Geburtsurkunde beantragen

You do not have your birth certificate, but you need it for a marriage or other official act, for example? Then you can apply for a birth certificate to be issued.

After birth, every child in Germany must be registered in the register of births. After this registration, you can also apply for a birth certificate to be issued. This proves the birth of the person and contains details of the place and time of birth as well as the first name and surname. As a rule, it also contains details of the person's gender and parents. You can obtain a birth certificate from the registry office that recorded the birth.

Saarland has also made use of the option granted by the Civil Status Act to set up a central electronic civil status register at state level. This enables citizens throughout Saarland to obtain information from Saarland civil status registers or civil status certificates from all registry offices, provided that the civil status cases are recorded electronically. This has regularly been the case since 01.01.2009.

You can obtain the birth certificate in the following forms:

• Birth certificate (possibly with translation assistance for use in EU countries)
• Multilingual birth certificate (for use abroad)
• Certified printout from the register of births

A certified printout from the register of births shows all the data that the registry office has entered in connection with your birth. You will receive the certificate, including any subsequent certifications, as a printout from the electronic register. You will need this for a marriage, for example.

If your civil status data changes, for example due to adoption or a change of name, the birth entry will be supplemented by a subsequent certification. A new birth certificate can then be issued to you on application.

To apply for a birth certificate, you will need

• Your identity card or passport (a copy if applying in writing)
• in the case of application or collection by a representative:
  • written power of attorney from the authorized person,
  • their identity card (original or copy) or passport (original or copy) and
  • the identity card or passport (original) of the representative
• for siblings: proof of the family relationship and the legitimate interest
• for other persons, including close relatives such as aunts and uncles, proof of their legal interest (e.g. a letter from the probate court, a court judgment or an enforceable title)

The personal data in the civil status register is subject to data protection. Birth certificates can therefore only be issued

• for persons to whom the entry relates

and their

• spouses,
• civil partners (within the meaning of the Civil Partnership Act),
• ancestors and descendants (such as parents or grandparents as well as children and grandchildren),
• Siblings, if they can credibly demonstrate a legitimate interest.

Other persons, including close relatives such as aunts and uncles, only receive a birth certificate if they can credibly demonstrate a legal interest (examples: Letter from the probate court, court judgment or enforceable title).

Applicants must be at least 16 years old.

Fee for a birth certificate: 14,00 Euro

Fee for a certified printout: 14,00 Euro

Fee for a multilingual birth certificate: 14.00 euros

Fee for issuing a translation aid (multilingual form in accordance with Art. 7 Regulation (EU) No. 2016/1191): 14.00 euros

Fee for each additional copy if requested at the same time as the first copy: EUR 7.00

Fee for a birth certificate to apply for child benefit and/or parental benefit: none

You can apply for a birth certificate in person or in writing.

Applying in person:

• An appointment may be required for a personal application.
• Go to the registry office that certified the birth. If you were born in Saarland, you can also apply for a birth certificate at any other registry office in Saarland, as long as the entry is recorded electronically. This has regularly been the case since 2009.
• To prove your identity, present your identity card or passport.
• You usually pay the fee directly at the registry office when you apply.
• In addition to yourself, a person you trust may also order and collect the certificate on your behalf. In addition to a written power of attorney issued by you, the person must present your identity card or passport (original or copy) and their own identity card or passport.

Written application:

• Send an informal letter to the relevant registry office asking them to issue you with a birth certificate. Depending on what the town or municipality offers, you can also find application forms on the Internet or order them electronically.
• Your letter must contain the following information:
  • Surname, first name
  • Your registration address
  • Date and place of birth
  • Surname, first name of parents
  • if known: Registry office and notarization number
  • the reason for the application
  • If necessary, further proof, for example of legal interest
• Enclose a copy of your identity card or passport with the letter.
• Please enquire at the registry office about payment options and the specific fee amount

Depending on the individual case

The birth certificate can be issued 110 years after the register is created.

Retention period: 110 years

• Application for a court decision at the local court responsible for the registry office

• Birth certificate issue
• Parents are obliged to report the birth of a child. In the course of this, a birth register entry is created and a birth certificate is issued on request
• The birth certificate proves the birth of a person, contains details of the first name and surname and, as a rule, details of the gender and parents
• A birth certificate is issued on the basis of the birth register kept at the relevant registry office
• Responsible: Registry office in whose district the child was born