Late registration of birth certificate: 4 steps you need to follow

Haven't registered your child's birth yet? Parents, here's what you need to know about late registration of birth certificate in the Philippines.

Late registration of birth certificate in the Philippines

A birth certificate is one, if not the most important document you'll ever need in your life. It helps you establish and authenticate your identity and nationality here in the Philippines and in any other place. You'll need it to enroll in school, apply for a passport and even get married.

Sadly, due to different instances, many Filipinos lack this essential document. People can say their age and birthday all they want. But some legal institutions just won't take their word for it. They need proof or else it will be like they never existed. 

Why do you need a birth certificate?

A birth certificate is one of the essential documents one must-have. Based on the record of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2019, more than 5 million Filipinos remain unregistered with 40% of them being children aged 0 to 14 years old.

The lack or absence of this important document leads to a social stigma among a lot of Filipinos. Since they are denied government-issued IDs and privileges. They are unable to apply for better jobs and go further in life.

Ironically, the procedures for registering a birth or applying for a birth certificate are easy, free, and open to every Filipino. Moreover, the birth certificate can be filed and registered for free at the local civil registrar. Which is commonly located at the municipal hall or in the city.

However, it must be done within 30 days after the birth of the child. After the 30-day time frame has expired, the child's birth certificate must be filed under late registration which has a more complicated process.

In addition, registering the birth of a baby is the responsibility of the attending physician of the hospital you are admitted to or the midwife if you gave birth at your home.

Late registration is a common problem among people from provinces where a lot of women give birth the traditional way (through a midwife/hilot).

Late registration of birth certificate - who are qualified to apply?

Without a doubt, Philippine-born applicants and Filipinos born abroad can still file for the late registration of their own or their child's birth certificates.

Furthermore, the Filipino parent of a Filipino born abroad should register the birth of their child within 100 days after their birth in the Philippine Embassy.

On the other hand, if it exceeds that deadline, it might be considered as late registration and no record would go to the Civil Registrar's Office in Manila. This makes it difficult for the baby or person to apply for a Philippine passport in the future.

Requirements for delayed or late registration of birth certificate in the Philippines

First and foremost, before going to the local registrar's office or DFA office (for applicants born abroad), you must ensure and complete all the requirements needed for the filing of your case to smoothen the process and consume less time.

late registration of birth certificate requirements

If the person registering is a minor or under the age of eighteen (18), the following requirements must be produced:

• Negative Results Certification or NRC issued by the PSA
• Four (4) copies of the Certificate of Live Birth with the signature of the proper parties such as your physician or midwife.
• Affidavit of Delayed Registration accomplished at the back of Certificate of Live Birth by the mother, father, or guardian declaring the following:
  • name of child
  • date and place of birth
  • name of the father if the child is illegitimate but is acknowledged by him
  • date and place of marriage of parents (if legitimate)
  • reason of late registration (30 days after the date of birth)
• Two valid documents that show the child’s name, date, and place of birth, name of the mother and father (if the child is acknowledged) such as:
  •         Baptismal certificate
  •         Medical records, immunization cards, and early childhood care, or anything related
  •         School records  such as nursery, kindergarten, or preparatory education
  •         Income tax return of parent/s
  •         Insurance policy
  •         Barangay captain  certification
  •         SSS/GSIS
  •         Voter’s affidavit
• Affidavit of two disinterested persons who might have witnessed or known the birth of the child.  These “two disinterested persons” can be a family friend or neighbor that won’t benefit anything by revealing the information.

late registration of birth certificate requirements

If the person registering is an adult or above the age of eighteen (18), the following requirements must be produced:

• All requirements mentioned above on the requirements of minors or below 18.
• Marriage Certificate

• If the person is born abroad

A Filipino born abroad with one or two parents should be recorded at the Philippine Embassy or any consulate with the jurisdiction of the place of birth within 12 months after birth.

If it happens that they are not able to do so, they can present a notarized Affidavit of Delayed Registration of Birth when applying for late registration of birth and requesting a copy of their birth certificate at the main branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). 

Importantly, they need to present or submit the following requirements when applying:

• Five (5) copies of the Report of Birth Form (FA Form No. 40) printed in A4 paper and filled out with answers either typewritten or printed legibly. A reminder that item 20 should be notarized by a notary public.
• Foreign birth certificate (translated to English and authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of birth)
• Applicant’s first passport or travel document
• Biodata and used visa pages photocopied

In case of unavailability, present an Affidavit of Non-submission of Document with a recent and valid passport or ID.

Note that, after you have submitted these needed requirements, they will still be evaluated. This will help to determine if you’re qualified for a Philippine birth certificate or if you still need to provide additional requirements as proof.

Whether you live inside the Philippines or live abroad, you will still be needing to present clear documentation of your identity and your date of birth. This allows you to apply for a birth certificate and can enjoy the same privilege as Filipinos. 

requirements for late registration of birth certificate

For applicants with married parents, submit an authenticated marriage certificate of parents issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) or a Foreign Marriage Contract.

For applicants with unmarried parents, kindly submit the following:

• If the applicant is using the father’s surname, submit an Affidavit to Use the Surname of the Father (AUSF) executed by the mother and an Affidavit of Acknowledgement of Paternity executed by the father.

• If the applicant is using the mother’s surname, submit the mother’s Birth Certificate and a notarized Affidavit of Illegitimacy.
• A previous passport of both parents of the applicant (valid during the birth of the applicant) or a current passport.
• Biodata and used visa pages photocopied

In case of unavailability, present an Affidavit of Non-submission of Document with a recent and valid passport or ID. Such as a copy of your visa, green card, or permanent resident card, etc.

