A miscarriage is when the child

• showed no signs of life (heartbeat, pulsating umbilical cord, pulmonary respiration) at separation from the womb, and
• weighed less than 500 grams, and/or
• has not reached the 24th week of gestation.

The competent registry office is thereby designated that registry office in whose jurisdiction the miscarriage took place.

Further information on the new legal regulation in dealing with miscarriages (star children) can be found on the Internal page of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ)
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If you have reported the miscarriage to the relevant registry office, the registry office will issue a certificate of miscarriage upon request.

You as the father can only report the miscarriage if you would have had custody of the child if it had been born alive, i.e. if you were married to each other as parents at the time of the birth or if you were unmarried and had issued a joint declaration of custody before the child was born. If neither of these applies, the authority to file an application lies solely with you as the mother.

Beyond that, there are no other requirements; the issuance of the certificate is not dependent on a certain duration of pregnancy or a minimum weight of the stillborn child.

For proof of identity:

• The identity card, passport or other recognized passport replacement document of both parents
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To establish credibility of the miscarriage:

• a certificate issued by a doctor or midwife / obstetrician about the miscarriage or
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• the maternity record, if it shows the miscarriage
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• if applicable, a certificate of burial of the miscarriage
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• if possible: the birth certificates of the parents or their marriage certificate
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For the preparation of the certificate:

• An indication of the intended surname and first name of the child
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Note: The registry office may request further documents if this is necessary to prove information.
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As a rule, there is an immediate issuance of the certificate of miscarriage.

There may be a cost for issuing a certificate of miscarriage.