Birth of a child

Who can register the child?
The father or mother
can register the child.

How long do you have
to register?
When the child is born:
You then have 1 week.
It is best to register with the office immediately after the birth.
Then everything is in order.

Please note:
You must make an appointment inadvance to registerat
.

How to get an appointment for registration

You have 3 options:

1. call
Bürger-Service .
The telephone number is
0241 - 432 - 1234

2. write us an e-mail.
The e-mail address is
geburtenbuch@mail.aachen.de

3. you book the appointment online.
Click here: Newborn registration

We need a lot of information from you for the appointment.
For example:

• Your name
• Your telephone number
• the date of birth of the child
• the nationality of the mother and father.

Please give us this information on the phone.
Or write the information in the e-mail.
Then you will receive an appointment for the registration.

You register the child
at the Aachen registry office.
Here is the address:
Standes-Amt Aachen
Bendelstraße21.

With the appointment you will receive
the number of the office
for registration on the first floor.

Important:
The registry office is barrier-free.

You must bring
certificates with you when you register.
Please only bring
original certificates with you.
Please do not bring any copies.
We are not allowed to accept copies.

Perhaps you come from another country.
If so, your certificates are often not in German.
You will need to have the certificates translated into German.
There are translators for this.
These translators are called state-approved translators.
You can find translators at:
www.dolmetscher-uebersetzer.nrw.de

Attention:
The translator must be state-approved.
Only then will your
certificates be recognized here.

It is important
whether the mother is married.
Or whether she is not married.

The mother is married

Please bring these certificates with you:

• the identity card or passport
  of the father and mother.
• A certificate confirming the birth of the child.
  You can obtain the certificate from
  Kranken-Haus.
  Or from the midwife.
• A declaration of the child's name.
  Both parents must sign the declaration.
• Your family record book
  or marriage certificate.

If you got married abroad

• Your birth certificate
• the birth certificate from the father
• Your marriage certificate
  

The mother is not married

Please bring these certificates with you:

• the identity card
  or the mother's passport.
• A certificate
  about the birth of the child.
  You will receive the certificate
  from the hospital.
  Or from the midwife.
• A declaration
  of the child's name.
  The mother must sign the declaration
  .
• Your birth certificate
• If the father of the child
  acknowledges paternity:
  Then the father
  may have already declared this at the youth welfare office
  or to a notary.
  He has received a certificate to this effect.
  This certificate is called
  paternity acknowledgment.
  
  • Please bring the certificate with you.
  • And the birth certificate from the father.
  • A declaration
    of the child's name.
    Both parents must sign the declaration
    .

You want to take care of the child together
with the father:
then you must make this declaration at the youth welfare office
or a notary.
You can already do this,
if the child has not yet been born.
Bring this declaration with you.

The mother is divorced

Please bring these certificates with you:

• the mother's identity card or passport
  .
• A certificate
  about the birth of the child.
  You will receive the certificate
  from the hospital.
  Or from the midwife.
• A declaration
  of the child's name.
  The mother must sign the declaration
  .
  

• Your birth certificate
• The Family Tree Book
  and the judgment of divorce

• If the child's father acknowledges paternity
  :
  Then the father may have already declared this
  at the youth welfare office
  or to a notary.
  He has received a certificate to this effect
  .
  This certificate is called
  paternity acknowledgment.
  
  • Please bring the certificate with you to
    .
  • And the birth certificate
    from the father.
  • A declaration
    of the child's name.
    Both parents must sign the declaration
    .

You want to take care of the child together
with the father:
Then you must make a declaration to
at the youth welfare office or
to a notary.

Parents can already do this at

if the child
has not yet been born.
Please also bring the declaration with you to
.

The mother was married,
but the husband is dead

Please bring these certificates with you:

• the mother's identity card or passport
  .
• A certificate
  about the birth of the child.
  You will receive the certificate
  from the hospital.
  Or from the midwife.
• A declaration
  of the child's name.
  The mother must sign the declaration
  .

• Your birth certificate
• Your family register
  
• The death certificate of the husband
  from the family register

If you have everything with you at the appointment
:
Then the child is registered.
And you will receive
several birth certificates.
You will need the certificates, for example
for the child benefit.
You do not have to pay for these birth certificates
.
If you want an extra birth certificate:
You must pay for this birth certificate .
It costs €10 in 2023.
Each additional certificate costs €5.
Multilingual certificate costs €10.

Attention:
This price may change over time.

The parents are married

If the parents are married:
They care for the child together.

Both have custody of the child.
If both parents have the same
surname:
Then the child is given this surname.

If the parents do not have
the same surname:
Then the parents must tell
which name the child will have.
If the parents then have
more children:
All children then have this surname.

The child can have both names
from the parents.
Here is an example:
If the father's name is Meier
and the mother's name is Müller:
The child can have these surnames:
Meier Müller or Müller Meier.
You can choose
whether you want to have a hyphen
in the name or not:
Meier-Müller or Müller-Meier.

The parents are not married

If the parents are not married:
Then the mother or father
or both parents together
have custody rights.
Whoever has custody rights
determines the child's name.

For example:
Mrs. Müller is the mother.
Mr. Schmitz is the father.
Mrs. Müller has custody rights.
That's why the child is called Müller.

If the parents marry later:
Perhaps the child's surname will then change
.

For example:
Mr. Schmitz and Mrs. Müller
marry shortly after the birth.
Now both parents are called Schmitz.
The child is then also called Schmitz.
Important:
If the child isolder than 5 years at the wedding
:
Then the child can say
what it wants to be called.

These were examples.
There are even more reasons
why the surname changes.
If you want to change your child's name
:
You can discuss this with us
at an appointment.

The paternity

If the parents of the child
arenot married:
Then only the mother's name appears on the birth certificate
.
The father can say that he is the father.
This is called:
Acknowledgment of paternity.
The father makes the acknowledgment of paternity
at the youth welfare office.
The mother must agree to the father's declaration
.
The parents can already do this
if the child has not yet been born.

The father then receives a certificate.
The certificate states:

• The name of the child
• The name of the father.
• The name of the mother.
  

The father does not have to pay for the certificate
.

You want to acknowledge paternity.
Please make an appointment for this at
at the
Department for Children, Youth and Schools.

Here is the telephone number:
0241 - 432 - 12 34.

You must bring
certificates with you to the appointment.
We will tell you over the phone:
You must bring these certificates
with you.

Here is an example:
You are pregnant and go on vacation to Spain
.
You have the baby there.

When you come back:
You can register the child in Aachen.
Then the child has German citizenship.
Even if it was born in Spain.

Attention:
This is only possible
if you also live in Aachen.

If you have any questions:
Call the registry office.

Here is the telephone number:
02 41 - 432 - 34 09

Or write an e-mail.
The e-mail address is
geburtenbuch@mail.aachen.de

The staff at the registry office
will be happy to help you.