Prerequisites
You have reported the birth of a child to the responsible registry office and would like to submit additional documents to register the birth.
Documents required
You will need the paperwork, evidence and documents that you wish to submit to the relevant registry office.
Please note
The registry office maintains a birth register in which the following entries are made:
The child’s first names and birth name
Place, day, hour and minute of birth
The gender of the child
The first names and surnames of the parents, their gender and place and date of birth as well as place and date of marriage.
Choosing the child’s first name:
As a legal guardian, you are free to choose the child's first name. The first names chosen must not be inconsistent with the child's best interests. Names that are not actually first names may not be chosen. Several first names can be combined to form one first name. Such a combination should not contain more than one hyphen.
Choosing the child’s birth name:
If you have a common married name, the child will have this as their birth name.
If you as parents do not have a married name and you have joint custody, you can make a declaration to the registry office stating that the name that the father or mother has at the time of the declaration is the child's birth name. A declaration made after the birth has been registered must be publicly certified. If you have chosen a birth name for your child, this will also apply to other children you have together if you have joint custody of them.
The legal guardians can determine at the registry office that a child should receive the family name according to the law of the state to which one parent belongs, according to German law if one parent has his or her habitual residence in the country, or according to the law of the state to which a person granting the name belongs.
Deadlines
If the child was not born in a hospital or birthing center, you must report the birth of your child to the relevant registry office within one week. If your child was stillborn, you must report the birth no later than the third working day following the birth.
As parents with joint custody who do not have a married name, you must inform the responsible registry office of the child's birth name within one month of the child's birth. If no notification is received within this period, the matter will be forwarded to the family court.
