German national or a national of an EU member state Proof of professional suitability in accordance with Sections 3 (2), 4 GDolmG and Section 23 (2) - (4) NJG:

From 01.01.2023, the professional suitability of a court interpreter will be determined by the Court Interpreters Act (GDolmG). Professional aptitude in both German and the foreign language requires

• Proof of a state or state-recognized interpreting examination or
• Proof of recognition of an interpreting examination taken abroad or
• Certificate of a degree from a state-recognized university abroad,
• C2 language certificate of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages from a state-recognized language institute,
• Proof of passing a state procedure for testing language skills
• Proof of knowledge of German legal language (legal terminology) by submitting qualified certificates or certificates of a university degree in this field, vocational training, many years of professional practice or the successful completion of a separate course.

Applications in accordance with the Lower Saxony Justice Act (NJG) for interpreters for official and notarial purposes and sign language interpreters require:

• Certificate of successful completion of interpreter or translator studies at a university or certificate of passing a state or state-recognized interpreter or translator examination or
• Certificates of successful completion of a state-recognized language school (for German and the foreign language) or
• Examination certificate from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for an interpreter or translator examination
• at a university in a member state of the European Union or an interpreter or translator examination passed in a member state of the European Union, provided that these are recognized as equivalent or
• Certificate of completion of the general higher education entrance qualification
• Proof of linguistic knowledge and skills
• Proof of knowledge of German legal language (legal terminology)

All documents must be submitted as originals or as copies or digital copies certified by an authority or a notary. If there is any doubt about the authenticity of electronically attached documents, these can be requested in the original or as a certified copy.

If documents are written in a language other than German, translations whose accuracy and completeness have been certified by a translator authorized in Germany (not the applicant him/herself) must be attached.

Foreign documents that do not originate from a member state of the European Union must be provided with an apostille or legalization to prove their authenticity.

The following documents must not be older than 6 months at the time of the general swearing-in and/or authorization:

• Certificate of good conduct
• Printout of the information from the central electronic debtor register
• Certificate from the competent insolvency court

If the procedure is delayed because missing documents still need to be submitted, these documents must be provided again.

• Consular service

The Act on Costs in the Administration of Justice provides for fees for both the general swearing-in of interpreters and the authorization to certify the accuracy and completeness of translations.

If both the general swearing-in as an interpreter and the authorization as a translator are applied for for the same languages, the fee is only incurred once.

The fee is due upon submission of the application. The application and the required evidence will only be reviewed after the fee has been paid.

If an application is rejected, the fees will not be refunded. If the application is withdrawn before a decision is issued, the fee is reduced to EUR 100.00 for the first language and EUR 60.00 for each additional language.

The President of the Regional Court of Hanover decides on the applications on the basis of the information provided by the applicant and the documents submitted.

The general swearing-in, for which a special certificate is issued in accordance with the NJG and a certificate in accordance with the GDolmG, or the issuing of the certificate of authorization is also carried out by the President of the Regional Court of Hanover.

The swearing-in and/or authorization is accompanied by an express obligation under the Obligations Act and the associated ordinances, with reference to the criminal consequences of a breach of duty, in particular under the relevant provisions of the Criminal Code.

After issuing the certificate in accordance with the GDolmG, the interpreter may

• the interpreter is entitled to use the title "Generally sworn court interpreter for (specify the language for which she is sworn)",
• the interpreter may use the designation "Generally sworn court interpreter for (indication of the language for which he/she is sworn)",

shall bear this title.

After the certificate has been issued in accordance with the NJG

• the interpreter may use the title "Generally sworn interpreter for the ... language",
• the interpreter may use the title "Interpreter sworn by the Regional Court of Hanover for the ... language",
• the translator the designation "Translator authorized by the Regional Court of Hanover for the ... language" and
• the translator the title "Translator authorized by the Regional Court of Hanover for the ... language". language"

.

If a stamp is made, this designation must be reproduced in full and unchanged. The shape should be as round as possible. The size and font can be chosen freely. You will receive a sample after your swearing-in and/or authorization appointment.

You will be entered in a list of sworn interpreters and authorized translators, which can be viewed by courts, authorities and notary's offices. The entry is made immediately after the general swearing-in and/or authorization. The list is also published on the Internet.

• List of sworn interpreters and authorized translators

In principle, there are no deadlines for submitting applications. However, general authorizations and authorizations granted before 01.01.2011 expire at the end of 31.12.2015. This also applies if they were granted for an unlimited period or for a limited period beyond this date. The persons concerned can submit a new application at any time.

General oaths issued between 01.01.2011 and 31.12.2022 in accordance with Sections 22 - 31 of the Lower Saxony Justice Act (NJG) continue to apply. Interpreters may invoke this general oath in court until 31.12.2026.

Decisions on applications for general swearing-in and authorization must be made immediately, at the latest within three months.

• § Section 22-31 of the Lower Saxony Justice Act (NJG)
• § Section 189 of the German Courts Constitution Act (GVG)
• Court Interpreters Act

If your application is rejected, you can lodge an appeal against the decision with the administrative court responsible for your place of residence within one month of notification.

• You can find the competent administrative court here: Justice Portal of the Federal Government and the Federal States - Directory of localities and courts.

• Further information on this topic from Hanover Regional Court