Finally, your baby is here! You probably want to share your happiness with the whole world. With a birth announcement, you may not reach the entire world, but you will reach everyone who needs to know about the birth. And besides your friends and family, that should also include the responsible registry office. In this article, you’ll find out how to report the birth of your little explorer to the authorities—and how to surprise your loved ones with a birth announcement in the newspaper or with a card.
What you need to do: Register the birth at the registry office
The official birth registration states where and when your child was born. Submitting it to the registry office is an obligation, because you will then receive your baby’s birth certificate, which you need, for example, to apply for Child benefit and Parental allowance .
If you gave birth in a Hospital or in a birthing center, you don’t have to worry about anything at first and don’t have to visit the registry office yourself . Instead, you provide all the required documents at the hospital and fill out the birth registration. For that, you’ll need to provide the family name and, ideally, already have a First name for your little explorer. Still looking for inspiration? Then try the LILLYDOO Name Finder in our app. :) But there’s no rush—sometimes the perfect name only comes to you when you hold your baby in your arms for the first time. You can submit the first name within one month to the registry office if you haven’t decided yet at the time of birth.
It’s a bit different with a home birth . In this case, you must go yourself —and, if applicable, together with your legal guardian/partner—to the registry office with the birth certificate from your midwife or doctor and all other documents within one week after childbirth to register the birth.
Documents for the birth registration at the registry office
To be presented first:
Medical certificate or birth certificate from the midwife regarding the birth (birth notification)
Identity card or passport of the parents (or an accepted passport substitute)
If the parents are married :
Certified copy from the marriage register and birth certificates or
Marriage certificate of the parents and birth certificates
If the mother is single :
Birth certificate of the mother
If the mother is divorced or widowed :
Certified copy from the marriage register and birth certificate or
Marriage certificate, divorce decree or death certificate, and birth certificate
If the parents are not married to each other and paternity has already been acknowledged or is to be acknowledged before the birth is registered :
Certified copy of the father's declaration of recognition
Certified copy of the mother's consent declaration
Possibly certified copy of the declaration of custody
With an unmarried father :
With a father who is married or was married :
Birth certificate
Marriage certificate (and if applicable, divorce decree) or marriage register excerpt
With foreign parents :
Proof of residence permit to demonstrate the acquisition of German nationality for the child
What you can do: Birth announcement in newspaper and co.
But of course, it’s not only the registry office that should hear about the arrival of your little explorer—your loved ones will surely be curious about the birth weight, the first photo, and the name (if you haven’t revealed it yet). You can prepare as much as possible during pregnancy, so that after the birth only a few clicks or simple steps are needed and you can enjoy your time in peace.
Birth announcement in the newspaper
In the classic way, you can announce the birth with a notice in your local daily newspaper. For many families, this is a tradition and, once clipped out, it remains a beautiful keepsake for years to come. Grandparents, in particular, often love taking on the task of placing the announcement to share the happy news that their grandchild has arrived—one less thing for you to do, and even more joy when you’re surprised by the announcement yourself. :)
If you want to arrange the birth announcement in the newspaper yourself, you can design it entirely according to your wishes or, alternatively, use the templates that most publishers offer for format and text. With templates, it’s quick to create, and you only need to add your baby’s personal details, such as first and last name, birth weight, length, date of birth, place of birth, time of birth, and, if you wish, a photo of your baby. With many newspapers, you can do this online or share your preferences by mail or phone.
The costs for such an announcement vary from newspaper to newspaper. Depending on the size (number of columns) and color choice (color or black and white), the birth announcement can cost between 25 and 120 euros .
Birth card: analog and digital
With a sweet birth announcement card, you’ll surely bring a big smile to the faces of all recipients. After all, who doesn’t love receiving such joyful news in their mailbox? This way, your loved ones will immediately have a first keepsake of your little explorer. With online ordering from photo kiosks in drugstores or supermarkets, you’ll find numerous options to design postcards completely personalized and have them printed. You can think about the text and layout before the birth, so that afterward you only need to fill in the personal details—or have someone do it for you :)—and the card is ready to mail. Our tip: In the LILLYDOO App you can create a personal name badge for your baby. Simply enter the name and the details that are important to you, such as date of birth and weight, and select your favorite design. Then you just need to print your personalized name tag, and you can send it to friends and family.
If you want to save on physical shipping, you can also create a custom-designed birth announcement as a digital card and send it so the baby news lands in an email inbox, as a WhatsApp message, or on social media for family and friends.
Are you a craft enthusiast? Then, of course, you can also lovingly make your own cards or, for example, decorate purchased cards with
stamps or stickers to add your personal touch—a great activity for the last weeks of pregnancy that will make the anticipation of your baby grow even more. Here are some ideas for designing birth postcards for you:
You need inspiration for the text for your birth announcement? Then take a look at our article " Quotes about birth ". Here, we’ve put together unique congratulations and great ideas for sayings.
The official birth registration at the registry office is definitely a must. However, it’s entirely up to you whether you want to announce the birth to your loved ones in a funny, classic, or very simple way. We wish you lots of fun creating your birth announcement!
