germany family-law
Paying Kindergarten for the kid of my wife
<p>Currently living in Germany (Baden Württemberg) and married to a German girl having a kid.</p>

<p>Before, my wife was not working, so the country was paying the kindergarten for her kid, but now as married, I am paying for the kindergarten for her kid.</p>

<p>Under German law am I liable for the child's education costs even though I am not the biological father?</p>

<p><strong>tl;dr</strong>: No, according to German law you are not responsible for your step-child - only the (legal) parents are (exceptions apply in special cases).</p>

<hr>

<p>The official childcare rules for Hockenheim: <a href="http://www.hockenheim.de/main/rathaus_politik/recht/KITA-Satzung_v__22_07_2009___nderung_ab_01_09_2011_.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Satzung über die städtischen Kinder
tageseinrichtungen</a>, and the associated fees: <a href="http://www.hockenheim.de/main/bildung_kultur/kitas/satzung_kindertageseinrichtungen_anlage.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Gebühren</a>.</p>

<p>The rules clearly say:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Die Gebühren sind durch die Sorgeberechtigten zu bezahlen.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Translation (mine):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The fees must be paid by the legal guardians.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In your case, unless you adopted your wife's child, your wife and the child's father are the legal guardians, so they must pay.</p>

<hr>

<p>There is one exception: If your wife does not have enough money to pay for her child's needs, and the father does not contribute sufficiently either, your wife <em>may</em> be able to demand money from you, because as her husband you are required to financially support her if she needs money (even if she needs it for her child). However, that is a tricky legal situation and rare in practice. Also, the city of Hockenheim cannot ask you to pay for child care, only your wife can do that.</p>
