Printout from the birth register
service description
A certified copy of your birth certificate will be issued to you by the relevant registry office upon request. This copy contains all the data recorded by the registry office in connection with your birth. You will receive the document, including any subsequent registrations, as a printout from the electronic register. This printout is legally equivalent to a birth certificate and can be presented to authorities and other bodies in its place.
In addition to details of the birth, including time of birth and additional information about the parents, the expression also includes subsequent changes, such as
- Adoption,
- in paternity,
- by name
- gender
If you have submitted a declaration regarding the change of your gender entry and, if applicable, your first names, a printout from the birth register may only be issued to you as the person concerned.
procedure
Personal application:
- Go to the registry office that registered the birth.
- For legitimation, present your identity card or passport.
- You usually pay the fee in advance when applying at the registry office.
A person you trust can order and collect the certificate for you. Your representative will need to present their own identity card or passport along with a written power of attorney and yours.
Application by mail:
- Send an informal letter to the relevant registry office requesting a certified copy of the birth certificate. Depending on the services offered by your city or municipality, you may also find application forms online.
- Your letter must contain the following information:
- Name, first name and, if applicable, maiden name
- Date and place of birth
- Surname, first name of parents
- if known: registry office and certification number
- Enclose a certified copy of your identity card or passport with the letter.
When the certificate is sent to you, you will receive a fee notice unless you have already paid the fees beforehand.
Competent authority
registry office of the place of birth
requirements
The personal data in the civil registry is subject to data protection regulations. Certified copies of the register entries can therefore only be issued to authorized personnel.
- for persons to whom the entry relates
As well as their
- spouse,
- Life 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 demonstrate a legitimate interest.
Other persons, including close relatives such as aunts and uncles, only receive a certificate if they can credibly demonstrate a legitimate interest, for example by
- a letter from the probate court,
- a court judgment or
- an enforceable title as well as
- the presentation of an identity card or passport.
Applicants must be at least 16 years old.
If a change in the gender entry of a person involved has occurred, only that person can request the certified register extract.
What documents are required?
- National identity card, passport or eID
- For written orders: certified copy
- If applying for or collecting through a representative: written authorization from the authorized person, their identity card, passport or eID
- Proof of legal interest may be required.
- National identity card, passport or eID
legal basis
Remarks
The certified printout from the birth register replaces the earlier certificate of descent (abolished on January 1st, 2009).