Remember: Birth registration matters
THE United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right, from birth, to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.
As of January 2007, the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has been offering Civil Bedside Registration (CBR) for babies born in hospitals. The CBR process is facilitated by RGD registration officers who are stationed at various hospitals. They register the births of newborns within hours of their birth. Parents are encouraged to name the child at the time of registration and by so doing they are guaranteed a free first copy of the birth certificate.
A child’s birth certificate has areas that include information about the mother as well as the father. If the parents are not married at the time of birth, the father is required to be present at the time of registration for his particulars to be added to the birth certificate. If the father’s particulars are not added at the time of registration, the parents will need to apply for an addition of the father’s particulars, also known as a ‘Status’. For instances in which the parents get married after the birth, the father’s particulars can be added by applying for a re-registration, which will also change the mother’s surname on the child’s birth certificate.
All parents are encouraged to register their children within a year of birth. After a year has passed, a late registration application will need to be completed to obtain a birth certificate.
