Once you give birth to your child, you need to register his/her birth so that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) can include him/her in the current population in the country. This is similar to applying for a Certificate of Live Birth (COLB). For first time parents who don’t know how to register the birth of their children, this blog will tell you the step by step process using different scenarios.
We also share important information about how to apply for a birth certificate in the Philippines. We hope that this blog can help you answer the questions you have in mind and successfully get a certificate of live birth from your municipality.
What is PSA?
PSA, also known as the Philippine Statistics Authority, is the agency responsible for implementing R.A. 1062. According to its website, it plans, prescribes, develops, and enforces policies with regard to the production of official statistics, civil registration services, and general-purpose statistics.
Basically, PSA issues updated birth certificate. After getting the Certificate of Live Birth of your child, the next process is getting a PSA version of the certificate so you can apply for other documents like passports.
Why birth registration is important?
Birth registration is essential as it gives your child an identity. As mentioned above, the PSA records the official statistics in the Philippines. Without birth registration, your child will not be counted as part of the population.
As for your child’s identity, the government will have his/her record. He/she will benefit from it especially when he/she gets government documents such as NBI and passport. This registration is for your kid.
How to register the birth of your child in the Philippines
After giving birth, the next thing you have to process is the birth registration of your child. It’s easy to do this process because almost everyone has experienced going through it—your parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, relatives, and so on. There are a lot of people whom you can ask about this registration in case you have no idea.
But since you are here already, let us give you a step by step guide on how you can register the birth of your child in the Philippines.
Step 1: Coordinate with the hospital or lying-in clinic.
Whether you’ve given birth in a hospital or a lying-in clinic, you have to coordinate with the staff regarding the papers of your baby. They will help you with the papers that you are going to bring to your municipality later on. Usually, hospitals and lying-in clinics will provide everything in the paper according to the information you will give.
For instance, if you’ve given birth in a lying-in clinic, the midwife will ask about your complete name, address, age, and job and as well as your husband’s. They will use the information to come up with a Certificate of Live Birth that you will submit in the municipal hall.
Step 2: Get the Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) encoded by the hospital or lying-in clinic.
Next, you need to get the COLB from the hospital or lying-in clinic. This comes in 3 copies—one for the hospital or clinic, one for the civil registry, and one for you.
Step 3: Go to the municipal hall of the town where you’ve given birth.
This is a very important reminder: you can only register the birth of your child in the town where you gave birth. For example, if you’ve given birth in one hospital in Pasig, you should proceed to the municipal hall of Pasig for the registration.
Step 4: Look for the Civil Registry office.
The next step is to proceed to the Civil Registry office and submit the papers you have. If there’s a line, you have to follow it and wait until your turn.
During this process, your civil status is essential. If you are married to your spouse, there’s no problem in going alone to the Civil Registry’s office to process the registration. You can submit the documents without the presence of your spouse as long as you both signed the COBL.
What’s different is when you and your partner are not married yet and you want the surname of the father to be the surname of your child. During this step, you and your partner need to be present when submitting the COLB because the civil registrar needs to see both of you sign the paper. This serves as the father’s acknowledgment that his child is using his surname. Also, the mother needs to sign an Affidavit allowing the use of the father’s surname.
When going through this process, the civil registrar will ask for your valid ID. Make sure that you and your partner have valid IDs when you go to the municipal hall to register the birth of your child.
As for single mothers, you can register the birth of your child without the father in case you name your child using your maiden name.
Step 5: Pay the fee.
The fees will depend on the timely filing of the COLB. The birth of your child should be registered within 30 days after birth. If you won’t be able to follow this guideline, you will fall under late registration wherein you will have to pay P150 for being late. The cost of registration is about P200. So, if you register your child’s birth after 30 days, you are going to pay P350 in total.
What if I gave birth abroad?
Filipinos who gave birth abroad can apply for their child’s birth certificate in an embassy or consulate. The process is almost the same. First, you have to coordinate with the hospital or clinic where you gave birth so they can give you enough details and papers to bring to the embassy. Once you have those documents, go to the embassy and inquire about the birth registration process.
What’s next?
The COLB already serves as proof that your child is already acknowledged by the state. What you have to do next is to get the PSA version of his/her birth certificate. This is another process that we will explain in a different blog.
We hope this information helps you. Follow this easy guide for a hassle-free transaction with your civil registry.