You must declare the acknowledgement of paternity to an employee of the competent authority who is authorised to issue public documents.

The child's mother must agree to the acknowledgement.

Note: You and the mother of your child can declare acknowledgement of paternity and consent together or separately.

If the mother is not entitled to parental custody of the child, the child itself must also give its consent. This may be the case if, for example, the child has already reached the age of majority or a court has taken custody away from the mother. In the case of children under the age of 14, the legal representative, for example the guardian or carer, is responsible for this. For children between the ages of 14 and 18, the consent of both the child and the legal representative is required.

The employee of the responsible office will summarise your declaration and consent in a public document. You will receive a notarised copy of this.

After notarisation, the registry office of the place of birth of the child's birth will receive certified copies of

• the acknowledgement of paternity and
• the mother's declaration of consent.

If you have already recognised paternity before the birth, your name will be entered on the birth certificate. If paternity is recognised after the birth, the registry office at the child's place of birth will issue a new birth certificate.