When recording the child's name on the forms in the hospital, indicate precisely how you want the name composed. If the parents are not married, but the child is recognized by the father, the child automatically takes the father's last name. French law since the mid-80s allows the child to take the name of both parents, but many administrators and clerks refuse to apply the law. Insist if you want the child to have both names. The US consular office recognizes the child's name according to what is written on the French extrait de naissance.
European countries differ greatly as to nationality laws and the naming of children.
Germany, for example, recognizes only the mother's name if the parents are not married, even if the child is recognized by the father and takes the father's last name on his or her French birth certificate. American law grants US citizenship to children born outside the US as long as at least one parent is a US citizen and can prove that he or she was physically present in the US for five years before the age of 18. Anglophone S.A. Permission is granted to make WWW links to this page. All other rights reserved.