Birth certificate - Birth abroad
If German citizens were born abroad, they can have the birth certified at the relevant registry office in Germany.
Description
According to German law, the birth of a child must be entered in the register of births at the registry office of the place of birth. Birth certificates are issued from this register, which are conclusive for and against anyone in Germany.
Foreign birth certificates are subject to the free evaluation of evidence by German authorities and courts. If the name or parentage of the child is incorrectly stated in a foreign certificate - from the point of view of German law - this can lead to problems.
In this case, it makes sense to have the birth recertified at the German registry office. All data will be checked and, if necessary, missing declarations regarding parentage or name will be made.
However, there is no obligation to obtain a subsequent certificate!
A proper foreign birth certificate is considered proof of birth.
However, it can happen that the name or parentage of a person is assessed differently under German law than in the country of birth. In this case, it is advisable to apply for a subsequent certification of the birth in Germany.
Prerequisites
Subsequent certification is possible if someone has German citizenship by descent, naturalisation or adoption. The same applies to stateless persons, homeless foreigners and foreign refugees.
The parents of a child, the person themselves, their spouse, partner or children are entitled to apply.
Responsible is:
1) The registry office in whose district the person whose birth is to be certified resides
2) If the parents live abroad, the registry office in whose district they last resided
3) If there is or was no residence in Germany, the registry office I in Berlin
Required documents
Please use our contact form to submit your existing documents in advance. These can be
- Foreign birth certificate of the person concerned
- Birth certificates of the parents
- Marriage certificate of the parents
- Acknowledgement of paternity
- Court order establishing the parentage of the person concerned
- Adoption order
- Other documents relating to individual cases
- Foreign-language documents in multilingual form or together with a translation (publicly appointed and sworn translators)
Questions & Answers
Is it possible to have the birth of an adult subsequently certified?You can apply for subsequent certification at any time if the requirements are met.
The term "child" here refers to the person whose birth is in question. The terms "child", "mother" and "father" refer to the family relationship, not the age.
Legal basis
§ 36 PStG