Apply for a birth certificate

Prerequisites

You can get a birth certificate if you:

• are at least 16 years old and
  • are the person to whom the birth certificate refers or whose
  • Spouse or life partner (within the meaning of the Registered Life Partnership Act) or their
  • Ancestor or descendant or their
  • Siblings with legitimate interests.

Further requirements:

• Other persons, including close relatives such as aunts or uncles, will only receive a certificate if they can credibly demonstrate a legal interest (for example, through a letter from the probate court).

Documents required

Please submit the following documents when applying:

• Your identity card or passport (in case of written application: copy),
• when applying or collecting by an authorized person:
  • written authorization from the authorized person,
  • Your identity card (original or copy) or
  • Passport (original or copy) and
  • the identity card or passport of the authorized person
• for other people:
  • where appropriate, proof of their legal interest

Please note

• You can apply for birth certificates in writing (post, email, fax) or in person. Applications cannot be made by telephone.
• If you no longer know the location of the civilly registered event, please write to the General Register of Hamburg's Civil Registry Offices. There you can find out which civil registry office recorded the civil status event.
• For birth certificates from births that occurred more than 110 years ago, please contact the Hamburg State Archives (see links).
• For civil status events (birth, marriage, death) that were recorded in a Hamburg registry office from 2009, additional certificates can be issued in all Hamburg registry offices. These certificates are marked with the addition "Certificate in accordance with Section 67 Paragraph 3 of the Civil Status Act". Please note that these certificates are not recognized abroad. For such purposes, please use certificates that were issued by the registry office that was originally responsible.

Civil status certificates contain personal data, so their issuance is subject to data protection restrictions.

Deadlines

no

Procedure

You apply for the birth certificate at the responsible authority.

You can apply for the certificate electronically online.

• Use the online service "Certificate Request".
• You will be guided through the application process.

You can apply for the certificate in person:

• You visit the registry office that registered the birth.
• You will need to present your identity card or passport for identification purposes.
• You usually pay the fee cashlessly at the registry office.

You can apply for the certificate in writing by mail, email or fax:

• You send an informal letter to the responsible authority asking them to issue you a birth certificate.
• Your letter should contain the following information
  • Name first Name
  • Date and place of birth
  • Surname, first name of parents
  • if known: registry office and registration number
• Please enclose a copy of your identity card or passport with the letter.
• You will receive the certificate by mail and a fee notice.
• You pay the fees.

Processing time

• Processing the application usually takes 2 to 10 days.


• If you appear in person, you will receive the certificate immediately if the register is already electronic.

Fees

• 18.00 EUR per certificate


• 8.00 EUR for each additional certificate in the same processing step


• Certificates for pension purposes are free of charge

Legal remedies

If the issuance is refused, you can submit an application for a court order to the Hamburg District Court, Sievekingplatz 1.

Legal basis

Section 55 paragraph 1 number 4 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstg/__55.html




§ 59 Civil Status Act (PStG)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstg/__59.html




§ 62 Civil Status Act (PStG)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstg/__62.html




§ 50 Civil Status Ordinance (PStV)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pstv/__50.html