Obligation to notify births

The birth must be reported to the registry office responsible for the place of birth within one week. The Bonn registry office certifies all newborns born in the Bonn clinics (Johanniter Hospital Bonn, GFO Kliniken Bonn Betriebsstätte Sankt-Marien, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Bonn Haus St. Elisabeth, Bonn University Hospital). In the case of births in the Bonn birth center and home births in the Bonn city area, the Bonn registry office also certifies the birth.

The day of birth is not counted when calculating the notification period. For example, if a child is born on a Friday, the notification period ends at the end of the next Friday. If the end of the deadline falls on a Sunday, a public holiday or a Saturday, the deadline is the following working day.

The following are obliged to notify the birth

• the parents of the child,
• any other person who was present at the birth or is aware of it from their own knowledge, provided that the parents are prevented from making the notification.

A personal appearance at the registry office is not required. It is sufficient if the notification of birth is made verbally or in writing to the registry office. For further information on the procedure, please read the explanations under "Procedure".

If the birth takes place in a hospital or obstetrics facility, the hospital or facility notifies the registry office of the birth.

In principle, the birth of a child is certified without the parents having to attend the registry office in person.

As a supporting service, the registry office offers a special service for parents in cooperation with the hospitals Johanniter-Krankenhaus Bonn, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Bonn Haus St. Elisabeth and Bonn University Hospital:

The documents required to certify the birth can be handed in directly at the hospital. A courier service will send these to the registry office together with the birth announcements.

In all other cases, the required documents are sent directly to the registry office by the parents. The required documents can be submitted by post or sent as a standard file format (PDF, JPG) to the e-mail address  geburtenbonnde. The required documents can also be deposited in the mailbox of the registry office (Thomas-Mann-Str. 4, 53111 Bonn) or the night mailbox of the city administration.

To ensure that the request can be properly assigned, the following information should be noted when sending the documents:

• First name and surname of the child's mother,
• Date of birth of the child,
• telephone number and e-mail address for possible queries.

As a rule, a personal visit is only necessary if a public notarization(e.g. acknowledgement of paternity, granting of name) must first be carried out when registering the birth. In these cases, the registry office contacts the parties involved and arranges an appointment.

After notarization, the ordered documents are sent to the parents' valid registration address. It is therefore not necessary to collect them in person.

If you have submitted all the required documents and have not received any further feedback, the notarization of your child's birth is currently being processed. You will be informed of any queries without being asked.

Further information on the certificates after the birth has been certified can be found under "Forms and links".

Proof of citizenship
You must present a valid identification document, for example a valid identity card or passport; if applicable, also a naturalization certificate if German citizenship was acquired through naturalization.

Is one parent a late repatriate or recognized as a displaced person?
In addition to your identity card, please present your registration certificate, the certificate of displaced persons or the certificate of late repatriation and any certificate of name change.

If the parents are married to each other:
Please submit a current certified copy from the marriage register (with reference section) or a marriage certificate together with both of your birth certificates.

If your marriage took place abroad, please submit the foreign marriage certificate and any certificates or documents that may exist in addition to your name.

If the child's parents are not married to each other:
Please provide a current birth certificate for yourself. "Current" means that the entries on the certificate must still be valid.

Is one parent married (to another person)?
Please also submit a current marriage certificate, as this must also provide proof of your name. If you were married abroad, please submit the foreign marriage certificate and any additional documents relating to your name.

If the mother is married, please refer to our information under the headings "Who appears as father and mother on the birth certificate?" and "Recognition of paternity".

Is one parent divorced or widowed?
Please also submit a current marriage certificate with a note of dissolution.

If the marriage took place abroad, please submit the foreign marriage certificate and proof of your divorce or the death certificate of the previous spouse.

Have you already acknowledged paternity before the birth?
You have received a copy of this for the registry office. Please enclose this.

Have you already made a declaration of joint custody before the birth?
You have received the relevant certified copies. Please enclose a copy.

General information about the documents:

Has the spelling of your name changed compared to your documents?
Please submit the declarations or certificates relating to your name change, e.g. certificate of name change according to § 94 BVFG, declaration of assimilation or certificate of official name change.

Do you have foreign-language documents?
Foreign-language documents must always be submitted with a German translation prepared by a sworn translator in Germany.
The only exceptions are documents issued in accordance with the Convention on the Issue of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Records. These are usually referred to as "international certificates".

Do you have birth or marriage certificates that were issued in Germany before 01.01.2009?
Since the change in civil status law in Germany on 01.01.2009, there have been new designations for many documents. It is therefore possible that you still have documents with a different designation.

• The notarization of the birth is free of charge.
• The issuing of certificates for private use is subject to a fee - first certificate: 10 euros
  (additional copies are half of the above fee)