Birth certificate

A Soviet birth certificate from 1972.

The documentation of births is a practice widely held throughout human civilization, especially in China, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia. The original purpose of vital statistics was for tax purposes and for the determination of available military manpower. In England, births were initially registered with churches, who maintained registers of births. This practice continued into the 19th century.[1] The compulsory registration of births with the United Kingdom government is a practice that originated at least as far back as 1853.[2] The entire United States did not get a standardized system until 1902.[3]

Most countries have statutes and laws that regulate the registration of births. In all countries, it is the responsibility of the mother's physician, midwife, hospital administrator, or the parent(s) of the child to see that the birth is properly registered with the appropriate government agency.

The actual record of birth is stored with a government agency. That agency will issue certified copies or representations of the original birth record upon request, which can be used to apply for government benefits, such as passports. The certification is signed and/or sealed by the registrar or other custodian of birth records, who is commissioned by the government.

The right of every child to a name and nationality, and the responsibility of national governments to achieve this are contained in Articles 7 and 8 in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: "The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality..." (CRC Article 7) and "States Parties undertake to respect the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations..." (CRC Article 8).[4]

...it's a small paper but it actually establishes who you are and gives access to the rights and the privileges, and the obligations, of citizenship.

— Archbishop Desmond Tutu, February 2005[5]

Despite 191 countries ratifying the Convention, the births of millions of children worldwide go unregistered. By their very nature, data concerning unregistered children are approximate. About 29% of countries don't have available or sufficient data to assess global progress towards the SDG goal of universal coverage.[6] However, from the data that is available, UNICEF estimates that more than a quarter of children under 5 worldwide are unregistered.[7] The lowest levels of birth registration are found in sub-Saharan Africa (43 percent). This phenomenon disproportionately impacts poor households and indigenous populations. Even in many developed countries, it contributes to difficulties in fully accessing civic rights.[8]

Birth registration opens the door to rights to children and adults which many other human beings take for granted: to prove their age; to prove their nationality; to receive healthcare; to go to school; to take exams; to be adopted; to protection from under-age military service or conscription; to marry; to open a bank account; to hold a driving licence; to obtain a passport; to inherit money or property; and to vote or stand for elected office.[9]

There are many reasons why births go unregistered, including social and cultural beliefs and attitudes; alternative documents and naming ceremonies; remote areas, poor infrastructure; economic barriers; lack of office staff, equipment and training; legal and political restrictions; fear of discrimination and persecution; war, conflict and unrest or simply the fact that there is no system in place.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

Retrospective registration may be necessary where there is a backlog of children whose births have gone unregistered. In Senegal, the government is facilitating retrospective registration through free local court hearings and the number of unregistered children has fallen considerably as a result. In Sierra Leone, the government gave the National Office of Births and Deaths special permission to issue birth certificates to children over seven. In Bolivia, there was a successful three-year amnesty for the free registration of young people aged between 12 and 18.[15]

Statelessness, or the lack of effective nationality, impacts the daily lives of some 11–12 million people around the world. Perhaps those who suffer most are stateless infants, children, and youth. Although born and raised in their parents' country of habitual residence, they lack formal recognition of their existence.[16]

An Australian Capital Territory birth certificate.

States and territories of Australia are responsible for the issuance of birth certificates, through agencies generally titled "Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages" or similar.[17]

Initially registering a birth is done by a hospital through a "Birth Registration Statement" or similar, signed by appropriately licensed and authorized health professionals, and provided to the state or territory registry. Home births are permitted, but a statement is required from a registered midwife, doctor or 2 other witnesses other than the parent(s). Unplanned births require in some states that the baby be taken to a hospital within 24 hours.[18] Once registered, a separate application (sometimes it can be done along with the Birth Registration Statement) can be made for a birth certificate, generally at a cost. The person(s) named or the parent(s) can apply for a certificate at any time.[19] Generally, there is no restriction on re-applying for a certificate at a later date, so it could be possible to legally hold multiple original copies.

The Federal government requires that births be also registered through a "Proof of Birth Declaration" similarly signed as above by a doctor or midwife. This ensures the appropriate benefits can be paid, and the child is enrolled for Medicare.[20]

The state or territory issued birth certificate is a secure A4 paper document, generally listing: Full name at birth, sex at birth, parent(s) and occupation(s), older sibling(s), address(es), date and place of birth, name of the registrar, date of registration, date of issue of certificate, a registration number, with the signature of the registrar and seal of the registry printed and or embossed. Most states allow for stillbirths to be issued a birth certificate. Some states issue early pregnancy loss certificates (without legal significance if before 20 weeks).[21] Depending on the state or territory, amendment on the certificate are allowed to correct an entry, add ascendant, recognize same-sex relationship,[22] changing the sex of the holder is also permitted in some state or territory.[23]

The full birth certificate in Australia is an officially recognized identity document generally in the highest category.[24] The birth certificate assists in establishing citizenship. Shorter and/or commemorative birth certificates are available; however, they are not generally acceptable for identification purposes.[25]

Birth certificates in Australia can be verified online by approved agencies through the Attorney-General's Department Document Verification Service[26] and can be used to validate identity digitally, e.g. online.

