Declaration of resignation from the church
Withdrawal from a church, religious community or ideological community must be declared to the competent authority.
Legal basis
Which documents are required?
- Identity card or passport
- if available: baptismal certificate
Requirements
- at least 14 years of age
- Persons who have not yet reached the age of 14:
- The legal representative who is entitled to custody of the person (parents, one parent if applicable) can declare his or her resignation from the church.
- Children who have reached the age of 12
- The resignation cannot be declared against their will.
Costs
Fee: 30,00 EURPayment in advance: noLeaving the church
Process flow
The declaration of resignation must be submitted in person.
The change in religious affiliation under registration law is transmitted electronically by the competent authority to the tax authorities. The employer automatically learns of leaving the church by retrieving the electronic wage tax deduction characteristics (ELStAM), which are stored at the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt).
An interview with the tax office is therefore no longer necessary, the employee must inform the employer accordingly.
What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?
The withdrawal from the church takes effect on the day of the declaration. However, the church tax liability does not end until the end of the calendar month in which the declaration became effective.
Who should I contact?
The responsibility lies with the municipality, the joint municipality and the city in which you have your domicile or habitual residence.
Responsible authorities
Standesamt
| Monday | 09:00 until 13:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 09:00 to 13:00 |
| Wednesday | Closed on |
| Thursday | 09:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:30 |
| Friday | 09:00 to 13:00 |
| Saturday | Closed on |
| Sunday | closed on |
Only by appointment (within opening hours):
- Registration of marriage (Thursday also until 17:00)
- Issue of certificates of no impediment to marriage (Thursday also until 17:00)
- Leaving the church
- Change of name (Thursday also until 17:00)
- Wedding ceremonies (Monday to Friday and on selected Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and Thursday from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm)
- Paternity acknowledgments (Thursday also until 17:00)
- Post-registration of births, deaths and marriages abroad (Thursday also until 16:30)
Note:
Especially on Fridays or before public holidays, telephone availability may be very limited due to numerous marriages! These days are particularly popular with bridal couples, so many registrars are on duty.
Thank you for your understanding.
Hardly any other office of the city administration accompanies people throughout their entire lives - with their civil status - like the registry office.
From births and marriages to deaths, every event is recorded at the registry office. But the registry office's wide-ranging remit also includes matters such as names, church resignations, issuing certificates and maternity and paternity registrations.
