Notification of birth Acceptance Supplementary data delivery
If you have had a child, you must inform the relevant registry office and submit the required documents.
The registry office in whose jurisdiction the child was born is responsible.
If your child was born in a hospital or birthing center, the birth will be reported to the registry office by these facilities. In the case of a home birth, you will receive a birth certificate, which you must hand in personally at your local registry office.
Further information and documents required for the birth to be certified must be submitted to the relevant registry office in addition to the birth notification if these cannot be taken from registers to which the registry office has access.
The registry office keeps a register of births in which the following entries are made:
- The child's first names and maiden name
- Place, day, hour and minute of birth
- The sex of the child
- The first names and surnames of the parents, their gender.
Choice of the child's first name:
As the custodian, you are free to choose the child's first name. Chosen first names must not be contrary to the child's best interests. Names that are not essentially first names may not be chosen. Several first names can be combined into one first name. Such a combination should not contain more than one hyphen.
Choice of the child's birth name:
If you have a joint married name, the child will be given this as its birth name.
If you as parents do not have a married name and you have joint custody, you can declare to the registry office that the name used by the father or mother at the time of the declaration will be the child's birth name. A declaration made after the birth has been certified must be notarized. If you have chosen a birth name for your child, this will also apply to other children.
The custodial parents can decide vis-à-vis the registry office that a child should be given the surname
- according to the law of a country to which one of the parents belongs,
- according to German law, if one parent has their habitual residence in Germany
- according to the law of the country to which a person granting the name belongs.
- § Section 10 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
- § Section 18 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
- § Section 21 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
- § Section 22 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
- § Section 27 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
- § Section 44 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
- § Section 45 of the Civil Status Act (PStG)
- § Section 35 Ordinance on the Implementation of the Civil Status Act (PStV)
- § Section 1626 ff of the German Civil Code (BGB)
- § Section 1616 ff of the German Civil Code (BGB)
- Article 10 (1) and (3) Introductory Act to the German Civil Code (EGBGB)
- § Section 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG)
- Article 5 (1) Introductory Act to the German Civil Code (EGBGB)
There are no costs.
The birth of the child must be reported to the relevant registry office within one week. If a child is stillborn, the notification must be made no later than the third working day following the birth.
Parents with joint custody who do not have a married name must notify the competent registry office of the child's birth name within one month of the child's birth.
The registry office recording the birth must be informed of this:
- the registry office that keeps the birth records for the child's parents,
- the registry office I in Berlin, if the child was born abroad,
- the registration office,
- the family court, if
- the child was born after the death of its father
- it is a foundling or a minor whose marital status cannot be determined, or
- it is a child from a confidential birth in accordance with Section 25 (1) of the Pregnancy Conflict Act,
- the youth welfare office if the parents of the child are not married to each other,
- the family court if parents with joint custody who do not have a married name have not determined the child's birth name within one month of its birth,
- the Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society Tasks if the child was born confidentially in accordance with Section 25 (1) of the Pregnancy Conflict Act (Schwangerschaftskonfliktgesetz)
- the parental allowance office if the registry office becomes aware that an application for parental allowance has been made and if the person making the application has consented to the transfer of data
The processing of personal data by a public authority is permitted if it is necessary for the performance of a task for which the controller is responsible or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior and Sport
to the registry office in whose district the child was born.
