Every birth of a child within the city limits of Mainz is recorded in the birth registry of the Mainz Registry Office. We then issue the birth certificates.
You must report the birth of a child to the Civil Registry Office within 7 days of the birth. If a child is born at home or outside a hospital, the following individuals are required to report the birth:

• each parent of the child, if they have custody
• any other person who was present at the birth or who has personal knowledge of the birth

A birth certificate includes:

• the child’s first name(s) and last name
• Gender
• Place and date of the child’s birth
• First names and last names of the parents

Procedure

We ask parents to mail the completed name declaration form, the midwife’s birth certificate, copies of the parents’ identification documents, and the required original documents (depending on the case, e.g., marriage and birth certificates, documents from the Youth Welfare Office, see the information sheet at the bottom of the page) by mail to the Registry Office. Alternatively, you can drop an envelope in the mailbox of the Birth Registry Department in the foyer of the Kreyßig-Flügel Stadthaus Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Outside these hours, please use the overnight mailbox in the Lauteren Wing of the Stadthaus.

Provided all submitted documents are complete, we will register the child’s birth. The Registry Office will return your original documents to you along with three fee-exempt copies for child benefit, parental allowance, and health insurance purposes.

You cannot currently request fee-based certificates (e.g., for the family register) using the name declaration form. You must apply for these online, in writing, or by fax. For more information, see “Certificates from the Birth Register.”

If a midwife did not issue a birth certificate during your home birth, the civil registry office will prepare a verbal birth notification based on the documents you submitted. One parent can then come by at an agreed-upon time to sign the notification.

Alternatively, you can contact us by email.