Service Finder
Have birth abroad retroactively certified
Service Description
If you or your child were born abroad, you can apply for subsequent certification of the birth. There is no legal obligation for subsequent certification. A proper foreign birth certificate (if necessary with translation, legalization or apostille) also proves the fact of birth. A subsequent certification can be useful if the name or the descent relations are to be proven bindingly in Germany. Furthermore, the registry office I in Berlin can issue you new certificates (also multilingual) at any time after the certification.
If the German parent was born abroad after 31.12.1999, the child acquires German citizenship with habitual residence abroad only if the certification of the birth in the German birth register is applied for within one year after the birth of the child, unless the child would otherwise become stateless.
Process flow
In principle, the application can be submitted via the German diplomatic mission abroad in case of residence abroad.
- All documents and IDs must be presented there in the original.
- If necessary, certified copies can be made at the mission abroad, for which further fees will be charged.
- The mission abroad can usually also determine whether a name declaration is required. In this case, a corresponding declaration can be recorded on the spot.
Competent authority
Contact the registry office of the (last) German place of residence. Registry Office I in Berlin is responsible for the certification if neither the child nor you as the applicant have ever had a residence in Germany.
Requirements
- The child has acquired German citizenship by descent from a German parent or by naturalization.
- The persons entitled to apply are
- the person to be registered himself/herself
- their parents
- their children
- the spouse or civil partner
Which documents are required?
- Complete foreign birth register extract or, if not available, birth certificate of the child, with translation, legalization or apostille, if applicable.
- Birth certificates of the parents, if necessary with translation, legalization or apostille
- identity cards of the parents
- Naturalization certificate, if applicable
- or citizenship certificate
- if the mother is or was married
- Marriage certificate, with translation, legalization or apostille, if applicable
- and in case of termination of marriage: Proof of dissolution
- if the parents are not married to each other
- if applicable, proof of acknowledgement of paternity and the mother's declaration of consent
- if applicable, proof of joint parental care
The submission of further documents may be required. This depends on the foreign certificate system and can only be assessed after the application has been examined.
What are the fees?
The subsequent certification of a birth abroad is subject to a fee. In Thuringia, the fee for subsequent certification is € 90.00. A birth certificate created from the birth register costs € 10.00.
What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?
None, but in certain cases there are consequences under nationality law if the subsequent certification of the birth is not applied for within one year.
Applications / forms
In case of refusal to perform an official act, a request for instruction may be filed with the competent personal status court.
Author
The text was automatically translated based on the German content.
Technically approved by
Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs
Professionally released on
06.06.2023
Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6PLus)
