Is your child due to be born in India, or has your child already been born there? Read here to find out how your child can obtain a German passport and a German birth certificate.

Acquisition of citizenship

If at least one parent holds German citizenship at the time of the child’s birth, your child automatically acquires German citizenship by birth.

Please note, however, the so-called generational cut-off (Section 4(4) of the German Nationality Act), according to which your child may not automatically acquire German citizenship by birth under certain circumstances if born abroad. This is the case if all of the following conditions are met cumulatively:

- the child’s parents are German nationals and were both born abroad after 31 December 1999 OR only one of the child’s parents is German and was born abroad after 31 December 1999

AND

- the German parent(s) has/have their habitual residence abroad at the time of the child’s birth

AND

- the child acquires foreign citizenship by birth

To ensure that children who meet these criteria still acquire German citizenship, an application for the registration of the child’s birth in the German birth register must be submitted within one year of the child’s birth to the responsible registry office in Germany or to the responsible German mission abroad. The child thereby acquires German citizenship retroactively as of the date of birth. For more information on how to apply for the registration of a birth, please see 4 - German birth certificate for births abroad.

Legal parentage of the child

If the child’s parents are not married at the time of the child’s birth, an acknowledgment of paternity may be required under certain circumstances to establish legal paternity. To do so, please contact the mission responsible for you using the contact form.

Passport application

If your child has acquired German citizenship, you can apply for a German passport at the responsible mission.

Further information on the required documents and on how to schedule an appointment can be found here (new LINK to English website on Passports and ID Cards).

Information on name options for your child in the German passport can be found here (new LINK to English website on Names). Please note that a name declaration for your child may be required before a passport can be issued. You can find information regarding fees and required documents under 4 - German birth certificate for births abroad.

German birth certificate for a birth abroad

In addition to the Indian birth certificate you may apply for a German birth certificate for your child at the competent registry office in Germany (Section 36 of the Civil Status Act). There is generally no legal obligation to register the birth of a German citizen abroad in a German birth register (exception: generational cut-off, please see above under 1 - Acquisition of citizenship). The German birth certificate issued does not itself constitute proof of German citizenship. However, it is always recommended that Germans born abroad have their birth registered. Unlike an Indian or other foreign birth certificate, which may need to undergo a verification by trusted lawyers, or may require legalization or an apostille, or may have to be translated before use in Germany, the German birth certificate can be used without further ado in the German and European legal systems, even in distant future.

Information on the name options for your child can be found here.

A requirement for the application is that the child born abroad holds German citizenship at the time of application. Those eligible to apply are the child’s parents, the child itself after attaining full age, its spouse, its civil partner, or the child’s children.

The registry office at the place where the child born abroad is currently residing, last resided, or has his or her habitual residence is responsible for the application. In this context the minor child shares the residence of his or her parents who share custody or of the parent who has sole custody. The Registry Office I in Berlin has jurisdiction only if neither the child nor the applicant has ever resided in Germany (not even as a child).

The application for registration of the birth may be submitted to the competent mission which will then forward the application to the competent registry office and hand out the requested birth certificate to you once the registry office has completed processing. Please note that in addition to the fees you pay during your appointment at the competent mission, processing fees will also be charged by the competent registry office. The registry office will send you a separate payment request upon receipt of the application.

The child must appear in person with both parents at the relevant mission for an appointment. If no name declaration is required for the child, the presence of one parent is sufficient.

During the appointment, the parents’ signatures on the application will be notarized, for which a fee of 60.00 EUR (without a name declaration) or 85.00 EUR (with a name declaration, payable in cash in Indian rupees at the current exchange rate) applies. If a parent is living in Germany and a name declaration is required, his or her signature must be notarized and the original must be presented by the parent appearing in person at the mission when applying for the registration of the birth. In addition, certified copies of the documents to be submitted to the registry office along with the application will be prepared. Therefore, please bring the originals of the required documents and a fee of 24.00 euros (payable in cash in Indian rupees at the current exchange rate).

Please note that documents in foreign languages must be accompanied by a German translation prepared by a sworn translator. Documents originally issued in English may be accepted; however, translations into English are not.

Foreign civil status documents generally require an apostille or legalization in order to be recognized under German law. In the case of Indian documents, a document verification by a trusted lawyer (LINK: new link for verification on English website) may be required, subject to a fee.

Please bring the following documents to your appointment (the original and two copies of each):

- Filled out application form for the registration of a foreign birth in the birth registry, not yet signed.

- The child’s foreign birth certificate

- The child’s passport, if applicable

- For married parents: Marriage (registration) certificate (for religious

marriages, please also provide: temple certificate/Gurudwara certificate/Nikkah nama

as well as photos of the wedding ceremony)

- If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the child’s birth:

proof of acknowledgment of paternity

- If applicable, proof of the dissolution of the parents’ marriage or the dissolution of previous marriages (e.g. divorce decree or death certificate of the former spouse)

- Birth certificates of both parents

- Passports of both parents

- If the German parent has been naturalized in Germany: Certificate of naturalization

- Proof of the parents’ residence in India (visa, OCI card, etc.)

- Certificate of deregistration from the parents’ last place of residence in Germany (‘Abmeldebescheinigung’)

- Birth certificate(s) of all other children the parents have together

The information provided is based on our current knowledge and experience. We cannot guarantee its completeness or accuracy, particularly due to changes that may have occurred in the meantime.