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 Registry Office within 7 days of the birth. If a child is born at home or outside a hospital, the following persons 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, 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) to the Registry Office. Alternatively, you can drop an envelope into the mailbox of the Birth Registry Department in the foyer of the Kreyßig Wing of City Hall Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Outside these hours, please use the night mailbox in the Lauteren Wing of City Hall.

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 3 fee-exempt copies for child benefit, parental allowance, and health insurance.

You cannot currently request fee-based certificates (e.g., for the family register) via the name declaration form. You must apply for these online, in writing, or by fax. You can find more information under "Certificates from the Birth Register."

If no midwife issued a birth certificate during your home birth, the registry office will prepare a verbal birth notification based on the documents you submitted. A parent can then come by at an agreed-upon time and sign the notification.

Alternatively, you can contact us by email.