Apply for a birth certificate

Do you need a birth certificate?

You can only obtain your birth certificate from the registry office in your place of birth.
The registry office issues it from the register of births.

The birth certificate contains the following details:

• the child’s first names, surname at birth and gender
• Date, place and time of birth
• Parents’ first names and surnames

Note: Upon request, the following details will not be included:

• The child’s gender
• First names and surnames of the parents

Certified extract from the register of births

In addition to the birth certificate, there is a certified extract from the birth register. You will need this, for example, to get married.
This is a copy of the entry in the birth register held by the registry office or, in the case of electronically maintained registers, a printout thereof.
As well as details of the birth (including the time of birth and information about the parents), it also includes any subsequent changes, such as those resulting from adoption or a change of name.
The certified register extract therefore replaces the former certificate of descent.

International birth certificate

An international birth certificate is a multilingual birth certificate. You can use this abroad without a translation.
It is valid in all countries that are party to the Convention of 8 September 1976 on the Issuance of Multilingual Extracts from Civil Status Registers.
A list of the signatory states can be found in the annex to the Convention.