Before the birth

Apply for parental allowance

If you look after your child after the birth, the parental allowance compensates for part of the loss of income.

Register parental leave

You can plan your 3 years of parental leave flexibly, but you must meet certain requirements. You must give notice of your parental leave to your employer.

Parental leave utilization

When you become parents, you are entitled to unpaid time off from work, provided you meet certain requirements. You must register the parental leave with your employer in writing.

Show home birth

Every birth must be reported to the registry office responsible for the place of birth. If your child is born in a hospital or other obstetrics facility, the notification is made by this facility. In the case of home births, the parents are obliged to register the birth.

Apply for maternity benefit

Under what conditions do you receive maternity benefit?

Declaring joint custody of a child

If you as parents are not married to each other at the time of your child's birth, you can obtain joint custody by both submitting declarations of custody.

Maternity recognition

If you wish to make a declaration recognizing the maternity of your child, insofar as this is required by your home law or the law of the country in which the child has its habitual residence.

Recognition of paternity

If you wish to make a declaration acknowledging paternity of a child and a declaration of consent by the mother, this can be publicly notarized at any registry office, youth welfare office or notary's office.

Show birth

The birth of a child must be reported to the registry office responsible for the place of birth. If your child is born in a hospital or other facility where obstetric care is...

Parental responsibility for minor children

In this section, you will find information on your rights and obligations regarding birth, maintenance obligations for children in cross-border family situations, and surrogacy and adoption.

Apply for child benefit

As a German citizen, you can apply for child benefit if you are have your residence or habitual abode in Germany you live abroad, but are subject to unlimited income ta...

Granting midwifery assistance

• If you are pregnant or have just given birth, you can make use of the services of a midwife