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VS-NfD translation, carried out to the VS-NfD Code of Practice.
When companies handle classified documents, the VS-NfD Code of Practice applies, Annex 4 to the Manual on the Safeguarding of Classified Information. It is the standard behind our classified document translation: only people formally bound to secrecy, all work on site in Hamburg with nothing sent electronically, a documented chain of custody and destruction on record.
Peer Bosse is your contact for VS-NfD projects · 0800 55 133 00 · service@tolingo.com
VS-NfD translation at a glance
When a company needs this procedure.
Suppliers, engineering firms and critical infrastructure operators handle classified documents too. They receive them through their contracts, often for the first time. Translation is then frequently the moment the documents leave the building, which makes it the step where the Code of Practice is most easily breached.
Your client has written the VS-NfD Code of Practice into your contract, and some of the documents need translating for a partner. You bind us to it as your subcontractor, and we supply the records you need. Sector background: Defence & security.
Classified statements of work from public contracting authorities, bids for multinational programmes, functional specifications. The deadline is what matters here, so we settle the handover route before your documents are final.
Security concepts, emergency plans and network documentation that an authority has classified. If your documents are confidential but unclassified, the options under Security & data protection are a better fit.
Technical documents on listed goods are often unclassified. Sending them to a recipient outside the EU can still count as an export of technology that needs a licence under the Dual-Use Regulation (EU) 2021/821. On request, we translate them under the same procedure, on site in Hamburg.
What VS-NfD means and which rules apply to companies.
VS-NfD stands for “Verschlusssache, nur für den Dienstgebrauch”, the lowest of Germany’s four classification levels. It covers information whose disclosure to unauthorised persons could be detrimental to the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany or one of its federal states (Section 4 SÜG). For companies, the VS-NfD Code of Practice, Annex 4 to the Manual on the Safeguarding of Classified Information, governs how that information is handled, translation included.
Federal authorities work to the VSA (Verschlusssachenanweisung). Companies are bound by the VS-NfD Code of Practice from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The public contracting authority writes it into the contract. Both protect the same information but are applied separately.
The originator classifies a document, never the service provider. When a classified document reaches us, we handle all of it under the Code of Practice, even if only a few passages are affected.
The SÜG does not provide for security clearance at VS-NfD level. The Code of Practice requires a documented secrecy undertaking from every person, strict need to know and a named person responsible for VS-NfD. We meet all three in full.
Classified documents slip into the ordinary procurement route by accident: an unencrypted email attachment, a standard order, a public translation tool. That is why we raise the classification at the start of the conversation, not during delivery.
This describes the legal position and is not legal advice. What counts is the version of the VS-NfD Code of Practice that is in your contract.
How a VS-NfD translation works.
Six steps, each one documented. The procedure is agreed in writing before the project starts, so your security officers can review it before the first document leaves your building.
By form, phone or email. We need no classified content for this: the classification, languages, volume and deadline are enough. Together we agree the handover route and who on your side is authorised to sign.
In person in Hamburg, or by post or courier, packed as the Code of Practice requires. Every handover is logged.
In a room with no internet access, with nothing sent electronically. Every access is logged.
A second person from the same circle, also bound to secrecy, checks the subject matter and the language. The number of people who know the content does not grow.
The return follows the same route as the handover, against a signed record and to the person named in advance.
Working copies, printouts and interim versions are destroyed or handed back. You receive a record of it for your file.
Who actually handles your classified document.
The circle is deliberately small and known by name. We name it, together with the person responsible for VS-NfD, in writing before the project starts, and change it during the project only after agreeing it with you.
Everyone involved signs a secrecy undertaking under the VS-NfD Code of Practice before seeing the first document. We show you the signed record (Part 5) on request.
The work takes place in Hamburg, in a room with no internet access. Specialist translators based abroad come to Hamburg and work on site too, so your documents never leave Germany.
The people on your job come from the technical field your document belongs to and work with your terminology. A translator bound to secrecy but without subject knowledge is of little use on a system manual.
The same team stays on your documents for the life of the contract. That keeps the circle stable and the terminology consistent.
Public services such as Google Translate or DeepL Free are ruled out. Where machine pre-translation is an option at all, it runs locally, with no connection to the outside, followed by post-editing from a specialist bound to secrecy. Whether that makes sense for your documents is something we settle in the initial call.
Paperwork and records.
- Signed secrecy undertakings from everyone involved (Part 5 of the Code of Practice)
- Written appointment of the person responsible for VS-NfD
- A description of the handover and destruction route
- Non-disclosure agreement, on your template if you prefer
- ISO/IEC 27001 certificate and its scope
- Data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR, where personal data is involved
Two pages to pass on to your security officers: every requirement of the Code of Practice, how we meet it and the record you receive.
Download the PDFRules, people, handover, technology.
What exactly does VS-NfD mean?
VS-NfD stands for “Verschlusssache, nur für den Dienstgebrauch” and is the lowest of Germany’s four classification levels. It is used for information whose disclosure to unauthorised persons could be detrimental to the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany or one of its federal states. The originator decides the classification. For companies, handling is governed by the VS-NfD Code of Practice, Annex 4 to the Manual on the Safeguarding of Classified Information.
Do companies follow the VSA or the VS-NfD Code of Practice?
The VSA (Verschlusssachenanweisung) applies to federal authorities. Companies are bound by the VS-NfD Code of Practice, which the public contracting authority writes into their contract. Both protect the same information but are applied separately. As a translation provider, we work to the Code of Practice that is in your contract too, and agree to be bound by it as your subcontractor.
Do your translators need security clearance?
Not for VS-NfD. The Security Screening Act (SÜG) does not provide for security clearance at this classification level. Instead, the Code of Practice requires every person to sign a documented secrecy undertaking before first access, and only people who need the information for the job may see it. We meet both requirements without exception and show you the signed records on request.
This is our first VS-NfD contract. What do we need to watch out for when it comes to translation?
Above all, the route your documents take. Classified documents must never travel as an unencrypted email attachment or through a public translation tool. If you bring us in as a subcontractor, you bind us to the Code of Practice, provided the originator has not objected to the documents being passed on. We clarify which records you need for this in the initial call, before any document moves.
How do documents reach you and come back safely?
To get in touch, a form, a phone call or an email is enough, and none of them needs classified content. You then hand the documents over in person in Hamburg or send them by post or courier, packed as the Code of Practice requires. They come back the same way, and every handover is logged.
Do translators based abroad work on VS-NfD documents?
No. All work takes place on site in Hamburg, in a room with no internet access. Specialist translators based abroad come to Hamburg and work there too, and your documents are never sent electronically. In the initial call, we give you a firm answer on which language pairs are possible and in what timeframe.
Does your procedure also cover NATO RESTRICTED or EU RESTRICTED?
These levels are comparable to VS-NfD, but they are governed by the rules of the organisation concerned and the terms of your contract. Send us those requirements before the initial call, without any classified attachments. We check them point by point and tell you whether and how we can meet them.
Can we use machine translation on VS-NfD documents?
Public services such as Google Translate or DeepL Free are ruled out. At most, a locally hosted system with no connection to the outside could be used, with its output revised afterwards by a specialist bound to secrecy. Whether that pays off for your documents depends on the document type and is settled in the initial call.
Related topics.
The industry page: terminology, technical documentation, tenders and the sector’s standards.
For confidential documents without a classification: security levels from EU servers to processing with no server storage.
The standard route for technical documents with no classification, to ISO 17100.
The certified information security management system the VS-NfD procedure is built on.
Is there a classified document on your desk?
Tell us the classification, the languages and the deadline, without any classified content. We agree the handover route and the team before the first document moves.