My ex and I are currently divorcing in Berlin and share custody of our 5-year-old daughter.
I am British with permanent German residency. My daughter is British and also has permanent residency in Germany.
My ex is British/Irish (Irish passport through family descent).
Recently she pushed quite hard for us to attend a Bürgeramt appointment to formally register our daughter’s primary address at her address (bringing passports, residency cards etc). I paused this for now after legal advice because the divorce settlement is only about 2 months away.
Important context:
- our daughter already has German residency status
- there was previously an unsuccessful attempt to obtain German citizenship for her because neither parent had enough years of registered residence at the time of her birth
- my ex is now suddenly talking about “trying again”
- she is in a serious relationship with someone in Spain, which makes me concerned about possible future relocation
I understand that an Anmeldung itself does not change custody rights.
My question is more practical/real-world:
In German family court situations, how much weight does a child’s registered primary address later carry in:
- relocation disputes,
- “main caregiver” arguments,
- or establishing the child’s centre of life?
Would delaying the Anmeldung until the divorce settlement be seen as reasonable caution, or likely viewed negatively?
Interested particularly in German legal/practical experience rather than general opinions.