Advice for the father on consenting to the adoption of a child
If you wish to give your child up for adoption and are not married to the mother, you can refrain from applying for parental custody to be transferred to you after the birth of the child. You can declare this before the birth.
-
Basic information
In order for a child to be given up for adoption, the consent of both parents is required. As a rule, this consent can only be given eight weeks after the birth of the child.
If the mother is not married, you as the father can give your consent to the adoption before the child is born if you are not entitled to custody. This consent must be notarized. Consent to an adoption cannot be notarized at a youth welfare office.
The father can also make a declaration that he will not apply for parental custody of the child. This declaration, which supplements the consent to waive the transfer of custody, must be notarized "publicly". "Public" means that the declaration can also be notarized. The declaration can also be notarized (in this case free of charge) at a youth welfare office.
Both when notarizing the consent to adoption and when notarizing the declaration of relinquishment, you will be informed of the legal consequences and effects of the notarization prior to notarization.
Requirements
You must be the father of the child. If paternity has not yet been legally established, you must be able to credibly prove that you are the child's father.
For example, the mother could confirm that you are the only possible father of the child. -
Procedure
You must prove that you are the father of the child. A birth certificate of the child in which you are registered as the father can serve as proof. If the child has not yet been born, you must provide credible evidence that you are the child's father (see requirements). The same applies if your paternity has not yet been legally established after the birth of the child.
The person who records the certificate will inform you about the legal effect of the certificate.
An appointment must be made for the certification at the Youth Welfare Office.
The deed will then be sent to the family court. The consent or waiver becomes effective as soon as the deed has been received by the family court.
Both the consent and the waiver are irrevocable. This means that even if you change your mind, you cannot withdraw from the notarized declarations.
-
Necessary Documents
- Proof of identity
e.g. identity card or passport
- Proof of identity
-
Competent Department
-
Adoptionsstelle Bremen
- +49 421 361 18444
- Rembertiring 39, 28203 Bremen
- Website
-
-
Online Services
-
Online service adoption
The online service "Adoption Digital" is a digital service for citizens interested in adoption.
-
-
Fees / Costs
Not specified
-
Deadlines & processing time
What deadlines must be paid attention to?
Not specified
How long does it take to process
Not specified
This page has been automatically translated by DeepL. We cannot guarantee that the translation is correct.
The official information in German is complete and correct. 12.11.2025