If you are working in Germany you are most likely aware of the Mutterschaftsgeld paid to you for maternity leave.

Furthermore any woman living legally in Germany is entitled to Entbindungsgeld, Erziehungsgeld and Kindergeld.

• Entbindungsgeld, Delivery Money, is a one time sum paid out by the Krankenkasse of DM 150 once the child has arrived. It is only for those who pay into the Krankenkasse (versus insured from the U.S.).



• Erziehungsgeld is DM 600 monthly until the child is 24 months.



• Kindergeld is DM 270 monthly for the child’s first 18 years.

After the baby’s birth, the working mother as well as the spouse of either a working or non-employed mother should present her and his Steuerkarte (tax card) to the Finanzamt to change the tax class, das Kindeintragen.

German Birth Certificate (Abstammungsurkunde): A baby’s birth is registered at the Standesamt of the hospital's Stadtteil and not in the part of town in which you live. Some hospitals are visited once a week by a civil servant to take care of birth registration; otherwise you are obliged to go to the issuing Standesamt in person within one week of delivery. (*Gem. §16 Personenstandgesetz = Joke! But you've got to laugh about all those laws and no follow-through.) Have the hospital inform you of the proper address and bizarre opening hours. The hospital should also be able to provide you with the Standesamt forms to fill out. There is a box to check requesting, in addition to the standard Abstammungsurkunde, a multi-lingual 'International Birth Certificate.' DO NOT FORGET TO BRING your birth certificate (if unmarried) or marriage license and passport, Ausweis, to the hospital or Standesamt. Also bring cash; it costs about DM 24.

You will be issued five originals:

1. for your records.



2. for the mother's medical insurance carrier. The mother's medical insurer automatically carries her children, and with no change to her monthly coverage cost. You must present this to your Krankenkasse which will issue your child his/her own magnetic insurance card. Your pediatrician is aware that you may not have this in time for your first visit and will ask you to present it once received. The DM 150 Entbindungsgeld is paid to you by your insurer upon receipt of this birth certificate. Furthermore, your application for Erziehungsgeld requires a stamp from your insurer, so bring this application with you in order to avoid a second visit.



3. for the Jugendamt for Erziehungsgeld. This is DM 600 per month until the baby is 24 months old, if the joint income is less than DM 100,000 gross (?); if your joint income exceeds that level but does not exceed DM 100,000 net than it is paid for six months. The Application, Antrag auf Erziehungsgeld, is a blue form available from the lobby of all Bezirksämter (which is not to be confused with your Ortsamt or Standesamt), or from the Krankenkasse, or hospital. Pick up at least two forms, because an application must be resubmitted for the child at age 12 months; therefore it is a very good idea to keep a photocopy of the first application. Be sure to submit the form before the child is six months old; else you forfeit the monthly sum from birth up to date of application submission.



4. For the Familienkasse beim Arbeitsamt for Kindergeld which is DM 270 per month per child under 18 and regardless of when you apply - although if the child is under four you will receive the money retroactive to the date of birth. This is provided by the Arbeitsamt. The form Antrag auf Kindergeld can be requested over the phone and returned in the mail. BUT the form does require a Haushaltbescheinigung which is a stamp received from your Einwohnermeldeamt. This must be done in person.
   
     Familienkasse beim Arbeitsamt
     Kurt-Schumacher-Allee 16
     20097 Hamburg - St. Georg
     Try both options: a) Tel. (040) 248 50 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. or
     b) Tel. (040) 285 50 Mon-Fri. 8 a.m. to 12 noon plus Thursdays 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
   
   
   • If you are a legal resident in Germany, Erziehungsgeld and Kindergeld are your entitlements.


5. for the church Geburtsbescheinigung für religiöse Zwecke stating whether your child is either Catholic or Evangelical-Lutheran; although there are more faiths these are the only two obliged in Germany to pay the church tax. To declare no religion equates to declaring yourself and baby atheists exempting your child from religion class once in school; other denominations of Christianity are called sects.

The passport costs $50 and is valid for five years. You will need to bring to the consulate, Tel. (040) 41 17 10:

1. the BABY


2. BOTH parents (Congress passed legislation, implementation date September 1, 2000, that requires both parents' signatures, taken in person and under oath, on a passport application for a child under age 14.)


3. parents' passports


4. the baby's German birth certificate


5. and two pictures 5 cm x 5 cm with a white background. To have a picture to these specifications you will need a photo store that does digitalized pictures.

Consular Report of Birth Abroad: The consulate does not issue a birth certificate for an American born overseas, but a "Consular Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States... to certify that ... (your child) acquired U.S. citizenship at birth as established by documentary evidence presented to the Consular Service of the U.S." (It will be one sharp school administrator stateside who notices the difference between this and a birth certificate). The Consular Report of Birth Abroad is registered at the Passport Office, Department of State. There is also the form to complete for the Social Security Administration which will mail you your child's Social Security card.

The German birth certificate will be your child's only legal birth certificate; therefore it would be convenient to acquire an international birth certificate from the Standesamt which is in several languages to avoid in the future having the simple Abstammungsurkunde translated and notarized.