The longing has come to an end – it's finally here! Your sweet little baby that you've been waiting for so long. Of course, you have better things to do now than dig through forms. Nevertheless, the birth of your child brings with it some formalities and visits to authorities that need to be completed: But with our checklist, it will be a lot faster, promised!
Get through the paperwork quickly with the parent checklist
Forms, certificates, copies, and applications – you have to deal with quite a bit of bureaucracy for your little newcomer. It's understandable that you'd much rather cuddle with your little miracle and look at it for hours than deal with various paperwork right now. It's good if you have a swing2sleep then. Your little sunshine feels completely safe and comfortable in it, and even the neighing of the official horse won't disturb them. They will be rocked rhythmically up and down while you fill out all the important applications. With the matching stand, you can set up the swing2sleep freely in the room – for example, very close to you, to always catch an enchanting glimpse.
To ensure you have as much time as possible for this after the birth, you can already complete some formalities in advance. The easiest way is to request the required application forms beforehand, e.g., for child and parental benefit and for enrolling the child in health insurance. This way, you can fill out the applications as much as possible and only add the first name and date of birth after your child is born. You won't have to struggle with paperwork when you need the time much more urgently for your offspring.
Acknowledgment of paternity (if not married)
As the heading suggests, an acknowledgment of paternity is only relevant if your partner is not married to you. By acknowledging paternity of the child, he can officially apply for and establish a relationship. This can be very important for custody issues or potential inheritance claims. If you want to apply for acknowledgment of paternity, not only your partner must go to the registry office or youth welfare office, but also you, because as the expectant mother, you must give your consent to the acknowledgment.
Note: Paternity can be acknowledged during pregnancy.
Timing: Before or after the birth of the child
Location: Youth welfare office, registry office, district court, or notary
What documents do you need:
- Birth certificates of the parents
- ID cards of the parents
- Proof of the expected date of birth of the child (maternity log)
- After the birth of the child (birth certificate of the child)
The birth certificate
Within the first week after your baby is born, you should apply for your child's birth certificate at the responsible registry office. You can either do this in person or have it arranged through the hospital. The good news is that many hospitals or clinics take care of the registration. For this, you will receive a large brown envelope after the birth. Inside, you will find all the important information, such as which documents you need and what amount of money you need to put in the envelope for processing. Then you just need to enter the required data for you and your child.
Note: Don't forget to sign!
By the following week at the latest, the responsible registry office will send the birth certificate (with additional copies for the health insurance and the parental benefit application) to your home.
Timing: Within one week after birth
Location: Registry office or directly through the hospital
What documents do you need:
In general:
- Cash for the costs of the birth certificates
- A stamped A4 envelope
If you are married:
- Birth certificate from the clinic
- Copy of the parents' ID cards
- Birth certificates of the parents and previous children
- Marriage or civil partnership certificate or certified copy from the family register
If you are not married:
- Birth certificates of the parents
- If divorced: Marriage certificate and divorce decree
- Acknowledgment of paternity, mother's consent, declaration of custody
For foreign nationals:
- Copies of passports with residence permits
- Translation of the parents' marriage and birth certificates
Registration at the residents' registration office
It can happen that the registry office does not automatically inform the residents' registration office about the birth of your child. Therefore, it is recommended to inquire there by phone or email and, if necessary, present your child's birth certificate there as soon as possible. If you want to take this opportunity right away, you can also apply for or have a child's ID card issued. However, you will need a biometric passport photo of the child for this. You can find all further information on the website of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Timing: After receiving the birth certificate
Location: Residents' Registration Office (Einwohnermeldeamt)
Which documents do you need:
- Child's birth certificate
- Biometric passport photo
Applying for child benefit (Kindergeld)
You apply for child benefit at your local Family Benefits Office (Familienkasse). For the application, you will need a special version of the birth certificate, which you receive from the registry office. The current amount of child benefit is 219 euros per month for each of the first two children, 225 euros for the third child, and 250 euros for each additional child. Processing takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the application is submitted. Even though child benefit has been paid retroactively for 6 months since 2018, you should not wait too long to apply after the birth.
Timing: After receiving the birth certificate. However, retroactive payment is only possible for the last six months before the application is received.
Location: Family Benefits Office (Familienkasse)
Which documents do you need:
-
Application for child benefit
-
Extra copy of the child's birth certificate
-
Tax ID of the parents and the child
Health insurance
Don't worry: for the first check-ups, your baby is covered by your (the mother's) health insurance. Nevertheless, you should take care of officially co-insuring your child via a family application with the relevant health insurance company immediately after birth. The child is always registered with the person who has the higher income. For this purpose, you will receive a special copy of the birth certificate from the registry office. You can obtain the application form free of charge from your statutory insurance company upon request. As soon as the application has been processed, your baby will receive their own insurance card. However, if this is not available in time for the first U-examinations, ask your insurance company to issue a provisional insurance certificate to present to the pediatrician. Then you won't have to submit the insurance card to the doctor later. The situation is slightly different if one of you has private insurance and the privately insured person has the higher income. In this case, your child cannot be co-insured free of charge in the statutory health insurance. However, the private insurance will then accept your child immediately and without a risk assessment or waiting period. However, a separate health insurance contribution will be charged for this. The application for private insurance for your child must be made within the first two months after birth. The insurance then takes effect retroactively.
Timing: After receiving the birth certificate; insurance coverage takes effect either directly at birth (statutory health insurance) or retroactively directly after birth (private health insurance).
Location: Health insurance company
Which documents do you need:
- Health insurance application form
- Extra copy of your child's birth certificate
Applying for parental allowance (Elterngeld)
The biggest challenge in terms of applications is applying for parental allowance. Because this is a fairly complex undertaking, you should request it before the birth and fill it out as much as possible. Parental allowance is only paid retroactively for three months. So there is no time to lose. If you have any questions about parental allowance, you can also get good advice at a family center near you, for example, and get help filling out the parental allowance application.
In this detailed video, you will learn in detail how to fill out the parental allowance application. Such an explanatory video exists for every federal state.
Timing: Immediately after birth (receipt of birth certificate) until no later than three months after birth
Location: Parental Allowance Office (Elterngeldstelle)
Which documents do you need:
- Application for parental allowance
- Child's birth certificate
- Certificate from the health insurance company
- Certificate from the employer
- Copy of identity card
- Certificate of registration (Meldebescheinigung)
- "Declaration of income" form
- Tax assessments for both parents from the calendar year before the child's birth
- Wage and salary statements for the last 14 months
- Possibly acknowledgment of paternity
Of course, further documents may be requested from you in individual cases.
Applying for parental leave (Elternzeit)
Fortunately, no complicated application is required to apply for your planned parental leave with your employer. But there are a few things to consider here too. Remember to submit the application for parental leave in writing to your employer at least seven weeks before the start of the parental leave. The good news: an informal letter is sufficient. Phrase it so that your employer knows exactly how long you want to go on parental leave or whether you plan to work part-time again after a certain period. If so, you should state the desired number of hours and the exact working times straight away.
Timing: At least seven weeks before the planned start of parental leave
Location: Employer
Which documents do you need:
- A letter for the employer stating the planned period
