Birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde): costs, ways, other certificates

You apply for a birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde) at the Standesamt (register office) of the place where you were born, not where you live. Köln, Düsseldorf, Essen, Dortmund and Duisburg accept certificate applications online; the first certificate costs 10 to 18 euros there. The certificate is issued to the person themselves, spouses, ancestors and descendants (§ 62 PStG).

Birth certificate: the essentials

Responsible office
register office of the place of birth that keeps the register entry (§ 55 (2) PStG)As of: 27.10.2026 · § 55 PStG
Who can apply
the person themselves, spouse or civil partner, ancestors, descendants; others with a legal interest (§ 62 PStG)As of: 27.10.2026 · § 62 PStG
Age limit
application from age 16 (§ 62 (1) PStG)As of: 27.10.2026 · § 62 PStG
Content
first names, birth name, sex, place and time of birth, names of the parents (§ 59 PStG)As of: 27.10.2026 · § 59 PStG
All details (4)
Register
births 110 years, marriages 80 years, deaths 30 years at the register office (§ 5 (5) PStG)
Official fee
€10 to €18 for the first certificate in Köln, Düsseldorf, Essen, Dortmund and Duisburg
Multilingual
international certificate under the Convention of 8 September 1976 (§ 50 PStV); same price with us
Behördenfix fixed price
€39 including the register office fee, German or multilingual; we apply with your power of attorney

Birth certificates in five cities

Köln€10, each further identical copy €5; online, by phone or in writing
Düsseldorf€15, each further identical copy €7.50; online or in writing
More rows (3)
Essen€10, each further identical copy €5; online form or in writing
Dortmund€15, each further identical copy €7.50; online, by phone, by post
Duisburg€18, each further identical copy €9; online, register offices Mitte, Nord and West

As of 27.10.2026, according to the cities' service pages (see official sources). The fees there also apply to marriage and death certificates.

How we apply for the certificate with you

  1. 1Give your detailsType of certificate, German or multilingual, place, date.
  2. 2Pay the fixed price39 euros including the register office fee.
  3. 3Upload the power of attorneyWith a copy of your ID.
  4. 4We applyAt the responsible register office; the certificate comes to you.

Applying for the birth certificate yourself

The way without us, step by step

Without us you apply for the certificate directly at the register office. All five cities in the table have an online application on their service page:

  • Find the register office of the place of birth. Another register office may only issue the certificate if it can retrieve the data electronically (§ 55 (2) PStG).
  • State your name, date of birth, place of birth and the names of your parents. If exact details are missing, Essen charges a search fee of 17 to 66 euros.
  • Upload a copy of your ID. Ordering for a relative? Enclose a power of attorney.
  • Pay online, for example by PayPal, as Köln, Düsseldorf, Dortmund and Duisburg state.
  • Costs compared: at the register office you only pay the fee of 10 to 18 euros. With us you pay 39 euros including this fee, for finding the register office, applying and following up.
  • We are not an authority. Only the register office decides whether a certificate is issued.

Open the official page

What you need

  • Copy of your ID card or passport.
  • Place and date of birth, names of the parents.
More documents (2)
  • For relatives: a signed power of attorney.
  • For other people: proof of a legal interest.

Good to know: marriage and death certificates, register printout

Marriage certificates are issued by the register office of the place where the marriage took place, for 80 years; death certificates by the register office of the place of death, for 30 years (§ 5 (5) PStG). In the five cities in the table they cost the same as the birth certificate, and we apply for them at the same price of 39 euros.

All details (2)

The birth certificate shows first names and birth name, sex, place as well as day, hour and minute of birth and the names of the parents. At your request the register office leaves out sex and parents (§ 59 PStG).

For the full entry with later changes, for example after a change of name or an adoption, order a certified register printout (Registerausdruck, § 55 (1) no. 5 PStG). After an adoption only the adoptive parents, their parents, the legal representative and the child from age 16 receive it (§ 63). Once the periods expire, the register office offers the registers to the archive, which then provides proof (§ 7 (3)).

When does our help make sense?

You do not need it if you know the register office of your place of birth. Its online application takes a few minutes, and you only pay the fee.

It can help if you were born in another city and must first find the responsible register office, if you need certificates from several cities, for example for a wedding, or if German forms are hard to understand. We apply with your power of attorney and follow up until the certificate arrives.

What we do not do: we do not check whether you have a legal interest, we do not apply for the subsequent registration of a birth abroad, and we do not translate the certificate.

Questions about the birth certificate

How much does a birth certificate cost?

The register office sets the fee. The first certificate costs 10 euros in Köln and Essen, 15 euros in Düsseldorf and Dortmund, 18 euros in Duisburg. If you order several identical certificates at once, each further one costs half. Köln charges 1 or 2 euros for postage. With us you pay 39 euros including the fee. As of 27 October 2026.

Where do I apply for a birth certificate?

At the register office of the place of birth, where the entry is kept (§ 55 (2) PStG). Where you live does not matter. If a birth abroad was subsequently registered in Germany, the register office of that registration issues the certificate, according to the city of Duisburg. Marriage certificates come from the place of marriage, death certificates from the place of death.

Can I apply for a birth certificate online?

Yes. Köln, Düsseldorf, Essen, Dortmund and Duisburg offer it on their service pages. You upload a copy of your ID and pay online. The certificate comes by post. Köln states up to 10 working days, Duisburg about 7 to 10 days after payment. Essen gives no information on the time.

What do I do if my birth certificate is lost?

Order a new one from the register office of the place of birth. The entry stays in the birth register, from which the office issues the certificate again, for 110 years (§ 5 (5) PStG). A new certificate costs the same as the first. If the period has expired, proof under archive law is available from the responsible archive (§ 55 (3), § 7 (3)).

What is an international birth certificate?

A multilingual extract from the birth register for authorities abroad, issued under the Convention of 8 September 1976 on form A (§ 50 PStV). All five cities issue it; Essen, Düsseldorf and Dortmund charge the same fee as for the German one. Choose it in your order and we apply for it at the same price of 39 euros. Whether an authority abroad accepts it is up to that authority; otherwise apostille and translation are another way.

Who may apply for a birth certificate?

The person whose birth it is, their spouse or civil partner, their parents and grandparents, and their children and grandchildren (§ 62 PStG). Other people must show a legal interest; for siblings lower requirements apply at the birth register. People aged 16 and over may apply. We do not assess your case.

Official sources

Sources (9)

Reviewed by M. Gabal on 27.10.2026

Provided by Behördenfix (M. Gabal). Behördenfix applies for birth, marriage and death certificates with your written power of attorney at the register office of the place of the event. The register office decides whether a certificate is issued. We are not an authority, give no legal advice and do not assess your individual case.

In these cities (12)
Related services (7)
What we do and what we don't
  • We fill in applications based on your details, file them and follow them up.
  • We give no legal or tax advice and do not assess chances of success.
  • We are a private service, not a public authority.
Request your birth certificate· 39 €