Appointment-System of the German Foreign Office — Houston

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In this appointment category, you can register your marriage or the birth of your child in Germany. This is not mandatory.

The processing of your application is carried out exclusively by the responsible registry office in Germany. We strongly recommend contacting the registry office in advance, particularly to clarify the format of the required documents (such as translations and apostilles).

As explained on our website, if the responsible registry office has given its prior consent, you may submit your applications and declarations directly to the registry office after notarization by a Notary Public.

Important Information regarding Marriage Registration / Surname Declaration:

If you wish to register your marriage or submit a surname declaration for your marriage, please note the following: Many U.S. marriage certificates (e.g., many from Texas) only list the district (county) as the place of marriage. In such cases, we recommend obtaining an additional confirmation from the officiant (priest, judge, or officiant) specifying the exact place of marriage (city) and presenting this at your appointment.

 If you would like to carry your name in marriage in your German passport, a marriage name declaration is mandatory.

Important Information regarding Birth Registration / Name Declaration for name at births:

For births occurring after May 1, 2025, the name of a child born in the U.S. can be automatically adopted from the U.S. birth certificate, provided it aligns with your preferences (especially regarding missing umlauts). In this case, a separate birth registration/name declaration is not required to apply for a German passport.

The birth registration has nothing to do with obtaining German citizenship, unless the parents were born AFTER 01/01/2000 outside of Germany (you can find more information on that topic here)

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