Your result
Court-ready PDFs with legal citations and submission guides, delivered to your email.
This single fact can decide whether joint custody applies by default or whether you take a short step to establish it. Confirming this avoids detours and gets you to filing, documents, and the right office faster.
Under BGB §1626, married parents generally share custody automatically unless a court decided otherwise. If parents were not married at birth, §1626a BGB describes how to establish joint custody—via a joint declaration or a short court application.
Check for a marriage certificate near the child’s birth or any court paper about custody. If unsure, ask the registry/Jugendamt to confirm, or proceed with the joint custody pack—the court can verify the rest.
- BGB §1626(bgb-1626-2025-01)
- BGB §1626a(bgb-1626a-2025-01)
For unmarried parents, a formal paternity acknowledgement is often the first domino: it unlocks parental rights, enables custody steps, and prevents delays later.
Paternity is commonly acknowledged at the Standesamt or Jugendamt. Once acknowledged, decisions about custody, contact, passports, schooling, and health care become clearer and faster to process.
Look for a signed acknowledgement or a birth certificate note. If missing, book a quick appointment at Jugendamt/Standesamt—bring your ID and birth details. You can keep moving: our assistant drafts the request letter and checklist.
- Familienportal.de(familienportal-2025-01)