Certification information

At Universität Hamburg, you do not have to provide certified documents with enrollment. You may be asked to provide the documents necessary for enrollment as certified copies later during the course of your studies. In this case, you will receive a message in your STiNE account, so please check your account periodically. In case you are asked to provide the documents, you will be given sufficient time to have your documents certified. Please find information about the documents which can be asked for in our checklists for enrollment (bachelor or master).

Further information about requirements of certifications 

In Germany, all public institutions authorized to issue a seal and schools and universities which have issued your transcript can provide certified copies. Regardless of regulations in other German states,  Hamburg does not accept copies certified by church institutions, banks, notaries, associations, health insurance agencies, etc.

Outside of Germany, the following institutions may issue certified copies: schools and universities which have issued your transcript, diplomatic offices of the Federal Republic of Germany, and offices and notaries authorized in the respective country to issue certified copies.

Certified copies can also be issued by the cultural departments of the embassy from the country in which the transcript was first issued (within and outside of Germany).

Certified copies must contain the following:

1. Confirmation that certified copy concurs with the original (Beglaubigungsvermerk).
2. Signature of the certifying authority.
3. Imprint of the official seal; official seals usually contain an emblem. Simple stamps are insufficient.

If the copy comprises several pages, you must prove that all pages pertain to the same certificate. Only one page must contain the confirmation (Beglaubigungsvermerk) and an official signature if all other pages are stacked and bound in such a way that the a part of the seal appears on every page.

Of course, you are free to have each page certified separately. In this case, you must make sure all pages bear your full name.  If they do not, your name must be included in the confirmation and the type of certificate must be specified. A confirmation statement must mention both the front and overleaf of a copy, if relevant, e.g., »We hereby certify that the front and overleaf of this copy corresponds to the original« (»Hiermit wird beglaubigt, dass die vor-/umstehende Kopie mit dem Original übereinstimmt«). If this is not the case, the front and overleaf of the page must be certified separately.

Important notice

These certification requirements apply to enrollment at Universität Hamburg only. Requirements may differ for other universities, institutions, or purposes. We recommend that you consult the respective institution directly to find out about certification. Click here for further information on certification!