Service finder

You can inspect the register of matrimonial property rights.

Advice on the transition to secondary school

Adoption as a child (adoption) is pronounced by the family court at the request of the adopting party.

If you have adopted a child in a country whose law only provides for a weak adoption, you can have the adoption converted into an adoption under German law by a German family court.

Guardians and caregivers can get help from the Youth Welfare Office.

If you are of the opinion that your marriage is not legal, you can apply for an annulment of your marriage.

If you do not have German citizenship and wish to marry in Germany, you will need a certificate of marriageability from your home country. If you are not issued one, you can apply for an exemption from the requirement to present a certificate of marriageability.

Personal custody includes the right to demand the return of the child from anyone who withholds it from the parents or a parent.

Do you have an unfulfilled desire to have children? Couples can receive financial support for fertility treatment.

Do you need a marriage certificate? You can obtain your marriage certificate from the registry office where the marriage took place. The registry office will issue it from the marriage register.

You can no longer pay the KiTa costs for your child? Check whether a reduction of the KiTa costs is possible for you.

Carers can receive a subsidy towards their pension provision.

Do you live abroad or are you planning to move abroad and would like to enrol your child at a German school? Find out more about German schools abroad here.

If you want to adopt a person who is of age, you and the person to be adopted can apply for this at the family court.

If you as parents earn enough income for yourself, but your income is not enough or only just enough for the whole family, you can apply for the child supplement.

Does your child have problems in everyday life or in their development? As a parent, do you need support in raising your child? Then raising your child in a day group may be a possible solution.

You can no longer pay the KiTa costs for your child? Check whether an exemption from KiTa costs is possible for you.

One-off allowances or grants for the purchase of certain items or participation in certain activities for the foster child can be granted if they are not already covered by the current lump sums.

Does your child have a mental disability or is at risk of one? Does this limit their participation in society? Then integration assistance can help.

Adolescents and young adults in difficult life situations can receive help to become more independent and to cope better in society.

In the case of full-time care services, the necessary upkeep of the minor and young adult is ensured through ongoing services. The necessary maintenance includes the costs for material expenses and for care and upbringing.

Parents, as a rule, take care of the upbringing and care of a child. However, it may also be necessary for the state to help with education.

Would you like to take in a foster child? Then you must first qualify as a foster parent.

Do you need a civil partnership certificate? You can obtain your civil partnership certificate from the registry office in whose area of responsibility the civil partnership was established. The registry office issues them from the civil partnership register.

Did you enter into a civil partnership abroad? Then you can still apply for a civil partnership certificate at a German registry office. You will need to have your civil partnership certified once.

Are you a single parent and receive no or only partial maintenance from the other parent? Then, under certain conditions, you can apply for a maintenance advance.

Does your child have problems in everyday life or in his or her development? As a parent, you can't help your child on your own? Then a guardian can support your child.

The benefits in full-time care also include the reimbursement of proven reasonable expenses for contributions to accident insurance if no statutory accident insurance exists.

If you cannot ensure that your child is doing well in your home, then your child can live temporarily or for a longer period of time in an inpatient facility (home education) or an assisted living facility.

When full-time care ends, the foster child can continue to be supported as a young adult.

Foreign, minor and unmarried children with a residence permit for family reunification with a German parent can receive an extension of the residence permit as long as the family relationship continues.

If you cannot ensure that your child is doing well in your home, then your child may be in foster care temporarily or permanently.

If a foster child's health insurance cover is not sufficient for necessary measures, the youth welfare office may be able to cover the necessary co-payments or own contributions.

If you want to end your civil partnership, you can apply to dissolve your civil partnership.

Do you as a family or as a single parent need support to cope with your everyday family life? Then socio-pedagogical family assistance is an option for you. Socio-pedagogical family assistance is a form of educational assistance provided by the Youth Welfare Office.

You need information on the subsequent certification of a marriage. You can find out more here.

Do you want to adopt a child from abroad?

If family insurance is not possible for a foster child and there is no compulsory insurance, the youth welfare office can pay appropriate contributions for voluntary health insurance.

If you are married or in a registered civil partnership but living apart, you can ask for a distribution of household goods for the time you are living apart.

If you are married or in a registered civil partnership but living separately, you can demand reasonable maintenance from your partner even before the divorce.

If you have more than one first name, you can have their order changed by making a declaration.

If the other parent lives abroad and does not pay child support, you can get assistance from the Beistandschaft as well as the Amtsgericht.

If the other parent lives abroad and does not pay maintenance, you can obtain support from the assistance office and the local court and have the maintenance obligation checked and possibly certified.

If you are legally divorced and are unable to support yourself, you can demand reasonable maintenance from your former spouse.

Are you receiving an advance on maintenance and have there been any changes? Report them immediately.

If you want to give your child up for adoption and are not married to the mother, you can consent to the adoption before the child is born.

In addition, you can waive the need to apply for the transfer of parental authority (to yourself).

If it is important for their development, young adults can also receive educational support after their 18th birthday and be placed in full-time care.

