Hi @Kaye
I recommend you and your boyfriend first do the procedure called ‘recognition of paternity’ (Vaterschaftsanerkennung). You can do this at your local Jugendamt (office for children and youth). If you both wish, you can also do an additional procedure for shared custody called ‘Erklärung über das gemeinsame Sorgerecht’ at the Jugendamt.
Once you have done the recognition of paternity, it is proof that the child will be born with German nationality and you will have the right to stay in Germany after the birth as the parent of a German child.
There is a period of time before and after the birth where the health of the mother has to especially well looked after. This is called the ‘Mutterschutzfrist’. In this time you cannot be expected to travel and leave Germany. It starts six weeks before the expected due date.
This means that the period from 01.01.2025 until six weeks before the birth of the child, your situation is not so clear. There is no specific visa or residence permit for the reason of pregnancy. However, the authorities have recognised that they should enable parents of a future German child to be together also before the birth. Before your current Aufenthalt ends, you can therefore apply for a temporary paper due to the pregnancy. You should send a copy of the recognition of paternity and pregnancy book (Mutterpass) with the application. Include as a reason the fact that the father wishes to be with you during the pregnancy.
There are different types of temporary papers with names like ‘Fiktionsbescheinigung’, ‘Bescheinigung über den vorübergehenden Unterhalt‘, ‚Duldung‘. Depending on the status, you can be entitled to social welfare supports from the Sozialamt, including healthcare costs. Otherwise you will have to pay the medical fees yourself. You need to be clear about what exactly your status from 01.01.2025 is and what entitlements you have with it.
There are specialised services throughout Germany that assist pregnant women. These are called ‘Schwangerenberatungstelle’. You can go and speak with them free of charge and they will usually have someone who speaks English. It does not matter what residency status you have or whether you speak German and their help is confidential. They can also help you apply for the special funding from the ‘Bundesstiftung Mutter und Kind’ which is important if you do not have access to other financial supports. Here is more about this fund:
https://***-bundesstiftung--mutter--und--kind-de.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Here you can search for an advisory service:
https://***-familienplanung-de.translate.goog/beratung/beratungsstelle-finden/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Best,
Éanna