# Separating if you have a child
There are numerous questions associated with separating or divorcing if you have children. What support is available to separated parents or lone parents? What do custody rights include? What do visitation rights include? Who can decide on what? What name do I use and what name does my child use? What happens if one of the partners remarries?
To ServicesInformation about Rights & Duties
- Birth, custody for minor children, parental responsibilities, rules on surrogacy and adoption, including second-parent-adoption, maintenance obligations in relation to children in a cross-border family situation
- Living in a couple with different nationalities, including same-sex couples (marriage, civil or registered partnership, separation, divorce, marital property rights, the rights of cohabitants)
With the certificate of no impediment to marriage, the issuing registry office certifies that there are no legal impediments under German law to the marriage of the two persons listed on the certificate of no impediment to marriage.
If you need proof of your birth, you can apply for a birth certificate under certain conditions.
If you need proof of your time of birth, you can apply for a corresponding certificate. These can be obtained from the registry office that certified the birth or from each registry office affiliated to the respective nationwide central register.
If you believe that your marriage is not legal, you can apply for the annulment of your marriage.
When you become a mother, you can receive maternity benefits for the protective periods before and after childbirth as well as for the day of delivery. You can apply for maternity benefit either from your statutory health insurance fund or from the Federal Social Security Office (BAS).