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  4. Certification of a child's maintenance claim or the maintenance obligation

Certification of a child's maintenance claim or the maintenance obligation

Beurkundung eines Unterhaltsanspruches des Kindes bzw. der Unterhaltsverpflichtung
Machine translation of the German page, 2026-09-15. The German original is binding.
Parents are obliged to provide maintenance (child support) for their children. The parent who does not live with the child in the same household must provide the maintenance through payments of money. The amount of these payments depends on income and asset circumstances and can be determined, for example, by the Jugendamt (youth welfare office) or by lawyers. Once the amount of maintenance to be paid has been established, this maintenance obligation should be put on record. This is done in the form of a special document by the Urkundsperson (certifying officer) at the Jugendamt. This special document is called a Unterhaltstitel (maintenance title). If the maintenance is not paid, enforcement proceedings can be applied for immediately at the responsible Amtsgericht (local court) on the basis of the Unterhaltstitel. The child has a legal right to a Unterhaltstitel. If no Unterhaltstitel is presented, the child can submit a corresponding application to the Familiengericht (family court). Court proceedings involve costs and fees. Recording the maintenance obligation by the Urkundsperson of the Jugendamt is free of charge.

Book an appointment

Book an appointment (service.berlin.de)

Requirements

• Proof of identity e.g. Personalausweis (identity card), passport or driving licence • full legal capacity In the case of limited legal capacity, the carer or guardian must appear in person for the certification. • Interpreter/language mediator if German language skills are lacking Certification is carried out in the German language. If citizens do not have sufficient knowledge of German, an interpreter/language mediator must be brought in who is neither related nor related by marriage to the parties involved/parents.

Documents you need

• Valid identity document of the person under obligation e.g. identity card (Personalausweis), passport, or driving licence • Valid identity document of the interpreter/language mediator, if applicable e.g. identity card, passport, or driving licence • Child's birth certificate or certificate of acknowledgment of paternity if available • Letter of request for certification of the maintenance obligation From a lawyer, a Jugendamt (youth welfare office), or the other parent – if available • Evidence of an agreement on payment of a specific amount of maintenance if available • Copy or transcript of any existing maintenance title (Unterhaltstitel) (deed, court order, judgment) – if available

Fees

none

Legal basis

• Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB, Civil Code), §§ 1601 ff. www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/

Processing time

30 minutes, without preparation time or waiting time

Who is responsible

Jugendamt (youth welfare office) responsible for the child's place of residence. If this is outside Berlin: the Jugendamt responsible for the place of residence of the person liable to pay maintenance.

Responsible for you

Choose a location; the appointment itself is booked on the original page.

Original

German original

Service number 326081 · same path as the original: service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/326081/