Applying for a baptism certificate – how it works

If you need proof of your baptism, you can apply for a baptism certificate. If you follow a few tips and hints, you can get the document quickly and easily from your local parish.

Applying for a baptism certificate: know the requirements

A baptism certificate is an official document that confirms a person’s baptism. It is often required for church matters, such as church weddings or confirmations. You can easily apply for the document in just a few steps.

• The baptism certificate is proof of baptism and contains information such as the name, date of baptism and the church of baptism. It is issued by the responsible parish.
• If you want to apply for a baptism certificate, you have to fulfill various requirements. First of all, you should know in which church your baptism took place. Only then can the staff of the parish understand where you were baptized and what information needs to be provided on your baptismal certificate.
• If you don’t know where you were baptized, this is usually not a problem. Ask the church archives or registry office where your baptism took place. They often keep old baptismal registers and provide information about baptisms.
• Other information that is helpful when applying for a baptism certificate includes your name, date of birth, and the names of your parents. With this information, baptism certificates can be issued quickly and easily.

This is how you apply for a baptismal certificate

Since the baptismal certificate is an official church document, a few steps are necessary to obtain it. Exceptionally, you also have to pay a small processing fee to the parish when you apply for the document. The parishes can set the amount of the fee themselves. However, the certificate of baptism is usually issued free of charge.

• First, contact the parish where you were baptized. You can easily find the contact details online or through the local parish office.
• For baptisms that took place abroad, the search for the church of baptism is often somewhat more difficult. If you do not receive a response from the foreign church of baptism, you can contact the church registration office or the German foreign community. For Catholic churches, the responsible diocese can also help to find the entry in the baptismal register
• Now make a written or verbal request to the parish. Some parishes offer online forms for this. However, a short email asking for a baptismal certificate, stating your personal details, is usually sufficient.
• Occasionally, you will be asked to present various documents to the parish. Often this is a simple copy of a birth certificate or ID card.
• Now you just have to wait for the processing time. As a rule, the issuance of a baptism certificate takes only a few days. However, for foreign parishes, the issuance of the baptism certificate may take a few weeks.