Authentication of Your Documents (Apostilles)

 

Certification of Documents

A stamp lying on a certificate Copyright: © RWTH Aachen

In the present context, a certification is an official confirmation by a suitable person that a copy document is a true copy of the original document.

Certification through the University Administration

Please note that we only authenticate diplomas, certificates, or academic records – issued by RWTH or an institution abroad – if they are needed to apply for studies or doctoral studies at RWTH. To have these documents notarized, you must bring both the original and the required copies with you.
At the Internation Office, we charge 1.50 euros per page authenticated, and our offer is limited to a maximum of three certifications per document. Please note that we cannot certify copies of personal IDs, passports, or vital records, such as birth or marriage certificates.

Certification by the AStA General Students’ Committee

The General Student’s Committee of RWTH Aachen University – AStA – offers certification services every workday from 10am to 2pm. Please note, however, that not all institutions accept documents certified by AStA.

Certification by the City of Aachen

The City Council also offers certification services. Fees for the authentication of documents however are different from those of the University Administration. For further information, please visit the respective web pages of the City Council.

 

Apostilles

Most countries accept certificates and documents issued by RWTH Aachen University as long as they carry the official seal of the university, that is a circular stamp. Some countries, however demand that the documents are aditionally certified with an apostille, which confirms the authenticity of the signature of a university document, such as a diploma or other certificate. Apostilles can only be issued by an administrative office of the German state. An apostille for official documents issued by RWTH Aachen University are provided by the District Government of Cologne – Bezirksregierung Köln.

Please note that in order to obtain an apostille from the District Government of Cologne, you will need the signature of one of the following members of staff of RWTH Aachen University on your RWTH documents:

  • Certificates and Diplomas, etc:
  • International Office: Stanislava Petkova – apostilles for documents issued by the International Office to Bachelor’s and Master’s students, Welcome Center for Researchers – apostilles for documents issued by the International Office to doctoral candidates and researchers