How to Register the Birth of a Newborn Baby

Parents are obligated to register their babies as soon as possible, after birth.  By law, you should be able to properly register the details of your child’s birth within 30 days from the date of his birth.

Here’s how:

How to register a newborn baby born in a hospital:

1. Be ready with your baby’s name.

The parent or parents should have already decided on the baby’s name weeks before it is born.  Write it on a piece of paper or save it in your phone’s note app so that the nurses and other attending personnel at the hospital would know how to spell your child’s name.

For your child’s sake, avoid giving him or her a complicated name – one that is too long and hard to spell.  You are only increasing the risk of the baby’s name getting misspelled in his or her Certificate of Live Birth and in other transactions as he or she grows up.

2. Prepare the documentary requirements in advance.

Among the documents that the hospital may require from you are:

1. PSA Marriage Certificate of parents (if married)
2. Affidavit of Admission of Paternity filled out and signed by the father (if parents are not married but the father wants the child to use his last name).
3. Private Handwritten Instrument or an official document that is handwritten and signed by the father to prove that he wholeheartedly recognizes the paternity of the child during his lifetime (again, if the parents are not married but the father would like to recognize the child as his and allows the child to use his last name in the birth certificate).
4. Affidavit to Use the Surname of the Father filled out and signed by the father (the blank form will be provided by the hospital).
5. Photocopies of the parents’ valid IDs.
6. SSS, PhilHealth, and health insurance/HMO claim forms.

The affidavits executed by the biological father (in case the child is born illegitimate) shall be permanently attached to the child’s birth certificate.

3. Accomplish the Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) Form.

The details of the birth, such as date and hour of birth, names of attending doctors and nurses, weight and gender of the baby, shall be provided by the attending physician, nurse, or hospital administrator.  When the parents are handed the COLB, these details must already be clearly written on the form.

The parents shall fill out the rest of the form, including:

• Name of the baby.
• Complete names of parents (as they appear on the parents’ PSA marriage certificate and individual PSA birth certificates).
• Parents’ religion, occupation, citizenship, date, and place of marriage (if the parents are married).

Double-check all entries before submitting the form to the hospital administrator.  Any misspelled name or address, or incorrect dates, initials, or any other detail, shall remain as is (incorrect or misspelled) until your child’s birth certificate is submitted to and certified by the PSA.  These mistakes could cause tremendous problems to your child in the future while some might even have to go through court hearings just to rectify the errors.  So take time to review all entries in your child’s birth certificate before submitting them to the hospital.

The hospital should be able to submit the accomplished COLB to the local civil registrar (LCR) within 30 days after the child’s birth date, otherwise, the child’s registration shall be marked late.

4. Secure your copy of your child’s Certificate of Live Birth (COLB).

This should be the same copy received by the LCR and duly submitted by the hospital where you gave birth.  If the hospital has not contacted you regarding this 30 days after you give birth, follow it up with them.

The LCR’s job is to endorse your child’s COLB to the PSA so that your child would have a PSA-certified birth certificate.

5. Get a copy of your child’s PSA Birth Certificate.

The process of endorsing and generating a PSA birth certificate takes about 3 to 6 months to complete.  It would be safe to start checking with the PSA four months after you give birth (assuming the LCR has diligently submitted your child’s COLB on time.).

Your child’s first PSA birth certificate may be obtained at the PSA main office in East Avenue, Quezon City.

We shall also feature the process on how to register a baby’s birth if he or she is born at home.

If you have any questions about birth certificate registration, just drop us a line and we will do our best to find the answers for you.

Source:

www.psa.gov.ph

www.filipiknow.net

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