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Request information from the custody register

  • Partnerschaft und Familie
  • Geburt

Do you need information from the custody register? Find out more here.

  • Basic information

    The responsible youth welfare office keeps a custody register for children of unmarried parents. Entries are made in this custody register when:

    • declarations of custody are made.
    • Custody has been awarded jointly in whole or in part on the basis of a final court decision.
    • Custody has been wholly or partly withdrawn from the mother or transferred to the father on the basis of a final court decision.

    A mother who is not married to the child's father can obtain a certificate stating that she is the holder of parental custody of her child and to what extent.

    The mother must provide the following information about the child:

    • Date of birth of the child
    • Place of birth of the child
    • Name of the child at the time the birth was certified

    Requirements

    • If there are no entries, written information can be issued (so-called "negative certificate").
    • If necessary, the youth welfare office can also provide information on which entries exist.
  • Procedure

    If you, as the mother of the child, are not married to the father and live in Bremen, you can request information from the custody register from the specialist service "Beistandschaft/Unterhalt für Minderjährige" of the Office for Social Services.

    • Use the online service "Written information from the custody register".
    • Contact your local office of the Specialist Service for Custody/Support for Minors by telephone, in writing or in person.
    • Submit an informal application for information from the custody register to the responsible youth welfare office.
    • The responsible youth welfare office will check whether entries have been made in the custody register and will issue a certificate if necessary.
    • If the child was born in Bremen, the certificate will be sent to you shortly.
    • If the child was not born in Bremen, you must first check with the custody register of the youth welfare office in the place of birth. This will extend the processing time.
  • Necessary Documents

    • Proof of identification

      Identity card or passport

      In the written procedure, a copy is sufficient.

  • Competent Department

  • Online Services

    • Written information from the custody register
      With this online service, you can - under certain conditions - request an excerpt from the custody register at your responsible youth welfare office.
      The requested certificate can certify that an unmarried mother has sole parental care of her child.

  • Fees / Costs

    free of charge

  • Deadlines & processing time

    What deadlines must be paid attention to?

    None

    How long does it take to process

    The certificate will be sent at short notice if the child was born in Bremen. If the child was not born in Bremen, you have to ask at the custody register of the youth welfare office at the place of birth of the child. This may take a few days.

  • Legal Bases

  • More Information

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.

Updated on 05.09.2026

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