Generally, there is no obligation to register the birth of a German citizen born abroad in the German birth register. However, Germans born abroad are recommended to register the birth, and in some cases this is even mandatory.

A registration is mandatory within one year after birth to acquire German citizenship by descent if

1. the child was born abroad, and
2. the German parent of the child was born abroad on or after 01.01.2000. If both parents are German, both need to be born abroad on or after 01.01.2000.

Further information on German citizenship for children born abroad can be found here. In all other cases a birth registration is recommended on a voluntary basis.

Birth registration

German citizens born abroad have the option to have their birth registered in the birth register at the responsible German civil registry via the German mission abroad. They will then receive a German birth certificate showing the name, parents and place and date of birth. As a result, German authorities no longer require proof of authenticity (e.g. apostilles) or translations.

If a name declaration is to be submitted, this is included in the application for a birth registration.

Necessary documents (as originals)

• Completed application form (please fill in legibly with a computer or block letters and do not sign the form yet!)
• Valid passports for both parents (or German identity card/“Personalausweis”)
• Proof of visa status of the German parent (if they are not also an Australian citizen) by VEVO (not older than two weeks at the time of application)
• Birth certificates of both parents
• Child's birth certificate (official certificate, no decorative/commemorative birth certificates)
• Parents' marriage certificate, if applicable (official certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages, not “Celebrant's Certificate”)
• Divorce order, if one parent is divorced
  • If the divorce took place in Australia, an Apostille is needed on the divorce order. You can obtain this from the court that issued the divorce order.
  • It may also be necessary to apply for a recognition of the foreign divorce in Germany.
• Proof of married name, if applicable (e.g. name change certificate by the German civil registry or German marriage certificate)
• Naturalization certificate, if one parent or the child were naturalized, or citizenship certificate (if available)
• Proof of residence in Australia (e.g. Australian driver's licence)
• German deregistration certificate (“Abmeldebescheinigung”) from your last German place of residence or current registration certificate (“Meldebescheinigung”) from your most recent address in Germany
• Generally translations of foreign documents (usually not required for English or “international” documents, e.g. international birth certificates)
• Birth certificates of all other children of the parents, including older siblings
• Name change certificates of siblings, if applicable
• If you wish to make a name declaration by choosing the foreign law of one parent, proof that the child bears the intended name under the law of the respective country (e.g. passport or foreign birth certificate issued by the authorities of that country)

Please understand that it may be necessary to submit further documents in the course of the procedure, depending on the case constellation and the competent German civil registry (Standesamt). It is therefore recommended that you contact the responsible civil registry in Germany in advance.

If a name declaration is submitted, both parents must attend the appointment in person. If no name declaration is required, one parent can also submit the application alone.

Applicants of legal age (18 years or older) must submit and sign the application in person; the consent of the parent whose name is to be chosen may also be required (the parent must appear in person at the appointment).

Fees

Your signatures on the application form and the copies of your documents must be certified for the civil registry. These certifications can only be carried out by a German mission abroad (including Honorary Consuls).

The fees for the certification of your signatures at the German mission abroad are 56.43 EUR (without name declaration) / 79.57 EUR (with name declaration). The fee for the certification of copies (including the making of copies) depends on the individual case. As a rule, if possible, a collective certification is made, which amounts to between 24.83 EUR (Embassy Canberra) and 26.21 EUR (Consulate General Sydney and all Honorary Consuls).

Please note our general information about fees and methods of payment.

Processing times

The processing times for birth registrations vary between civil registries and cannot be estimated by the German missions abroad.

In many cases, the processing time is around three to six months, in some cases even significantly longer. The German missions abroad have no influence on the processing times and cannot predict the duration of the procedure.
The processing times for isolated name declarations do not usually differ from the processing times for birth registrations.

If you were born abroad and have never had a place of residence in Germany, the Civil Registry Office I in Berlin is responsible for your application. In this case, please allow at least three to four years for the birth registration to be processed. The processing times for isolated name declarations at the Civil Registry Office I in Berlin, on the other hand, are different and take around three to six months, in some cases significantly longer.

Name declaration

Since 01.05.2025, a person's name is determined by the law of their habitual residence. A name declaration is therefore no longer required in many cases.

For children born on or after 01.05.2025 and who have their habitual residence in Australia, the name is therefore usually taken from the Australian birth certificate.

If German nationals already have a name under German law, this name will remain unchanged. However, new options are available under German law so that you can choose a new name if necessary (e.g. a one-time change of name by an adult).

The following overview may help you to find out whether a name declaration is required:

Please note that the name declaration is included in the application for a birth registration. An isolated name declaration is possible, but is only recommended in certain cases or if a birth entry already exists in a German register. The costs, processing times and necessary documents are usually the same as for a birth registration, but this depends on the responsible German civil registry.

Since 01.05.2025, double names or individual parts of a parent's name can also be chosen. Furthermore, the law of a nationality of a parent or the adult child can be chosen for the name.

NEW: Since 01.05.2025, adult applicants can submit a one-time name declaration to change their existing birth name once; the new options (e.g. double name from the names of the parents) are also available.

Application forms for name declarations (only to be used, when no application for a birth registration is submitted):

• Name declaration for a minor (child under 18 years)
• Name declaration for an adult (child 18 years or older)

Further application forms for specific case constellations are available on request.

The necessary documents are usually the same as for an application for birth registration (see above). In the case of adults changing their existing birth name, the consent of the parent giving the name is also required (the parent must attend the appointment in person).

Please note that in the case of underage children, both parents must be present in person to submit the name declaration. Adult applicants must submit and sign the application in person.

Acknowledgement of paternity

Information on acknowledgments of paternity and declarations of consent can be found here.

Custody of a child

Information on custody can be found here.