If the mother is married at the time of the child’s birth, the mother’s husband is automatically the child’s legal father, unless another man who is the biological father has validly acknowledged paternity. Legal paternity gives rise to a wide range of rights and obligations.

Acknowledgment of paternity is required if you are not married to the mother at the time of the child’s birth.

The mother and the child must consent to the acknowledgment of paternity for it to be valid.

You must have your declaration of acknowledgment of paternity notarized. This also applies to the consent of the mother and the child. The consent of the mother with custody includes the consent of the child, provided the child has not yet reached the age of 14.

Certification is possible, in particular, at the following locations:

• Civil Registry Office
• Youth Welfare Office
• Notary

If no other man has (yet) been designated as the child’s father, it is irrelevant to the validity of the acknowledgment whether the child is biologically descended from the man making the acknowledgment. However, if you are not the child’s biological father, your paternity established through acknowledgment may be revoked through a legal challenge.

If the child has already been registered as the child of another man, that man’s consent and the child’s biological descent from the man acknowledging paternity are additional requirements for the acknowledgment to be valid. In such cases, the results of a genetic paternity test must be submitted to the civil registry office for the paternity to be recorded in the birth registry.

Parents can have a child’s paternity confirmed.
A man can say:
“I am the father of this child.”
The technical term is: acknowledgment of paternity.
To do this, the man needs the mother’s permission.

He can do this at the civil registry office.
Or at the Youth Welfare Office.
Or with a notary.

The acknowledgment of paternity must be public.
That means:
Everyone should be able to know about it.
And an official agency must confirm the acknowledgment of paternity.
For this to happen, all relevant parties must agree.

The legal father is the man who cares for the child.
The legal father does not have to be the biological father.
The biological father is the one who fathered the child.

Perhaps a person lacks legal capacity.
This means:
The person cannot enter into contracts.
In that case, the person needs a legal representative.

A woman is automatically the mother of a child.
That’s what the law says.
Unless there are special circumstances.

In some countries, a woman must also be able to say:
"I am the mother of this child."
The technical term is: acknowledgment of maternity.