122 Children, 7 Fathers—Residence Permit Scheme Booms in Germany
5th October 2025
In Dortmund, seven men have acknowledged paternity for a total of 122 children—despite not being their biological fathers. This recognition grants foreign mothers the right to reside in Germany, while the men often receive financial compensation and the state covers child support costs. Investigations are ongoing in several cases.
The incentive for this practice lies in the current legal framework, Apollo News explains: when a German citizen acknowledges paternity of a child born to a foreign mother, the child automatically gains German citizenship, which in turn grants the mother a residence permit. Authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia report that men often receive thousands of euros for such acknowledgments, while they typically do not pay maintenance—costs that are instead covered by the state.
This loophole exists because, since the 1997 reform of children’s rights, paternity can be recognised without judicial review, even before the child’s birth.