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Birth of a Child in Canada
The birth of a child is a new beginning which also raises a number of legal questions. Here you will find useful information on issues frequently raised by new parents.
According to § 4 section 1 of the German Citizenship Act (Staatsangehörigkeitsgesetz - StAG) as of July 1998, a child born to a German parent automatically acquires German citizenship by birth without the requirement of any kind of application.
There is one exception to this rule: German parents who themselves were born outside of Germany on or after January 1st, 2000, will not automatically pass on German citizenship to their children if those children are also born outside of Germany (§ 4 sec. 4 StAG). Those children only become German citizens if their parents register the birth of their child with the competent German Mission within one year after the birth.
- Birth of a child from a same-sex relationship
There are different regulations regarding parenthood by parents of the same sex, whether the parents are married, in a common-law relationship or without a formalized relationship. Also, the regulations differ for physical birth by one of the parents vs. surrogacy. As both the regulations and their interpretation are constantly evolving due to court rulings, we encourage you to contact the Consulate General in advance before booking appointments for name declarations, subsequent registration of births, etc., especially if you do not live close to the Consulate General. This is to prevent you from having to travel several times.
