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What does Geburtsurkunde mean?

The Geburtsurkunde (birth certificate) is the official document about a person's birth. It shows the name and the date and place of birth.

die Geburtsurkunde · die Geburtsurkunden (plural)

For children born in Germany, the Standesamt (registry office) of the place of birth issues it.

You need it, for example, for Kindergeld, for Elterngeld and to register the child.

Certificates from abroad often have to be translated and sometimes also certified.

Example sentence

Bitte reichen Sie die Geburtsurkunde Ihres Kindes ein.

Please submit your child's Geburtsurkunde.

What you can do

Ask the Standesamt for several copies at once. Many offices want their own.

  • Standesamt The Standesamt (registry office) is the office for births, marriages and deaths. It issues the certificates for them.
  • Kindergeld Kindergeld (child benefit) is money for parents that the Familienkasse pays every month for each child.
  • Elterngeld Elterngeld (parental allowance) is money for parents who care for their child after the birth. They then work less or not at all.
  • Nachweis A Nachweis is a document that proves something, for example your income, your rent or your address.