Birth Register - Recognition of paternity

If you want to know how the father gets his name on the birth certificate, you will find all the relevant information on this topic here.

If the mother of the child is married, the husband is automatically the father of the child. In this case, you do not need to do anything else and the father’s name is automatically stated on the birth certificate.

If the child’s mother is not married, the father must recognise paternity in order to be entered on the birth certificate. This can be done at the youth welfare office, with the help of a notary or at the registry office.

Please note: The Registry Office Steglitz-Zehlendorf of Berlin certifies recognitions of paternity if one of the parties involved is registered in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district or if the child was born in this district. Due to limited resources, we cannot certify recognitions of paternity from other districts.

Please contact our service hotline to arrange an appointment or contact us by e-mail.

Notes on recognition of paternity

The recognition of paternity can only be declared in person (public certification). If you wish to recognise paternity, the father needs to submit the following documents:

• identity card or passport
• birth certificate

If the father uses a name other than his birth name (e.g. due to marriage), this must be proven, for example by means of a current certified printout from the marriage register. Foreign documents must be submitted in the original, if necessary, with legalisation and with a translation by a sworn interpreter.

The following declarations of consent are required for the recognition of paternity to take effect:

• consent of the child’s mother
• if the mother is a minor, additional consent from the mother’s legal guardians and the youth welfare office
• if the father is a minor, additional consent from the father’s legal guardians
• if the mother is still married and the divorce has already been filed, the consent of the mother’s husband is also required.
  In this case, however, the recognition of paternity only becomes effective when the divorce becomes final. These declarations of consent can also only be made in person at the youth welfare office, or to a notary, or at the Registry Office.

Please note that paternity can also be recognised before the birth, which makes visits to the authorities unnecessary in the stressful days immediately after the birth. In this case, the maternity record (Mutterpass) is required.

Notes on fees

The fee for a recognition of paternity or a declaration of consent is EUR 40.

Custody declaration

The registry office cannot issue a custody declaration. The youth welfare offices are responsible for this. When submitting a custody declaration, you can also have paternity recognised by the youth welfare office. The youth welfare office does not charge any fees for this.