• Other documents you are required to bring and submit are:
  •         Five (5) recent photos of the applicant (passport size)
  •         DFA-authenticated Birth Certificate of both parents of the applicant issued by PSA
  •         Affidavit of Delayed Registration for applicant whose above one (1) year old and a notarized Affidavit of Two (2) Disinterested Persons
  •         Negative Results Certification (NRC) of Birth Record from the PSA (CRS Form No. 1).

Fees for late registration of birth certificate depend on the local Civil Registry from which country you're in.

READ MORE:

Applying a birth certificate for your newborn, paano nga ba?

Step-by-step guide to getting a PSA birth certificate

Paano makuha ang SSS Maternity Reimbursement?

4 steps you need to follow for late registration of your birth certificate in the Philippines

1. Visit your local civil registry.

Go to your local civil registrar who has jurisdiction over the place of birth and request for a copy of the birth record or confirm that there isn't any existing record of the applicant.

There are times that you can retrieve your records from the local civil registry as it means that they have not forwarded your files yet to the PSA. If this happens, you just need to file a request to forward your document to the PSA office.

2. Verify with the PSA office.

Even so, if no document is retrieved from the local registry, visit and verify to the PSA near you if you really don’t have any existing birth records.

Once it has been confirmed, they will issue a Negative Intent or Negative Results Certification (NRC) to you o attest that they found nothing about your data on their database.

After confirming to both the local civil registrar and PSA office that your record is not existing, you can now apply for the late registration of your birth certificate.

3. Prepare the necessary documents.

Refer to the list above all the requirements needed in applying for a delayed or late registration of birth certificate in the Philippines.

4. Submit the required documents and wait for your application to be validated.

For Philippine-born applicants, you can proceed to your local civil registrar with jurisdiction over the place of your birth. Submit all the documents required there.

The processing period takes at least five days and you can get your birth certificate upon returning to the local civil registrar.  The fee depends and varies on the local civil registrars.

Filipino-born abroad applicants may proceed to the main office of DFA located at Bradco Avenue corner Macapagal Avenue, ASEANA Business Park, Parañaque City.

No online appointment is required and it is processed via walk-in applications. The birth certificate will be issued within 2 to 4 months. The fee is USD 25 for the Consular fee and if applicable, USD 25 for the Translation fee.

How will the process go for late registration of birth certificate?

According to PSAHelpline, there are still processes involved in a delayed registration of your birth certificate. After providing all the needed requirements, the Civil Registrar will review the application for delayed or late registration.

Including the Certificate of Live birth and other submitted documentary requirements. Here are some of the processes involved in the late registration of birth certificates.

Posting of Pending Application:

1. As a public notice, the pending application for delayed registration shall be posted on the bulletin boards of the city or municipality where the birth occurred.
2. The notice must be posted for ten days. If no disagreement on the registration is received within 10 days, the LCR (Local Civil Registry)  shall proceed with the evaluation of the documents submitted.
3. If everything goes well during the evaluation and verification, the LCR will record the critical or any vital event such as birth, marriage, or death.
4. Once evaluation and verification are done, the civil registrar any records or recommendations from the conducted evaluation to the Office of the Civil Registrar-General for appropriate action.
5. Lastly, the Civil Registrar-General may, after review and proper evaluation, deny or authorize the registration.

Recording of Delayed Registration

The entry in the civil registry book and the registry number transcribed on the certificate of the vital event shall be in red ink in all cases of delayed registration of birth, death, marriage, and other registrable documents.

"Delayed Registration" remarks must appear on the upper right-hand margin of the birth certificate and in the "Remarks" section of the registry book. 

In addition, coordinate and inquire directly with the LCR (Local Civil Registry) staff about any fees involved in filing for late registration. 

How to file late registration of birth certificate online?

late registration of birth certificate in the Philippines

Furthermore, not only you can file directly to the office of LCR for late registration of the birth certificate. You can also have a hassle-free and easy transaction in filing it.

On the other hand, you can apply online for delayed registration. Where it’s the most convenient way of requesting it. Here’s the in-depth step or guide  on how you can apply for it through an online application:

1. First, type in ‘Online Application for Late Registration of Birth Certificate to any search engines on your mobile phones or simply search for https://www.psahelpline.ph.  
2. You will see ‘PSA Online Application – Birth/CENOMAR/Marriage/Death’. Clicked the online application and you will be directed to PSA’s website.
3. Once you’re on the page, scroll down to see ‘Available Certificates’ and there are a lot of certification types you can request online.
4. Click on ‘Birth Certificate’ or the button for ‘Order Now’.
5. And you will be given an option whether you’re requesting your own birth certificate or for someone else. Click the one you want to process and press ‘Continue’.

6. Furthermore, after clicking ‘Continue’, you will be routed to a page where it will provide you with the needed documents you need to comply, such as:

   1. Your name, sex, birthday, and valid government-issued ID
   2. Name
   3. Your father’s and mother’s name
   4. Birthplace
   5. Late registration
   6. The purpose of your request
   7. Legal proceedings (if applicable)
   8. Your delivery address and contact information
7. Click ‘Continue’ for the next page. 
8. At this time, a page will come up on where you will need to fill up all the information and just hit ‘Continue’ once done, so you will be routed to the next.
9. After filling up all the necessary information, just click the ‘Submit’ button. Various payment options are made available also for your convenience. You can pay through Gcash, Paymaya apps, or your Credit card.
10. PSA will be coordinating with you via email and SMS about the order you made. Make sure that you will be putting all the accurate information to avoid delays. 

Additional information from Jasmin Polmo