Germany

In Germany, administrative practice prevents the registration of paternity for children born to foreign nationals, sometimes requiring DNA testing to prove paternity. If there is doubt from civil registrars as to paternity, then a DNA test can be required. This particularly affects women from African countries who are 30 or older, who are often assumed by civil registrars to be married. If the woman claims to be unmarried, then civil registry officials may not believe her. A migrant rights defender noted there has been a noted trend of requesting genetic testing to confirm paternity of the father. There is a 150 Euro cost for this test, posing a financial barrier. There have also been reports of women not receiving birth certificates even after undergoing DNA testing. This intersection of racial, age, and gender discrimination poses barriers to birth registration, and may leave children at risk of statelessness if the mother is from a country that does not allow women to confer citizenship on their child.