In our grandparents’ time, people often waited a long time before registering their children. In some cases, they would even wait for the next child to be born and do it all at once—if they registered at all! This was because of the distance and difficulty they faced in getting their children registered. But how does it work today? How do you get a birth certificate for your children?
Seeking to change the situation of many children and citizens across Brazil, who in the eyes of the State simply did not exist because they were not included in any records, the UN in 1959 created the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which states that every child should have a name from birth. When this became law, it made life much easier for Brazilians when registering their children and fulfilling their responsibility as citizens. Getting a birth certificate is simple and currently easily accessible. Parents should go to a civil registry office within their jurisdiction—in other words, the one closest to their home or the hospital where the baby was born. You can find out which registry office is closest at the maternity hospital itself, which will give you the address, or from a registry office representative on duty in the hospital. Some maternity hospitals already offer this convenience to make parents’ lives easier, allowing them to leave with their child’s first document in hand without this concern.
What Documents Do I Need to Get a Birth Certificate? Can the Mother Also Request It?
If the registry office is on duty at the maternity hospital to issue birth certificates to babies, the hospital itself will inform you and provide the necessary documents for the process. The registry’s employee will visit the parents, or just the mother, in the hospital room to record the name to be registered and collect the required information.
For parents who are not married, the father can go to the registry office with his own ID and the mother’s ID, as well as the DNV. If the father cannot attend, the mother can bring a declaration of paternity recognition signed by the father with notarized signature, or a specific power of attorney so that a third party can register the child. Until 1997, both parents were required to go to the registry office if they were not legally married, but that law has since changed.
In the case of a single mother, she must go to the registry office with her ID and the DNV. If she does not have the declaration of paternity recognition from the father, the registry office will instruct her to provide the alleged father’s full name in order to bring the matter to court. If the mother chooses not to identify the father, only her name will appear on the baby’s registration, leaving the father’s space blank. If in the future she wishes to indicate the father, this can be done by personal choice or by judicial determination through a DNA test, in which case the registration will be redone with the father’s name included.
In the case of underage parents, they must go to the registry office accompanied by an adult guardian. For mothers who give birth at home, they must go to the registry office accompanied by two witnesses, one of whom should be the midwife if present. If necessary, the law allows for an official to visit the home to confirm the baby’s birth. If neither parent can go to obtain the baby’s birth certificate, a specific power of attorney stating the names of both parents and proof that they are unable to fulfill this duty is required. The registration can only be completed with these documents by someone over 18 years old.
The law states that parents have a period of up to 15 days to get the birth certificate or up to three months if the registry office is more than 30 kilometers from their home. If the mother is single and solely responsible for the registration, she may have up to 45 business days, respecting her recovery period.
See also: Surrogate Motherhood to Fulfill a Dream
Photo: fabian.kron
