Legal assistance for parents of minor children

Questioner

Hello... I have a question, my girlfriend is pregnant, she is not yet 18 and she still lives at home and so do I, and if I have my own house, what are the options, can she come and live with me once I have my own house or not? Regards, anonymous

Lawyer

A minor is subject to parental authority, which means that in any case, parental permission is required. Do you want your girlfriend and your child to come and live with you? The problem in this case is that your girlfriend is a minor, which means that in principle she cannot exercise parental authority over the child. If she does want parental authority over the child, this can be achieved in two ways: by declaring her majority (only possible if the mother has reached the age of 16) or by getting married (you must both have reached the age of 16 and your girlfriend must be able to provide a doctor's statement that she is pregnant or the child must already have been born. In addition, parental permission is in principle required. This permission can possibly be replaced by permission from the court.) Through marriage, you both become adults. The advantage of marriage is that you both become the legal parents of the child by operation of law if you are married at the time of the child's birth. In addition, you automatically receive joint parental authority. This authority is necessary to have control over the child, for example to determine the place of residence. If you do not marry, this is how it works. Your girlfriend will become the legal mother of the child by operation of law, regardless of her age. You can acknowledge the child when you have reached the age of 16. By acknowledging this, you will also become the legal father of the child. If the mother has declared herself of age, she will automatically be charged with parental authority. If you want to obtain parental authority over the child together, you must submit a joint request to have this recorded in the parental authority register. As you can see there are many different possibilities. If you have any further questions I would be happy to hear from you.