General Information

If the parents are married to each other and one parent has the German citizenship, the child automatically receives German citizenship at birth. There are no further declarations of descent to be made.

It is also important to note that if the German parent was born abroad after December 31, 1999, the birth of the child must be registered in Germany before the child reaches the age of one so that the child acquires German citizenship.

What is my child's family name and how can I determine his or her family name?

Regulations until 30th April 2025:

According to German law valid for children born until 30th April 2025, the child was given the name of the parents chosen by marriage. But not all parents have chosen a family within the marriage. In such cases, the child did not initially get a family name according to German regulations. Therefore, the parents must submit a name declaration, e.g. as part of the birth announcement, before a German passport can be issued for the child.

If both parents are exclusively German nationals, only German law was applicable for the name of the child. If one parent has/had a nationality other than German, the parents could choose the law of the home country of the foreign parent.

Regulations from 1st May 2025:

The reform of German marital and birth name law, as well as international naming law, came into force on May 1, 2025. This created new options for both German and binational families.

The amendment to international private law is important for all Germans with habitual residence abroad. While previously, a person's name was subject to the law of their nationality, now, the use of the name will be determined by the law of the state in which the person has their habitual residence. However, a name already acquired will not change.

If a German child is born after 1st May 2025 and their parents have their habitual residence abroad, it will acquire their birth name according to the law of that country. The name registered in the foreign birth certificate according to the law applicable there is generally also valid under German law and can be entered in the child's German passport without further declaration. Please note, however, that the regulations regarding paternity recognition remain in effect and may affect the use of the name.

Further information can be found here.

What documents do I need for the birth announcement or the name declaration?

1. Child's birth certificate (if Ghanaian: green certificate from Birth and Death Registry)

2. Parents' marriage certificate

3. Mother's birth certificate (if Ghanaian: green certificate from Birth and Death Registry)

4. Father's birth certificate (if Ghanaian: green certificate from Birth and Death Registry)

5. Passport of any nationality of the mother

6. Passport of any nationality of the father

7. If applicable, naturalization certificate of the German parent

8. If applicable, divorce decree in the case of previous marriages of the parents

9. Passport of the child, if 14 years of age or older

The original documents must be submitted with the application.

Documents that are not in German or English must be translated into German by a sworn translator.

What fees do I have to pay when applying at the embassy?

How do I get an appointment and what is the procedure?

As soon as you have prepared all the documents for the birth announcement or the name declaration, please book an appointment here.

The embassy does not process any applications itself, but forwards them to the responsible registry office, if you wish. However, you also have the option of sending your application directly to the responsible registry office, provided no name declaration is required.

If you submit your application through the embassy, both parents with custody must be present in person at the appointment, as both signatures on the application form must be certified. If your child is 14 years old or older, the child's presence is also required.

The documents are then sent to the registry office. The registry office at the child's last place of residence in Germany or, if the child has never lived in Germany, at the last place of residence of one of the parents, is responsible for processing your application. If neither the child nor either of the parents had a residence in Germany at any time, the registry office I in Berlin is responsible. They will contact you directly after the completion of the examination. This can take a few months.

If you are planning an urgent trip with the child in the meantime, you can contact the embassy and enquire about the possibility of applying for a temporary passport.