Application for sworn in as interpreter and authorisation as translator

If you would like to be employed by a court or a notary as a translator and interpreter, you can be generally authorised or sworn in.

If you would like to be employed by a court or a notary as a translator (written transmission) and interpreter (oral transmission), you can generally authorise yourself or be sworn in in accordance with the Hessian Interpreters and Translators Act. Generally authorised or sworn translators and interpreters are entered in an electronic directory (central database of interpreters and translators).

The president of the regional court in whose district the applicant has his or her domicile or professional establishment is responsible for the general oath or authorisation. For applicants without a professional establishment, the main residence is decisive.

The President of the Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main is the competent authority for the general swearing in or general authorisation of persons who have neither their professional establishment nor their main residence in Hesse.

You can also complete the procedure electronically via the Point of Single Contact.
 

• Application
• Proof of citizenship of a member state of the European Union or another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (e.g. passport or front and back of identity card)
• Proof of professional aptitude
• Proof of reliability (e.g. extract from the list of debtors, certificate from the insolvency court)
• Proof of legal age (for example, passport or front and back of identity card)
• Certificate of good conduct according to § 30 paragraph 5 of the Federal Central Register Act
• Declaration as to whether a conviction has been made pursuant to § 2 (4) no. 1 of the Hessian Interpreters and Translators Act

Forms available: No

Written form required: No

Informal application possible: Yes

Personal appearance required: No

Online services available: Yes

• nationality of a Member State of the European Union or of another State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area; or permanent residence or professional establishment in the territory of the State of Hesse
• Proof of professional aptitude:

is technically suitable

• for the field of interpreters, anyone who has passed a state interpreter examination in Germany, has completed a domestic university or technical college degree in interpreting or a foreign interpreter examination recognised as equivalent.
• for the field of translators, who has passed the translator's examination, has passed a domestic university or university of applied sciences degree in the field of translation or a foreign translator's examination recognised as equivalent

If there is no position before which a state interpreter examination can be taken, proof of professional aptitude must be provided by a certificate from the Hessian Teacher Academy.

• Proof of reliability:

In particular, reliability is not possessed by those who:

• convicted of imprisonment or juvenile detention of more than one year for a crime or misdemeanour under the Ninth or Fifteenth Section of the Special Part of the Criminal Code or under the Criminal Code for aiding and abetting under Section 257, obstruction of justice pursuant to Section 258, fraud pursuant to Section 263 or forgery of documents pursuant to Section 267 or for one or more other intentional criminal offences has been established,
• lives in disorderly financial circumstances, in particular against whose assets insolvency proceedings have been opened or who is entered in the register of debtors, or
• is not only temporarily unable to work as an interpreter for health reasons.

• Majority

Administrative recourse is open in the proceedings.

You can apply for a general swearing in as an interpreter or authorisation as a translator in writing or online.

There are no deadlines to observe.

The application must be processed by the competent authority pursuant to § 10 paragraph 1 of the Hessian Interpreters and Translators Act within 3 months. In exceptional cases, an extension of the deadline may be justified (Section 42a (2) sentences 2 to 4 of the Hessian Administrative Procedure Act (HVwVfG) applies mutatis mutandis).

There is an administrative fee of 120

Mode of payment:

The following payment methods can also be selected via the ePayment platform of the State of Hesse:

-PayPal
- Giropay
- Credit card (Visacard, Mastercard)