Acknowledgment of Paternity

If your main residence is in the Philippines, the German Embassy in Manila may notarize an acknowledgement of paternity according to German law. The main requirement for such a notarization is that the case demonstrates a certain reference to Germany. This is usually the case if one of the parties involved is a German national.

An acknowledgement of paternity has to be notarized in accordance with German law and requires some preparatory work. We therefor request that the following documents be emailed or sent as simple paper copies via regular mail to the German Embassy:

1. Copy of the child’s passport or other official identification
2. Birth certificate of the child
3. Marriage certificate of the parents (if applicable) and divorce decree if the mother was previously married
4. Copy of the mother’s passport, including all stamps and visa
5. Copy of the father’s passport, including all stamps and visa
6. Birth certificate of the mother
7. Birth certificate of the father
8. Certificate of no marriage (CENOMAR) or CEMAR (Advisory on Marriages) of the mother of the child, issued from the “National Indices of Marriage”
9. filled out form with contact details

Philippine documents must be issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and must be legalized by the German Embassy. Information about the legalization process can be found here.

Foreign public documents might need a formal proof of authenticity, e.g. the Legalization or Apostille. In some cases, a document verification might be necessary. Find out here, which formality is relevant for different foreign public documents.

Public documents that are not issued in German or English language, must be presented with either English or German translation. Information about translators can be found through this link.

According to German law, it is possible to notarize a prenatal acknowledgement of paternity. Should you wish to acknowledge paternity before the child is born, please replace requirements 1 and 2 on the above list with the mother’s record of prenatal care and a confirmation of the expected date of birth.

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In order to prepare the notarization of the recognition of paternity, please send the above-mentioned documents as well as the filled-in questionnaire as PDF attachments (not as embedded picture files) by email (reference: “recognition of paternity”).

The German Embassy reserves its right to ask for additional documents not stated on the above list.

The Embassy will verify the provided complete documents and contact you directly to coordinate an appointment for the notarization. Please note that all original documents along with a valid passport will have to be presented at the time of your appointment. The notarization of an acknowledgement of paternity is subject to a charge depending on the current exchange rate of the embassy. Details can be provided upon inquiry.

Declaration of Consent

According to German law, an acknowledgement of paternity only becomes legally binding once the mother of the child has given her declaration of consent to this acknowledgement. If the presumed father has already acknowledged paternity in front of a German authority and the mother of the child has her main residence in the Philippines, her declaration of consent can be notarized at the German Embassy in Manila.

The declaration of consent to an acknowledgement of paternity has to be notarized in accordance with German law and requires some preparatory work. We therefor request that the following documents be emailed or send as simple paper copies via regular mail to the German embassy:

1. Acknowledgement of paternity by the father in front of a German authority
2. Copy of the child’s passport or other official identification
3. Birth certificate of the child
4. Marriage certificate of the parents (if applicable) and divorce decree if the mother was previously married
5. Copy of the mother’s passport, including all stamps and visa
6. Copy of the father’s passport, including all stamps and visa
7. Birth certificate of the mother
8. Birth certificate of the father
9. Certificate of no marriage (CENOMAR) or CEMAR (Advisory on Marriages) of the mother of the child, issued from the “National Indices of Marriage”
10. filled out form with contact Details

Philippine documents must be issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and must be legalized by the German Embassy. Information about the legalization process can be found here.

Foreign public documents might need a formal proof of authenticity, e.g. the Legalization or Apostille. In some cases, a document verification might be necessary. Find out here, which formality is relevant for different foreign public documents.

Public documents that are not issued in German or English language, must be presented with either English or German translation. Information about translators can be found through this link.

According to German law, it is possible to notarize a prenatal acknowledgement of paternity. Should you wish to acknowledge paternity before the child is born, please replace requirements 2 and 3 on the above list with the mother’s record of prenatal care and a confirmation of the expected date of birth.

In order to prepare the notarization of the consent to the recognition of paternity, please send the above-mentioned documents as well as the filled-in questionnaire as PDF attachments (not as embedded picture files) by email (reference: “recognition of paternity”).

The German embassy reserves its right to ask for additional documents not stated on the above list.

The Embassy will verify the provided complete documents and contact you directly to coordinate an appointment for the notarization. Please note that all original documents along with a valid passport will have to be presented at the time of your appointment.

