As of October 1, 2015, Rwandan certificates can be legalized by the German Embassy in Kigali. However, electronic civil status documents obtained through the IREMBO website cannot be legalized because the signature of the certifying officer is only electronic. Instead, the Embassy will provide a note confirming the authenticity.

General information

1. If a Rwandan document must be submitted to an authority in Germany, this authority decides whether it will recognize it as authentic without further ado or whether legalization is required.
2. If a legalization of a Rwandan public document is required, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kigali may legalize the document and thereby confirm the authenticity of the signature, the capacity in which the signatory of the document acted and the authenticity of the seal affixed to the document. The Embassy does refuse to legalize forged documents as well as documents which clearly contain false information i. e. documents certifying facts which are not really true.
3. Please choose birth RECORD instead of birth certificate.

Required Pre-authentications

Preconditions for the final legalization or confirmation of authenticity on IREMBO documents by the Embassy include pre-authentications by the Rwandan Ministry of Justice and then the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Please obtain these (after confirmation of the document by the above-mentioned registrar) from the ministries:

Ministry of Justice

Address: KG 1 Roundabout, Kigali, Rwanda

Tel: +250 788 300 952, Toll-Free: 3936.

Email: mjust@minijust.gov.rw

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation

Director General of Protocol

Address: 23WM+5HX, Kigali, Rwanda

Tel.: +250 280 599128 / +250 280 599132

Email: info@minaffet.gov.rw

Pre-authentications must be obtained in person or by an authorized representative.

Final Legalization or Confirmation of Authenticity with a Note by the German Foreign Mission

The document with pre-authentication notes can be legalized by the German Embassy. For electronically generated IREMBO documents, a note confirming authenticity replaces the legalization for electronic documents. Please book an online appointment for this.

If the person whose document is to be legalized or whose authenticity is to be confirmed does not reside in Rwanda, they must issue a power of attorney for someone in Rwanda. This person, in addition to the document, must present the power of attorney and a copy of the passport of the person granting the power of attorney.

For the use of the Rwandan document with legalization or authenticity note in Germany, a translation of the document into the German language is usually required. The German Embassy does not generally provide translations. These must be done by a sworn translator in Germany.

The Fee

For civil status documents (birth/marriage certificates or certificate of celibacy): €28,11. The fee is to be paid in cash in RWF (value depends on the exchange rate) or by credit card.