Birth; Display

The birth of the child must be certified by the registry office in whose jurisdiction the child was born.

Written notification of birth in a clinic

If a child is born in a hospital or other institution where obstetric care is provided, the institution's responsible body (usually the administration) is obliged to register the birth. For this purpose, the administration of the facility will collect the parents' data and obtain the necessary documents and evidence. The first names of the child can also be determined when the written notification is made. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that the parents will have to appear at the registry office. This is particularly necessary if, for example, a declaration of the child's surname is required or if the father of an unmarried mother wishes to recognize the child.

Verbal notification

If written notification is not possible, the birth of the child must be notified verbally at the registry office. This is the case, for example, if it is a home birth.

The following are obliged to report the birth

• Each parent of the child, if they have custody.
• Any other person who was present at the birth or is aware of the birth from their own knowledge.

You can submit your documents either by post or by dropping them in the mailbox at the town hall or the registry office on the 3rd floor. Alternatively, you can also make an appointment to hand in the documents in person at the registry office.

Please also refer to our information sheet on notifying births.

Once a birth has been reported, the registry office will record it in the register of births. The following information about the child and its parents is entered:

• The date, time and place of birth,
• the child's first names and surname
• the sex of the child,
• the parents' first names and surnames.

In addition to the data provided, the register data of the parents' marriage and the register data of the birth for parents born in Germany and unmarried parents are also provided.

I do not yet have all the documents for the birth certificate of my child. What can I do?

If the documents for the birth certificate are not yet complete, you can apply for a provisional certificate of the birth of your child at the registry office. This certificate will then be issued on the basis of the files. It can be submitted to the child benefit and parental benefit office, the health insurance company and other offices. The provisional certificate costs €12.00.

The mother of the child is the woman who gave birth to the child.

The father of the child is the mother's husband. If the child was born after the death of the husband, he is considered the father if the child was born within 300 days of the death. If the mother is divorced and the child was born after the divorce decree became final, the former husband is not considered the child's father.

If the child's mother is not married at the time of the child's birth, the registry office can only register a man as the father when certifying the birth if he has acknowledged paternity. The same applies if the mother is living in a registered civil partnership at the time of the birth. For this purpose, it is possible to recognize paternity even before the birth is certified.

On request, the relevant registry office will issue birth certificates from the register of births, in which the essential data from the register of births about the child and its parents are transferred. In addition, certified printouts from the birth register (this is a verbatim reproduction of the contents of the birth register) can also be issued. For more information, see "Certificate of civil status; issue" under "Related topics".

You will automatically receive the tax identification number after the birth of your newborn child has been certified at the registry office. For this purpose, the registry office will send a notification to the relevant registration office. The registration office then forwards the notification to the Federal Central Tax Office. The tax identification number will then be sent to you by post by the Federal Central Tax Office.

The birth must be reported to the registry office within one week.

• For parents who are married to each other:
  
  • Marriage certificate or certified printout of the marriage register
  • Valid passports or identity cards of both parents
• For parents who are not married to each other:
  
  • Unmarried mothers: birth certificate or certified printout from the mother's birth register
  • Mothers living in a registered civil partnership: Civil partnership certificate or certified printout from the civil partnership register (also applies to dissolved and dissolved civil partnerships)
  • divorced mothers: marriage certificate or certified printout of the marriage register of the divorced marriage with divorce note; if married abroad: marriage certificate with legally binding divorce decree
  • widowed mothers: marriage certificate or certified printout of the marriage register of the last marriage with a note on the death of the husband or, alternatively, marriage and death certificate or certified printout from the marriage and death register
  • Proof of any acknowledgments of paternity and declarations of custody already submitted, if applicable
  • Valid passport or identity card of the mother

  To register the father, we recommend that you visit the registry office together.

• The following documents from the father are required:
  
  • Birth certificate or certified printout from the birth register
  • valid passport or identity card
• General information:
  
  • All documents must be originals, photocopies cannot be accepted!
  • Foreign-language documents are required in international form or together with a translation (by a publicly appointed and sworn translator or interpreter!).
  • As a rule, the documents listed above are required. In special cases, further documents may be required! Your local registry office will be happy to advise you.
    It is advisable, especially in the case of verbal notifications, to ask the registry office responsible for the birth certification whether the documents mentioned are sufficient.

• Birth announcement leaflet
  Detailed information on the required documents and the applicable naming law can be found in our information sheet on birth notification.

The birth certification of a newborn child in Erlangen is free of charge. However, a fee of €12.00 is charged for each birth certificate issued. Birth certificates for applications for child benefit, parental benefit and maternity benefit are issued free of charge. If a birth certificate has to be postponed due to missing documents from the parents, a provisional certificate of the child's birth can be issued for a fee of €12.00.

How can I pay for the certificates for my newborn child?

The registry office will send you an e-mail with the necessary information on how to pay for the certificates for your newborn child. If you have not provided an e-mail address on the birth announcement, we will contact you by telephone or post.

As a rule, the registry office receives the birth announcement within a week from the women's clinic or birth center via a clinic messenger. The notifications must then be checked. If all documents are already available for certification, the birth can usually be certified within two weeks of receipt. If documents are missing, notarization will be delayed until these have been submitted. The birth certificates are sent to the parents by post after notarization. If original foreign documents have been submitted, the birth certificates can be collected together with the originals from the registry office. Parents will then be informed of the exact collection times by e-mail.