A specimen Ontario short-form birth certificate.

In Canada, the issuance of birth certificates is a function of the provinces and territories. In 2008, provinces and territories started rolling out new polymer certificates to new applicants.[27][28]

Canadian birth certificates may be obtained from the following:

• Alberta – A registry agent authorised by the Province
• British Columbia – British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency
• Manitoba – Manitoba Vital Statistics Agency
• New Brunswick – Service New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador – Service NL
• Northwest Territories – Health Services Administration Office
• Nova Scotia – Access Nova Scotia
• Nunavut – Registrar-General of Vital Statistics
• Ontario – ServiceOntario
• Prince Edward Island – Vital Statistics Registry
• Quebec – Director of Civil Status (Directeur de l'etat civil)
• Saskatchewan – eHealth Saskatchewan
• Yukon – Vital Statistics, Government of Yukon

A specimen Chinese medical certificate of birth..

The People's Republic of China issued its first medical birth certificate on 1 January 1996. Persons born prior to that date can obtain a birth certificate from a Chinese notary public by way of presenting their hukou and other supporting documents. The notary then proceeds to issue a notarial birth certificate based on the information contained in the said documentation. This notarial birth certificate is acceptable for immigration purposes.[32]

The fifth-generation medical birth certificate was adopted nationwide on 1 January 2014.[33] Still, China is amongst those countries with no globally comparable data, presenting challenges to researchers who wish to assess global and regional progress towards universal birth registration.[6]

The Czech Republic maintains a registry of vital records, including births, of people, regardless of nationality, or birthplace. Every citizen of the Czech Republic will need to register their birth if born abroad, effectively granting a foreign born person two birth certificates. The Czech Republic will also register foreigners in some cases. The office that registers births is colloquially called 'matrika'.

Civil records in France have been compulsory since the 1539 ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, in which the King Francis I ordered the parishes to record baptisms, marriages and sepultures. Then in 1667 the parishes were asked to issue two registers in two different places in order to avoid the loss of data. Jews and Protestants were allowed to have their own records by Louis XVI in 1787. In 1792, the registers were fully secularized (birth, civil marriage and death replaced baptism, religious marriage and sepulture, plus an official kept the records instead of a priest), and the Code civil did create the compulsory birth certificate in 1804 (in its articles 34, 38, 39 et 57).[34] This document should be completed at one's marriage since 1897, at one's divorce since 1939, at one's death since 1945 and at one's civil union since 2006. A note is added on the certificate for all these events.

In Hong Kong, the system is similar to England and Wales, wherein the government keeps a birth register book, and the birth certificate is actually a certified copy of the birth register book entry[35] .

Currently, the Immigration Department is the official birth registrar. All parents need to register their children's birth within 42 days.[36] Birth certificates issued between 1 July 1997 and 27 April 2008 recorded whether or not the child's Hong Kong permanent resident status was established at birth. Birth certificates issued after the latter date record which provision of the Immigration Ordinance the said status has been established under.[37]

Traditionally births were poorly recorded in India.[38]

For official purposes, other proofs are accepted in India in lieu of the birth certificate, such as matriculation certificates.[39] Facilities are available to produce a birth certificate from a passport.[40]

By law since 1969, registration of births is compulsory as per provisions of Registration of Births & Deaths Act.[41] Birth certificates are issued by the Government of India or the municipality concerned. Specific rules vary by state, region and municipality.

In Delhi, for example, births must be registered within 21 days by the hospital or institution, or by a family member if the birth has taken place at home. After registration, a birth certificate can be obtained by applying to the relevant authority. Certificates can also be issued under special provisions to adopted children, and undocumented orphans. Overseas births can also be registered.[41]

Some municipalities, such as the Greater Chennai Corporation allow for fully digital birth certificates to be applied for, printed, and verified online.[42]

An Indonesian birth certificate.

In Indonesia, local civil registries are responsible for issuing birth certificates (akta kelahiran).

The current legislation governing the registration of births within Indonesia is the 2006 Act 23 on the Administration of Civil Status (UU No. 23 Tahun 2006 tentang Administrasi Kependudukan), as amended by 2013 Act 24 on Amendments to 2006 Act 23.[43][44][45]

The following Staatsbladen (state gazettes), enacted by the Dutch colonial government, were supplanted by the Act:

• 1849 Staatsblad 25 for persons of European descent
• 1917 Staatsblad 130 for persons of Chinese descent
• 1920 Staatsblad 751 for persons of Indigenous descent
• 1923 Staatsblad 75 for persons of Indigenous descent professing the Christian faith

Prior to 1986, persons not born in any of the above groups had to be registered through court order. This changed by a 1986 decree of the Minister of Home Affairs, resulting in a jolt in the number of births being registered. In 1989, a subsequent decree was effected by the Minister, allowing those born between 1986 and 1989 to have their births registered.[45]

There are several types of birth certificates issued to Indonesian-born individuals, per the Denpasar Civil Registry:[46]

• General Birth Certificate (Akta Kelahiran Umum)
• Delayed Birth Certificate (Akta Kelahiran Terlambat)
• Birth Certificate for a Child Born to a Single Mother (Akta Kelahiran Anak Seorang Ibu)

Pursuant to the Act's domicile principle, a birth certificate is issued by the Civil Registry of the parents' home prefecture or city, as determined from their Indonesian identity card. This is not always the same place as the actual prefecture or city of birth of the child.

