Acknowledgment of Paternity
Service description
A declaration acknowledging paternity of a child, along with the mother’s declaration of consent, may be recorded at any civil registry office, at youth welfare offices, or before a notary. Valid acknowledgment of paternity can take place if no other man has been established as the father of this child. The acknowledgment of paternity and the mother’s declaration of consent are recorded in a public document.
Paternity can be acknowledged even before the child is born.
Under German law, the woman who gave birth to the child is the child’s mother. Recognition of maternity is generally not required. If recognition of maternity or a declaration of consent from a legal representative is required, these must also be certified by a civil registry office, the youth welfare office, or a notary.
If the foreign national law of the mother’s or father’s country of origin requires acknowledgment of maternity, this may also be officially recorded. The same rules apply as for acknowledgment of paternity.
Special information for the Fulda districtIf you wish to make a statement, it can be officially certified by a registrar at any civil registry office, at youth welfare offices, or before a notary public.
A declaration acknowledging paternity of a child may be recorded at any civil registry office, at youth welfare offices, or before a notary. Valid acknowledgment of paternity can take place if no other man has been established as the father of this child. The acknowledgment of paternity and the mother’s declaration of consent are recorded in a public document.
Paternity can be acknowledged even before the child is born.
Under German law, the woman who gave birth to the child is the child’s mother. Recognition of maternity is generally not required. If recognition of maternity or a declaration of consent from a legal representative is required, these must also be certified by a civil registry office, the youth welfare office, or a notary.
If the foreign national law of the mother’s or father’s country of origin requires acknowledgment of maternity, this may also be officially recorded. The same rules apply as for acknowledgment of paternity.
Procedure
Special information for the Fulda districtTo expedite the process, please complete the following form in full and send it via email to the contact information provided below. Copies of your identification documents are also required for the preparation and issuance of the certificates. Please attach these to the information form. If possible, please submit federal ID cards as a priority. The responsible staff member will contact you as soon as possible.
If you are unable to attend the scheduled notarization appointment, you must cancel it no later than the day before the appointment. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee that a new appointment will be available in a timely manner.
Prerequisites
- The acknowledgment and consent must be notarized.
- A declaration of paternity can be filed at any civil registry office, youth welfare office, or notary’s office.
- The acknowledgment does not require acknowledgment of receipt and does not need to be accepted by a specific civil registry office or other authority to be valid.
- The prohibition against the abusive acknowledgment of paternity pursuant to § 1597a of the German Civil Code (BGB) applies.
- An acknowledgment of paternity for a child is not valid as long as another man is recognized as the father (preclusive effect).
- An acknowledgment that is subject to conditions or time limits is invalid.
- There must be no valid revocation by the party making the acknowledgment.
- Recognition requires the mother's consent.
- Recognition also requires the child’s consent if the mother does not have parental responsibility in this regard.
- The validity of a declaration of acknowledgment of paternity does not depend on the actual biological relationship; (legal) paternity arises solely through the valid submission of the declaration of acknowledgment and all necessary declarations of consent. Acknowledgment of paternity may also be made before the child is born.
- A person with limited legal capacity may only acknowledge the debt personally but requires the consent of their legal representative. For persons lacking legal capacity, the legal representative may acknowledge the debt with the approval of the family court; if the legal representative is a guardian, the approval of the guardianship court is required.
- The same rules apply to the mother's consent.
- For a child who lacks legal capacity, or a child who is under 14 years of age, only the legal representative may consent to the acknowledgment.
- Acknowledgments or consents cannot be made by an authorized representative.
What documents are required?
- Proof of identity (e.g., national ID card, passport, ID card)
What fees apply?
The acknowledgment of paternity and the declarations of consent are free of charge.
If applicable, €30 for the sworn statement of an interpreter
What deadlines do I have to observe?
- The declaration of acknowledgment may be made at any time, including before the child’s birth (prenatal acknowledgment), after the child’s death (postmortem acknowledgment), and for stillborn children.
Legal basis
Legal remedy
- Objection
- Challenge
- Determination Procedure
Applications / Forms
- Forms: at the registry office
- Online procedure available: no
- Written form required: yes
- In-person appearance required: yes