Children and young people in curative full-time care have special needs. This requires close and intensive counseling of those involved in the foster care relationship. The child care service supports and accompanies foster carers and children with extensive services.

If the adoption of a child living abroad is possible, the adoption applicants are asked by the international placement office to declare that they are willing to adopt this child . This process must be accompanied.

Persons who are married to each other may, under certain circumstances, be able to change their name after marrying abroad by making a declaration to a German registry office.

The registry office will issue a certificate to this effect.

If the other parent does not pay maintenance, you can get support from the guardianship and have the maintenance obligation notarized. The Maintenance Advance Office can help you directly financially and make an advance or replacement of maintenance

For a minor child of separated parents, reasonable maintenance may be demanded from the party liable to pay maintenance.

As a non-married mother, you can claim maintenance from the child's father on the occasion of the birth of the joint child.

If the other parent liable for maintenance lives in Germany and you want to claim maintenance for your child living abroad, you can have this claim enforced in court.

Do you want to enroll your child in day care? The education, upbringing and care of your child takes place in crèches, kindergartens, after-school care centres or by day care providers.

Every child has a legal right to day care when they reach the age of one.

If you have concluded a marriage contract, you can have the chosen matrimonial property regime entered in the matrimonial property registry.

Legal representation must be ensured for each minor. This representation can take place within the framework of a guardianship or guardianship if the parents are unable or unwilling to perform this task.

If the other parent lives abroad and does not pay child support, you can get assistance from the Beistandschaft and the Amtsgericht.

You can change your first name under certain conditions.

If your marriage was divorced outside Germany, you can have this decision formally recognized in Germany.

The comprehensive school is a type of school of the general education school system. It is run in Lower Saxony as an integrated and as a cooperative comprehensive school.

Are you the foster carer of a child in full-time care? Then you will receive professional support and advice from the Foster Children's Service.

The foster children's service can support the foster parents if a child is to live permanently in a foster family because the conditions in the family of origin are not improving in the long term.

In appropriate cases, foster parents may be given guardianship of the child you are caring for.

Do you receive maintenance advance? In this case, the maintenance advance office checks annually whether all the requirements for entitlement to maintenance advance are still met.

If your divorce certificate has been lost, you can have a certified copy issued to you by the competent district court – family court.

• Two people who wish to marry each other are married by a civil registrar as part of a civil marriage ceremony.
• The marriage ceremony takes place at a place designated (prescribed) for this purpose by the competent authority.

• Two people who wish to marry each other are married by a civil registrar as part of a civil marriage ceremony.
• The marriage ceremony takes place at a place designated (prescribed) for this purpose by the competent authority.

The certificate of no impediment to marriage is issued if it is required for the marriage abroad.

• Two people who want to marry each other are married to each other in the context of the civil marriage/wedding ceremony, by a registrar.
• The wedding ceremony takes place at a place designated for this purpose (prescribed) by the competent authority.

• Two people who wish to marry each other are married by a civil registrar as part of a civil marriage ceremony.
• The marriage ceremony takes place at a place designated (prescribed) for this purpose by the competent authority.

As an adopted person, you can inspect the files relating to the placement of your adoption yourself from your 16th birthday. Unless the interests of other parties concerned - such as those of your biological parents - conflict with or outweigh this right of access.

When taking in a foster child, one-off lump-sum allowances can be approved and transferred with the first care allowance.

If you become aware that a child's assets are at risk, particularly from their parents or one of their parents, report this to the family court at the local court.

The proceedings are initiated ex officio by the competent family court, in particular on the basis of suggestions by the Youth Welfare Office, which in turn takes action, for example, on the basis of reports from neighbours, educators, teachers or relatives.

If you want to end your marriage, you can file for a divorce of your marriage.

In the case of pupils who are severely impaired in their educational, development and learning opportunities, a procedure may be carried out to identify a need for special educational support.

If you are the sole parent, you can seek advice from the Youth Welfare Office and receive assistance in claiming child support.

If you want to get married, you must register the marriage in advance.

Here you will find information on admission to an evening grammar school as well as on special features of the type of school.

You are a foster carer and the natural parents want to take the child back with them? Then you can apply to the family court for the child to stay with you.

For adoption, the consent of both parents and the child is required. In exceptional cases, the family court may replace one parent's consent to the adoption.

Do you need information from the custody register? Find out more here.

Some children and adolescents have difficulties in their personal development. It is difficult for them to approach other children or young people, to get involved in groups or to cope with their problems independently.

A certificate from the youth welfare office can serve as proof of parental custody

If consent has been given to adoption (including stepchild adoption) for or by a child, this consent may be revoked by the child if he or she is 14 years of age or older. A revocation must be publicly notarized.

The Gymnasium is a type of general education system. In principle, it covers grades 5 to 13, but can also be run without grades 11 to 13 (upper secondary level – gymnasiale Oberstufe).  

Are you the foster carer of a child in full-time care? Then you will receive professional support and advice from the Foster Children's Service.