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Apply for registration of a birth abroad

Were you or another family member born abroad? Then you can have the birth subsequently registered in the birth register at your local registry office.

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Detailed description

If you or a close family member in the direct line of descent were born abroad, you can apply for the subsequent certification of the birth in the birth register (formerly birth book) at the registry office in Germany.

You are not obliged to have the birth registered retrospectively. Birth certificates from abroad are often recognized in Germany as long as their authenticity is beyond question.

However, the subsequent entry in the birth register can be an advantage because the local registry office can then issue you with a German birth certificate. This means that you no longer have to have the foreign certificate translated and certified for future purposes.

 

Information

Prerequisites

You have German citizenship, are stateless or a recognized refugee whose habitual residence is in Germany.
You are applying for certification

  • oneself,
  • Her child,
  • a parent or
  • Your spouse or partner.

Documents required

  • Application form for registration of a foreign birth in the birth register
  • foreign birth certificate with translation; if necessary, legalization or apostille
  • valid identity card, passport or travel document
  • Marriage and birth certificates of the parents of the person to whom the entry refers
  • if applicable, naturalization certificate or certificate of citizenship
  • if necessary, further documents with proof of authenticity and, if necessary, translation, depending on the individual case

Submit all documents in original.

Please note

Please ask for details about the modalities and the documents that the registry office requires from you in advance by telephone or email.

Deadlines

no

Procedure

  • You apply for the birth certificate to be registered at the registry office that is responsible for your German place of residence or the German place of residence of the person entitled to make the application. If neither a current nor a former German place of residence can be determined, you can apply for the certificate to be registered at your responsible German diplomatic mission abroad or at the Berlin I registry office.
  • Collect the necessary documents and send them to the responsible registry office.
  • The registrar checks whether certification by a German registry office is possible.
  • If the requirements are met, the registry office will make the entry in the birth register.
  • If required, the registry office will issue you a birth certificate after registration.

Fees


  • Certification in the birth register: from 104.00 EUR

  • Birth certificate / certified printout from the birth register: 18.00 EUR (if ordered at the same time, each additional copy costs 8.00 EUR)

Additional services, such as issuing an apostille or translations, may incur additional costs and fees.

Legal remedies

If the subsequent certification is refused, you can contact the Hamburg District Court, Sievekingplatz 1, and submit an application for instructions from the court in accordance with Section 49 of the Civil Status Act (PStG).

Legal basis

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Last updated: 13.02.2025