Administrative Procedures Before and After Birth

Pregnancy is not only a unique experience; it can also raise legal and social questions and require important decisions. Some of these decisions should—or must—be made before the birth. Others can wait until after your child is born. You can find helpful guidance from the Early Help services (Frühe Hilfen). There, you will not only receive comprehensive information but also support if the many questions and formal steps feel overwhelming. You can also seek advice from the local authorities responsible for expectant mothers and parents in your place of residence.

The following list provides an overview of the most important legal and social issues you should clarify before and after the birth. To stay on top of things, you may want to create a list with the names and contact details of Early Help services, midwives, your gynecologist, your pediatrician, your employer, your health insurance provider, relevant authorities, emergency numbers, as well as online platforms and search engines. Many administrative tasks required after the birth can be prepared or completed by you or your partner before the due date. For counseling appointments that require your personal presence as the mother, you should try to schedule them before giving birth. If you live with a partner, it’s best to divide the upcoming tasks between you.

You are not required to tell anyone that you are pregnant. However, in certain situations it is very sensible to do so. For example, if you inform your employer, you are better protected under maternity protection laws (Mutterschutz) and cannot be dismissed as easily. The same applies to pregnant individuals who are still in school, studying at a university, or in vocational training. Therefore, it is advisable to inform the responsible office at your school, university, or training institution. You are free to decide when to do this—there are no deadlines.

For unmarried couples to share parental responsibility for their child, the father must acknowledge paternity and submit a custody declaration. There are no specific deadlines for this. However, if paternity is acknowledged before the birth, it has the advantage that the father can be entered directly on the child’s birth certificate. Otherwise, a new birth certificate must be issued later. Acknowledging paternity does not automatically grant the father custody rights. He receives these only if the child’s mother agrees and if both parents submit a joint custody declaration at the Youth Welfare Office or with a notary. This can also be done before the birth, but it is equally possible afterward—there are no deadlines. Unlike with a notary, certification at the Youth Welfare Office is free of charge.

If a father does not wish to acknowledge paternity, or if you as the mother do not consent to the acknowledgment, the parent concerned can apply to the court to have paternity legally established. This is important, for example, when clarifying questions of child support. The legal father will be entered on the child’s birth certificate. When the court establishes paternity, the father does not automatically receive custody. For any questions, seek advice from the Youth Welfare Office responsible for your place of residence. If you need support in establishing paternity or clarifying child support payments, you can apply for assistance at the Youth Welfare Office.

You are not required to inform your health insurance provider that you are pregnant, but it is helpful to do so. For example, if you would like to receive maternity benefits, you should apply for them no later than seven weeks before your expected due date. To do this, you need a medical certificate confirming your pregnancy, known as the certificate of the presumed date of delivery. You will receive two copies of this certificate from your gynecologist. One copy is for your employer, the other for your health insurance provider. You only need to add your personal details, sign both forms, and submit them—no additional documents are required.

As your belly grows during pregnancy, you will likely need different clothing, especially in the later months. If you receive social assistance, you can apply for maternity clothing as an additional need starting from the 13th week of pregnancy at the Social Welfare Office. If you receive Citizen's benefit (Bürgergeld), you should contact the Jobcenter for this.

The father should register parental leave with his employer early if he plans to take time off starting from the child’s birth. He must do this at least seven weeks before the desired start date. In this case, his supervisors must approve the parental-leave request. If he wishes to take parental leave only sometime between the child’s third and eighth birthday, the notice period is 13 weeks, and his supervisors may even reject the request under certain conditions.

In certain emergency situations, pregnant women can receive support from the Federal Foundation for Mother and Child. To apply, you must first attend a counseling session at a recognized pregnancy counseling center, and that center must approve your application. If you are experiencing financial hardship, you should seek counseling well before giving birth.

No later than seven weeks before the birth, you should apply for maternity benefits from your health insurance provider, as the prenatal maternity protection period begins six weeks before delivery. During this time, you are not allowed to work.

If your child is born in a hospital, birth center, or maternity clinic, the facility will notify the responsible registry office and send the birth certificate directly. In the case of a home birth, the midwife or the doctor will issue the birth certificate. You must submit this certificate to the responsible registry office within five working days. The office will then issue the birth certificate. If you gave birth at home without professional assistance, the birth must be reported to the registry office by you, the father, or another person who was present. This can also be done verbally—by phone or in person at the registry office.

If you receive social assistance or benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act, you should inform the staff responsible for your case at the respective office about the birth of your child. You can also do this by phone. There is no deadline for reporting the birth, but it is advisable to do so soon after your child is born.

As soon as a newborn arrives, they are covered by health insurance. However, whether the child is permanently co-insured under your policy as the mother or needs their own contract depends on several factors. If you are a single parent and insured under the statutory health system, or if your spouse or registered partner is also a member of a statutory health insurance fund, your baby can generally be insured free of charge through one of the parents. To do this, you must register the child in writing with the health insurance provider within two months. You will receive the necessary documents from the registry office. If one of you is privately insured and the other is covered by statutory health insurance, the child will be assigned to the parent with the higher income. In that case, the child’s insurance may not be free of charge. It’s best to ask your health insurance provider directly whether there are specific forms you need to use when registering your child.

Eight weeks after the birth, the maternity protection period ends. If you wish to take parental leave immediately afterward, you should notify your employer no later than seven weeks before the start of your parental leave.

If paternity has not been established for your child, or if the child’s father does not pay child support, you can apply for advance child support payments at the Youth Welfare Office. You can do this as soon as it becomes clear that such support will be necessary.

To receive child benefit and, if applicable, the child supplement, you must submit a written application to the Family Benefits Office (Familienkasse) of the Employment Agency responsible for your place of residence. You can find the required form online. If you prefer, you can fill it out directly on the website. You can also receive child benefit retroactively for up to six months. This applies if you were entitled to the benefit but did not receive payments because you had not yet submitted an application. If you submit the application later, you must indicate that you are applying for retroactive child benefit and from which date you wish to receive it. In some cases, the child tax allowance may be more advantageous for you than the monthly child benefit payments. The tax office automatically checks this for you. If it is more favorable, the allowance will be applied when calculating your income tax—meaning you will pay less tax. You do not need to submit a separate application for the allowance.

There are different types of parental allowance you can apply for, including the (basic) parental allowance and Parental Allowance Plus. Both fathers and mothers can apply for this support starting from the child’s birth. Contact your local parental allowance office (Elterngeldkasse) for the application. You can also get information there before the birth to understand which option is best for your situation.

Mothers and fathers may be entitled to housing benefit. To receive it, you must submit an application. Contact the Social Welfare Office as soon as it becomes clear that you have a corresponding need.

You can check whether you are entitled to Citizen's benefit (Bürgergeld). If so, you must submit an application at the Jobcenter of the Employment Agency in order to receive it.

If you are seriously ill and need temporary support at home—for example, after a hospital stay—you may, under certain conditions, apply to your health insurance provider for a subsidy toward household help. If you receive social assistance, you should not contact your health insurance provider but instead apply through the Social Welfare Office. In this case, you may be entitled to home care services.

If you weren’t able to decide before the birth which daycare center will care for your baby once they are a toddler, now is the time to register your child. You can do this directly at a nearby daycare center or after-school care facility. In many places, online registration through daycare portals is also possible. Fathers have the same right as mothers to register their child.