Registering a new born baby in Berlin: the challenges

After the kid is born, the normal step is to go on and give him a bureaucratic identity, in other words, to register the little baby as a citizen in the making. As usual, the German bureaucracy did not disappoint me and everything went fast but this time, it involved some money spent...we do not know for sure on what. It starts with one of the parents going early in the morning at the city hall, in the front of the door of the special section in charge with birth certificates. You may write your name on a list, with the date of birth of the child and the hospital where the baby was born and wait till someone comes, looks at the list and calls your name. Be ready to have a copy of the passports or ID cards of the parents, and their birth certificates - international version. 

Easy peasy - the parents are married

Let's start with the beginning. If the parents are married, things are simple. The child is registered on the spot, with the name of the husband and the mother with full rights. The birth certificate is delivered either in the same day or 10 days after. You will be handled 1 copy - for 10 Euro - and another 3 free proofs that should be further sent to the insurance company and the authorities in charge to give financial support to the new born. There is also a declaration that should be signed by both parents where they agree about the name to be given to the baby.

This easy variant is also available for the registration of the child in the hospital where the mother gives birth.

Different challenges - the parents are not married

The things are a bit different when the parents are not married and also having different citizenships. There is a declaration of paternity - Vaterschafterkennung - the father should sign either during the mother's pregnancy or after the child is born - it costs 30 Euro. It is accompanied by a long legal explanation of the German right and other subtelties. Usually, you need an appointment for this declaration. 

When one of the parents does not speak German, a translator - not official, but not a relative of any of the two parents either - is requested. For the work of this special person - that may take around one hour - that accepts to do the translation, you pay 20 Euro that goes to the city hall but not to the translator. I found it a bit strange the procedure, to be honest. I would have prefer to give this money to the translator who waited a bit more than expected and did a great job than to waste it for some undisclosed purpose. 

There is also the possibility to do the paternity declaration in the front of the Jugendamt, also by appointment and with a translator, but for free. The disadvantage is that as for now, there is not easy to get a date with the authorities till the end of the year so you better pay and get what you want faster. Without the birth certificate, you cannot get the money from the insurance and the Kindergeld - a monthly amount the state gives you for the child - and the sooner you have it the better for the financial well-being of your small family. 

Another specificy of the German family right is that by birth the mother is automatically having full right over the child. If you want to share the right with the father - I will write another post soon about what I discover that it is the disrespect of the father as an active and responsible member of the family - you need another declaration and official appointment, this time in the front of the Jugendamt, the authority in charge with families and especially children. 

To be continued...

As for now, the happy owners of the birth certificate - international one is the best, written in English and French and German, as for a passport and citizenship some embassies will request the official translation and many of them the apostile for authentification (to be read more money to the bureaucracy) - are ready for new bureaucratic challenges. It seems that this story never ends, at least for now...

Giving birth in Berlin: A Foreigner in Berlin experience

If any of my readers were maybe curious why so many silence gaps in my online presence, the right answer is that in the last months I was busy getting used with pregnancy challenges and particularly in the last weeks and days being ready to welcome the baby. Although summer travel went well, a couple of restrictions applied - such for instance the impossibility to go on an airplane in the last two months of pregnancy. Also, because of the unusual summer heat, I preferred to limit as much as possible my travels and to include as many stops as possible - preferrably for refreshments and various foodie tastings. 

And when the time has come, everything went well and everyone is healthy and happy - although considerably sleep deprived. Not necessarily on purpose, but the delivery was chosen at a medical center that I extensively covered a couple of posts ago: DRK Westend, a place I was recommended by many of my expat friends too and that I recommend it further on too. The overall services and medical support I benefited was high class, also thanks to the benefits of my insurance that covered extensively a lot of services, including some acupuncture session that was considered necessary by the medical staff. 

After the baby was born, I was hardly left alone for more than one hour: nurses come to check us periodically, with special advice about how to handle the baby, but also specific advice for me. For instance, the day after a therapist come to check my motric problems counseling me to take it easy and not get ready for a marathon in less than 2-3 months after delivery. This in addition to various vitamins and screenings and checkings done fast. I always complain about the slow motion and lack of responsiveness of the customer service in Germany but this time I was really impressed about everything: the way we were treated, the everyday help and kindness of the nurse that offered me a lot of coffee after confessing that did not have the chance in the last months of tasting the strong version of my favourite beverage. Last but not least, not forget about the kind doctor that come with a German English dictionary in his pocket after he heard out that we were not locals. 

As a general rule, future mothers in Germany need to do periodical checkings that are mentioned in the famous Mutterpass that should accompany you when going for delivery. This 'passport' is providing information about the medical history of the mother and has details about the various medical checkings done during the nine months.

The insurance company is covering the costs and after being many years on private insurance, I realized how lucky I was to be the customer of one of the big state companies. Every time I had to go to the doctor, I just had to show my insurance. 

Something that should be kept in mind before giving birth is to find a reliable midwife (Hebamme) that will help the mother at least in the first two weeks of life of the baby. The costs for the service offered are also covered by the insurance company. My mistake was to not make the choice and find out after around 100 phone calls that no midwife in my area was available, except one private one paid with 70 euro the hour. 

Another intersting thing in Germany is that after the birth, the mother has 2 full months - at least - of paid leave, the salary being partially covered by the insurance company. 

One month after, everything is going fine and trying to include my writing into my new very busy life. For more updates about my adventures with the pram across Berlin, check for now my Instagram account: ilanaontheroad.

See you soon!