Written information from the child custody register

Welcome to the online service for written information from the child custody register. This online service is currently available in German only. For this reason, you will find a summary of the most important information in English below.

This is where you will find information on the following topics for parents who are not married to each other and who are not or were not married to each other when their child was born.

• Sole custody
• When written information from the child custody register is required

A custody register of children born to parents who are not married to each other is maintained at the relevant youth welfare office. Entries are recorded in this custody register when:

1. Declarations of parental custody are made.
2. Custody has been wholly or partially withdrawn from the mother or transferred to the father as a result of a final court decision.

A mother who is not married to the father of the child may obtain a certificate as proof that and to what extent she is the sole holder of parental custody of her child.

Sole custody of the mother

If the parents of a child are not married to each other, the mother automatically receives sole custody when the child is born. A mother can demonstrate that she has sole custody of her child by obtaining written information from the child custody register.

When an excerpt from the child custody register is required

The mother can use the information from the child custody register as proof that she is entitled to sole parental custody of her child in legal dealings with authorities, banks, pre-schools, schools or doctors.

What to do next

The mother can use the online service to request written information from the child custody register from the relevant youth welfare office. Here’s how to go about it: launch the online service, select the youth welfare office responsible for the mother’s place of residence, fill in the mother’s and the child’s details, send off the application and wait for a reply.