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The birth of a child must be reported to the registry office in whose jurisdiction the place of birth is located.
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
Documents
As a rule, the registrar requires the documents listed under "Required documents":
It is advisable to enquire at the registry office responsible for certifying the birth whether the documents listed under "Required documents" are sufficient, especially in the case of oral notifications.
For the registration of the father, we recommend that you attend the registry office together.
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 birth must be reported to the registry office within one week.
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. 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".
If you need proof of your birth, you can apply for a birth certificate under certain conditions.