The notarization of a declaration of consent is subject to a charge depending on the current exchange rate of the embassy. Details can be provided upon inquiry.

Marriages of German and Philippine Nationals in the Philippines

When marrying in the Philippines, all related information regarding the documents required of the German fiancé(e) must be obtained from the Philippine office where the marriage is to take place or from the German civil registry.

Under the condition being authorized to do this, the following can officiate at a wedding:

• Ministers of all denominations (priest, imam, rabbi) if one of the spouses belongs to the corresponding denomination/religion,
• Holders of judicial offices within their district
• Mayors within their district

With regard to the legal validity of the marriage, kindly verify whether the person to officiate at the wedding has the necessary authorization. If you have already married under civil law in another place and only wish to receive a church blessing in the Philippines, you must explicitly inform the clergyman of this, as otherwise the documents for a marriage valid under civil law will be required.

A legal marriage in the Philippines is also valid in the Federal Republic of Germany. As proof of marriage, only the Marriage Certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is accepted. Therefore, after the marriage, it is advisable to make sure that the local Marriage Certificate is indeed forwarded to the PSA for registration. Only via the PSA, you will receive a legalized Marriage Certificate, if needed.

The Embassy has compiled the information provided here and in the following with the utmost care. Please understand that the Embassy cannot guarantee that the information is correct and up to date.

Birth of a Child in the Philippines

The birth of a child of German descent can be subsequently registered in Germany via a so-called “notification of birth” (legal basis: § 36 Civil Status Act). The German Embassy strongly recommends to do this, as the birth registration and the German birth certificate definitely clarify the parentage, the name and, in the case of children born abroad, the German citizenship.

Kindly note that the notification of birth is mandatory for a child born abroad if the German parent/s was/were born abroad on or after 1 January 2000. In this case, the child only acquires the German citizenship if the birth is reported to the competent German diplomatic mission abroad or the civil registry in Germany within one year.

In addition, the notification of birth under German law or the application for a German birth certificate may be advisable if, for instance, the child’s place of residence is to be moved to Germany in the foreseeable future or if a name declaration is required to apply for a passport for the child.

The name declaration can be submitted together with the birth notification. In any case, both parents must appear at the German Embassy in Manila; if the child is aged 14 and over, the child must also be present.

The administrative responsibility for the registration of birth remains with the civil registry in whose jurisdiction falls the most recent registered place of residence of the child or (if the child has never lived in Germany) of the applicant in Germany. The minor child shares the place of residence of his/her parents with joint custody or his/her parent with sole custody.

The civil registry in Berlin (Standesamt I) only has jurisdiction if neither the child nor the applicant has ever resided in Germany (not even as a child).

The following are the basic requirements for the registration of birth in Germany. The final decision lies with the competent German civil registry. Kindly note that the civil registry in Germany may request additional documents, like for example, German translations for documents in English.

For the preliminary examination of your application, please send the completed form and scans of the required documents to the Embassy by e-mail in advance. Documents are to be sent as PDF files (one document per file). The application form is not to be filled out by hand, but as a PDF file that can still be edited. As soon as the application and the supporting documents are complete, we will arrange an individual appointment with you.

Philippine documents must be issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and must be legalized by the German Embassy. Information about the legalization process can be found here.

Foreign public documents might need a formal proof of authenticity, e. g. the Legalization or Apostille. In some cases, a document verification might be necessary. Find out here, which formality is relevant for different foreign public documents.

Public documents that are not issued in German or English language, must be presented with either English or German translation. Information about translators can be found through this link.

For the application, the following documents must be submitted:

• Filled-out, but unsigned application form,
• Birth certificate of the child
• If applicable: Passport of the child
• Birth certificates of both parents
• Valid passports of both parents (a different ID is not accepted); if applicable, the German passport of the German parent which was valid at the time of the child’s birth and the paternity acknowledgment
• Valid Philippine residence permit (visa and/or ACR I-Card) of the German parent
• Current CENOMAR/CEMAR for the child’s mother (must match the information of the mother’s birth certificate)
• If the German parent was naturalized in Germany: Certificate of Naturalization
• If the German parent has acquired another nationality: Certificate of Naturalization and, if applicable, Retention Permit (Beibehaltungsgenehmigung)
• For parents who are married to each other: Marriage Certificate
• Valid Acknowledgement of Paternity (Affidavit of Acknowledgement / Admission of Paternity) if the parents were not married to each other at the time of birth
  • The Acknowledgment of Paternity can be made when registering the birth at the Philippine civil registry. It is only valid if signed in person before the Philippine registrar. If the Acknowledgment of Paternity was made separately, the birth certificate must include a note of this.
  • Proof of arrival in and departure from the Philippines at the time of notarization of the Acknowledgement of Paternity by presenting the passport or travel records of the Bureau of Immigration. The determining factor is the date of the certification on the Acknowledgment of Paternity.
• If applicable, Marriage Certificate and proof of the dissolution of the parents‘ previous marriage(s) (Death Certificate/Divorce or Annulment Decree with Certificate of Finality)

