Separating if you have a child

Advance maintenance payment approval

Are you a single parent and receive no or only partial maintenance from the other parent? Then you can apply for an advance on maintenance payments for your child under certain conditions.

Receive advice and assistance from the youth welfare office with questions about maintenance

You are a single parent and get no money or too little money from the other parent for your child? Then you can get advice and support from the youth welfare office.

Apply for maintenance advance

Do you want to commit to paying regular maintenance to your child? Or do you want to have the other parent's maintenance obligation notarized? Here you can find out how this can be documented.

Assertion of a maintenance claim by the mother of a child born out of wedlock

As a non-married mother, you can claim maintenance from the child's father on the occasion of the birth of the joint child.

Enforcing maintenance claims of a child living abroad in Germany in court

If the other parent liable for maintenance lives in Germany and you want to claim maintenance for your child living abroad, you can have this claim enforced in court.

Check maintenance claims against a person living abroad and forward them to the competent authorities.

If the other parent lives abroad and does not pay child support, you can get assistance from the Beistandschaft as well as the Amtsgericht.

Check and pursue maintenance claims against a person living abroad.

If the other parent lives abroad and does not pay child support, you can get assistance from the Beistandschaft and the Amtsgericht.

Check maintenance claims against a person living abroad.

If the other parent lives abroad and does not pay maintenance, you can obtain support from the assistance office and the local court and have the maintenance obligation checked and possibly certified.

Assertion of child maintenance in faster, simpler court proceedings

For a minor child of separated parents, reasonable maintenance may be demanded from the party liable to pay maintenance.

Parental custody order if the child's welfare is at risk

The proceedings are initiated ex officio by the competent family court, in particular on the basis of suggestions by the Youth Welfare Office, which in turn takes action, for example, on the basis of reports from neighbours, educators, teachers or relatives.

Parental custody order if the child's assets are at risk

If you become aware that a child's assets are at risk, particularly from their parents or one of their parents, report this to the family court at the local court.

Application for surrender of the child by way of a temporary injunction (summary proceedings)

Personal custody includes the right to demand the return of the child from anyone who withholds it from the parents or a parent.

Paternity determination

Receive advice and assistance in establishing paternity from the youth welfare office

You have or are having a child and the father of the child does not want to acknowledge his paternity or is unknown? Then you can get advice and support from the youth welfare office.

Have it checked annually whether my child receives maintenance advance

Do you receive advance maintenance payments for your child? In this case, the maintenance advance office will check annually whether all the requirements for entitlement to maintenance advance are still met.

Communicate changes that are important for the receipt of advance maintenance payments

Do you receive advance maintenance payments for your child and there have been changes? Then you must inform your responsible maintenance advance office immediately.

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.

Rules and recognition of marriage

If you are planning to get married, you can find more information here on your rights and obligations associated with marriage and the recognition of marriage.