Family matters
Do you want to register the birth of your child or do you want to change your name under the German law? Here you can find information on these and other family matters.
For German citizens the use of a name is subject to German law. The possibility to choose and use a certain name under German law may differ from the the name being used in South African civil status papers, passports or ID documents.
Law of names
In the interest of a child born in South Africa it is advisable to have that child’s birth registered in the German birth register. The competent public register is normally the one where both parents have or one parent has their place of residence in Germany. If both parents live abroad the public register I in Berlin is the competent authority.
Registration of birth
A divorce abroad is not automatically recognized by the German authorities. The citizen service ("Bürgerservice") answers your questions regading foreign divorce orders on the webpage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Acknowledgement of divorces
There is no obligation to have a South African adoption recognized, however it might be mandatory in order to establish the elegibility for a German passport. In order to have a South African adoption recognized the following documentation needs to be submitted.
Adoptions
