Anniversaries

The Federal President congratulates both Germans and foreigners living in Germany on reaching their centenary as well as on their 105th and all following birthdays. He congratulates couples on their 65th, 70th and 75th wedding anniversaries.

To be able to offer his congratulations, the Federal President has to rely on the local authorities to forward information on upcoming birthdays and wedding anniversaries to the Office of the Federal President. Usually the Federal President's congratulations are delivered by the local mayor.

Honorary godparenthood

At the parents' request, the Federal President may act as godfather to a family's seventh or any subsequent child but only to one child in the family. To submit such a request, the family must have at least seven living children, including adopted children, who share one or both parents. The godchild must be German as defined by Article 116(1) of the Basic Law.

The institution of honorary godparent is primarily symbolic and not to be compared with the godparenthood assumed at a child's christening. In becoming a child's godparent, the Federal President is highlighting the state's special responsibility for the welfare of large families as well as the importance of the family and children to the community as a whole. The intention is also to focus attention on the problems of large families - finding suitable accommodation, for instance - and encourage cities and local communities to offer help and support. Another purpose is to raise the social status of families with a large number of children.

Parental requests for the Federal President to become a child's godfather must be submitted to the Office of the Federal President via the local authority. If the requirements for honorary godparenthood are met, the Federal President issues a certificate of acceptance which is presented to the parents along with a gift (currently Euro 500) by a representative of the local authority.

Since 1949 the Federal Presidents have become godfather to some 81.699 children (last update: 31.12.2020).

Foundations

Many people are prompted by a sense of civic responsibility to take on tasks they believe the state does not or cannot perform or cannot perform satisfactorily. Establishing a foundation is one way for people to assume such responsibility in the service of a common cause.

By tradition the Federal President promotes the work of a large number of foundations in Germany by becoming their patron, meeting people working on their behalf or supporting specific foundation projects. He encourages representatives of such foundations to brief him personally on the work done by their organizations.

People prompted to set up foundations are people who want to get things moving. Such civic commitment is no substitute for action by the state and nor should it be. It does, however, in important ways complement such action, since both for financial reasons and by its very nature there are limits to what the state can do.

There exist in Germany both private and public foundations as well as foundations that have close links with the political parties.