Certification of copies

The certification of copies by the German Embassy will be conducted within the regular working hours from Tuesday to Friday between 8:00 - 9:30 am. A fee has to be paid when submitting the documents which is payable in cash (PHP) or with credit card (Visa, Mastercard). If you pay with credit card, the transaction will be processed in EUR. Further bank fees may apply.

For the certification, please submit the original documents. The certified true copies can be retrieved from the Embassy after ten (10) working days, within the regular working hours.

Alternatively, documents can be sent via courier services such as LBC and 2Go within the Philippines, or you authorize a third person to submit or fetch the documents by issuing a written authorization letter. The embassy does not assume liability for the delivery via courier services.

Certification of signatures

The certification of the signature is the “simpler” form of a notarization (as opposed to the full notarization of a document). By certifying the signature the consular officer confirms that the person indicated in the document signed it in front of him. This can be done at the German Embassy Manila within the regular working hours from Tuesday to Friday between 8:00 - 9:30 am.

The signature has to be given in person in the presence of the consular officer or has to be acknowledged in his presence. No advice about the legal meaning of the document to be signed is provided.

In many cases, the signature certification is sufficient for the document to become effective.

Documents

The following documents have have to be submitted:

To get your signature certified, please bring further information with you:
1. The document to be signed
2. Valid passport
3. for declarations of approval: the contract which has been signed earlier in Germany
4. if applicable, power of attorney for the company / person etc.

In individual cases further documents may be required.

Fees

The fee for the signature certification amounts to 56,43 EUR. Signature certifications required in connection with name declarations amount to 79,57 EUR. The fee has to be paid when submitting the document to be signed. The fee is converted into PHP according to the daily exchange rate at the German Embassy. You may pay in cash or with credit card (Visa, Mastercard). If you pay with credit card, the transaction will be processed in EUR. Further bank fees may apply.

Identity checks for banking transactions in Germany:

The Money Laundering Act imposes extensive obligations on banks and other obligated parties. In particular, the identity of the bank client and the “beneficiary” must be verified for certain banking transactions (so-called “identity check”). In cases where an identity check is required under the Money Laundering Act, German missions abroad may not, as a matter of principle, certify signatures or take any other identification measures.

In Manila, this identity verification for banking transactions in Germany (“GWG Ident Service”) is offered upon payment of fees by the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Further information

For further information on certifications, see here (in German).