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German Cabinet Approves Bill Requiring Immigration-Authority Consent for Paternity Recognitions

The proposal shifts control to immigration offices to block abusive acknowledgments that create residency rights.

Overview

  • Under the draft, a paternity acknowledgment becomes valid only after the Ausländerbehörde signs off when a residence-rights disparity exists.
  • Authorities could withdraw consent obtained through bribery, threats or deceit within five years, and false statements to secure approval would become a crime.
  • The bill introduces statutory presumptions and stricter cooperation duties to help officials detect sham cases and separate review from registry notarizations.
  • Safeguards exclude genuine family situations, such as proven biological paternity, marriage after birth, an existing shared child or at least 18 months of cohabitation.
  • Government papers cite roughly 65,000 procedures a year and fiscal losses in the hundreds of millions; the measure now moves to the Bundestag and could face practical and constitutional tests given past court rulings.