There is no such thing as a certified copy of the original birth registration form; all Indonesian birth certificates are abstracts in nature and list an individual's nationality, name, place and date of birth, birth order, parents' names and marital status only.

In 2019, Indonesian local civil registries began to issue birth certificates with QR codes in lieu of the traditional authenticating signature and stamp. Widodo, director of civil registry services for the Bengkulu Civil Registry, is quoted as saying that "this is by decree of the Minister of Home Affairs, and will help simplify things for the general public as they will no longer be required to go through the hassle of getting [birth certificates] legalised." [47][48]

In Japan, the household registration document (jp: 戸籍, koseki) is generally used in lieu of a birth certificate.

Since a koseki acts as proof of Japanese citizenship, only Japanese citizens may be registered on one. Non-Japanese citizens born in Japan can obtain a Certificate of Matters Stated In a Written Notification (jp: 出生届記載事項証明書, shussei todoke kisai jiko shomeisho). A Certificate of Matters Stated In a Written Notification may be obtained from the city/ward/town office the birth was reported to, and is the equivalent of a birth certificate.

This is to be distinguished from a Certificate of Acceptance of Birth Notification (jp: 出生届受理証明書, shussei todoke juri shomeisho), which, according to the Australian Embassy at Tokyo, only constitutes a receipt proving that a birth registration has been lodged with a city/ward/town office.[49][50]

In Malaysia, the National Registration Department (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara) is responsible for the registration of births, and for issuing birth certificates (sijil kelahiran).

In 2011, the Department started colour-coding birth certificates. Henceforth, citizens at birth would receive a pale-green birth certificate, while those who do not acquire Malaysian citizenship at birth would be given a red birth certificate. Then-director Datin Jariah Mohd Said was reported as saying that "it [would] address the wrong impression among foreign parents that their children automatically become Malaysians by virtue of them having the pale green certificate." [51]

A New Zealand birth certificate.

The Department of Internal Affairs is responsible for issuing birth certificates in New Zealand.[52][53] Certain historical records including historical birth certificates are available online in a searchable format on the Birth, Death and Marriage Historical Records website. The available records are for births recorded at least one hundred years ago.

Citizenship information is recorded on New Zealand birth certificates for births after 2005, as this was when the country formally ended its practice of jus soli.[54]

A Russian birth certificate.

Russian birth certificates were previously issued in a booklet format, similar to that of internal passports; today, they are issued on numbered and watermarked A4 security paper. They are typically issued in the Russian language only; however, if a birth is recorded in one of the Russian republics with federal subject status, the resulting birth certificate may be bilingual (Russian and the official language of the said republic).[55][56][57]

Sweden no longer issues birth certificates. Instead, the Swedish Tax Agency will issue a Personbevis (Extract from the Population Register) for individuals born in Sweden. This takes the place of both birth and marriage certificates for international purposes. The Extract contains, inter alia, place and date of birth, parental information, marriage status, and current registered address.[58]

A California long-form birth certificate.

In the U.S., the issuance of birth certificates is a function of the Vital Records Office of the states, capital district, territories[72] and former territories.[73] Birth in the U.S. establishes automatic eligibility for American citizenship, so a birth certificate from a local authority is commonly provided to the federal government to obtain a U.S. passport.[74][75] However, the U.S. State Department does issue a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for children born to U.S. citizens (who are also eligible for citizenship), including births on military bases in foreign territory.[76]

The federal and state governments have traditionally cooperated to some extent to improve vital statistics. From 1900 to 1946 the U.S. Census Bureau designed standard birth certificates, collected vital statistics on a national basis, and generally sought to improve the accuracy of vital statistics. In 1946 that responsibility was passed to the U.S. Public Health Service. Unlike the British system of recording all births in "registers", the states file an individual document for each and every birth.[77]

The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics creates standard forms that are recommended for use by the individual states to document births. However, states are free to create their own forms.[78] As a result, neither the appearance nor the information content of birth certificate forms is uniform across states. These forms are completed by the attendant at birth or a hospital administrator, which are then forwarded to a local or state registrar, who stores the record and issues certified copies upon request.[1]

• Birth registration in ancient Rome
• Birth registration campaign in Liberia
• Closed adoption
• Death certificate
• Identity card
• Marriage certificate
• Marriage license
• Passport
• Vital record