A miscarriage is when the child

• showed no signs of life (heartbeat, pulsating umbilical cord, lung breathing) and
• weighed less than 500 grams when separated from the womb, and/or
• had not reached the 24th week of pregnancy.

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

Further information on the new legal regulations for dealing with miscarriages (star children) can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ)
.

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 made a joint custody declaration before the birth of the child. If neither of these applies, the authority to file an application lies solely with you as the mother.

For proof of identity:

• The identity card, passport or other recognized passport replacement document of both parents
.

To establish the credibility of the miscarriage:

• a certificate of miscarriage issued by a doctor or midwife/obstetrician or
.
• the maternity file, if it shows the miscarriage
.
• if applicable, a certificate of burial of the miscarriage
.
• If possible: the parents' birth certificates or their marriage certificate
.

For the preparation of the certificate:

• Information of the intended surname and first name of the child
.

Note: The registry office may request further documents if this is necessary to verify information.
.

As a rule, a certificate of miscarriage is issued immediately

The issue of a certificate of miscarriage may be associated with costs.