If you have had a child, you must inform the relevant registry office and submit the required documents.

The registry office in whose jurisdiction your child was born is responsible.

If your child was born in a hospital or birthing center, the birth will be reported to the registry office by these facilities. In the case of a home birth, you will receive a birth certificate, which you must hand in personally at your local registry office.

Additional information and documents that cannot be taken from the registers must also be submitted with the birth notification.

The registry office keeps a register of births in which the following entries are made:

• First names and the child's maiden name.
• Place, day, hour and minute of birth.
• Sex of the child.
• First names and surnames of the parents, their gender

Choice of the child's first name:
As the person with custody, you are free to choose your child's first name. Chosen first names must not be contrary to the child's best interests. This means the following:

• the first name must not be offensive, nor should it expose the child to ridicule
• the name must be recognizable as a name
• the name must correspond to the child's gender
• Five first names are the maximum

You may only choose names that are essentially first names for your child. Several first names can be combined into one first name. Such a combination may not contain more than one hyphen.

Choice of the child's birth name:
If you as custodial parents have a joint married name, your child will be given this as their birth name. If you as parents do not have a married name and you have joint custody, you can designate one of your surnames as the child's birth name by making a declaration to the registry office. A declaration made after the birth has been certified must be notarized. If you have chosen a birth name for your child, this will also apply to any other children you have together.

If you have not yet decided on a name after the birth of the child, you must register it with the relevant registry office within 1 month. After this period has expired, the registry office is obliged to inform the competent family court.

As the person with custody of the child, you can decide vis-à-vis the registry office that your child should be given the family name:

• according to the law of a country to which you or the other parent belongs or
• according to German law, if you or the other parent has their habitual residence in Germany