Kindly note that the signature(s) on the application form for the registration of birth must be made in person at the Embassy and notarized by the Embassy (certification of signature)

The fee for the certification of signatures is EUR 56.43. If a declaration of name is submitted at the same time, the costs are EUR 79.57. In addition, a fee of EUR 24.61 is charged for the certification of photocopies. The costs can be paid in cash (PHP) or by credit card (Visa or Mastercard). If you pay by credit card, the transaction will be made in Euros. Additional bank charges may apply.

The fees charged by the competent civil registry in Germany vary. The civil registry will send an invoice to the applicant before the registration of birth is finalized.

If you have any queries regarding civil status matters, you can reach the Embassy via phone on the extension 8702-3000 from Monday to Thursday between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm (except on public holidays).

For more details on German name law, kindly refer to information provided on our homepage .

Maintenance (Child Support)

Any person entitled to maintenance can lodge a request to recover maintenance abroad. This will most frequently be done in order to recover child maintenance. When children are under age, their legal representatives must act for them.

Which maintenance law applies in these cases is determined in accordance with the international private law of the requested state. In many cases, the law of the state in which the person entitled to maintenance has his/her habitual place of residence is applicable. So if the child lives in the Philippines, Philippine law is applicable to determine the claim of maintenance.

Germany and the Philippines have ratified a number of multilateral treaties in regard to Child Support and Maintenance, notably the United Nations Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Maintenance of 20 June 1956, the Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance and the Protocol of 23 November 2007 on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations.

Those conventions seek to establish a modern, efficient and accessible international system for the cross-border recovery of child support and other forms of family maintenance, inter alia by creating Central Authorities in every member state to deal with cross-border cases.

Hence, if you want to claim child support or family maintenance from the Philippines in Germany, you must address the Central Authority of the Philippines:

Child Support Secretariat
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
IBP Road, Batasan Pambansa Complex, Constitution Hills,
Quezon City, Philippines 1126

Telephone: 8931-8101 loc. 10324 or 10325
Viber number: +63919-521-4262 (exclusive for inquiries on child support cases)
Contact Numbers: 09195214262 / 09455278210
E-mail: childsupport@dswd.gov.ph
Method of communication: preferably via indicated email addresses
Website: www.dswd.gov.ph

Contact Person: Atty. Elaine F. Fallarcuna,
Assistant Secretary and Point Person of Central Authority to the HCCH
effallarcuna@dswd.gov.ph

The Philippine Central Authority will forward your request to the Central Authority in the Federal Republic of Germany which is the Federal Office of Justice.

The Federal Office of Justice verifies that the request is complete and takes suitable steps to assert or enforce the maintenance claim. In addition to attempting to reach an amicable agreement and voluntary payment, it may also be necessary to assert the claim in court. The Federal Office of Justice takes action for the applicant during the entire proceedings, once it has been duly authorized by the applicant (or the legal representative). This also incorporates the investigation of the whereabouts of the person obliged to furnish maintenance and their ability to pay. Depending on the case constellation, a foreign maintenance title may be declared enforceable in the Federal Republic of Germany or a first maintenance title is created. If paternity has not yet been ascertained, paternity determination proceedings are first implemented.

Adoption

Please find further information regarding adoption from our German website.

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German name law

For information about German name law, see here (in German).

Birth, marriage and death certificates

If you need a new German birth-/marriage-/death certificate please contact directly the civil registry in Germany which notarized the case of birth, marriage or death. The competent civil registry will then issue the requested number of new certificates. Please be informed that a fee will be charged which has to be paid by the applicant.

Philippine certificates can be obtained at the Philippine Statistics Authority, more information about the procedures can be obtained here or you could visit the PSA Helpline.