How to Report a Late Registration of Birth

A child’s birth must be registered at the Local Civil Registry office of the city or municipality where the child was born. This must be done no later than 30 days from the day the child was born; otherwise, the registration is deemed late or delayed.

Unless a person’s birth is properly registered, he or she will not be able to obtain a PSA birth certificate. A PSA birth certificate is a primary requirement in a lot of personal transactions such as applying for a passport for the first time, enrolling in school, filing insurance claims and inheritances, and some bank transactions.

You may file a delayed registration of your birth certificate at the LCR of the city or municipality where you were born. Here are the requirements and processes involved, as lifted from the website of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA):

Requirements when filing Delayed Registration of Birth:

• If the person is a minor (less than 18 years old), please submit the following:
1. Four copies of the Certificate of Live Birth duly accomplished and signed by the parties involved
2. Duly accomplished Affidavit of Delayed Registration found at the back of the Certificate of Live Birth. This must be done by the father, mother, or guardian. The details needed are:
1. Name of the child
2. Date and place of birth
3. Name of the father (if the child is illegitimate and father wants to acknowledge the child)
4. Date and place of marriage of parents (if parents are married)
5. Reason for not registering the child’s birth within 30 days after the child’s birth
• If the person is 18 years old or older:
1. All the requirements mentioned for a minor birth certificate owner and
2. Certificate of Marriage (if the person is already married).

Where to file the late registration of birth?

The late registration must be filed at the Office of the Civil Registrar of the place where the person was born.

What are the processes involved?

The application for delayed registration of birth shall be examined by the Civil Registrar, including the Certificate of Live Birth and other submitted documentary requirements.

Posting of Pending Application

1. The pending application for delayed registration shall be posted on the bulletin boards of the city or municipality where the birth occurred, as notice to the public.
2. The notice shall be posted for 10 days. If after 10 days and the office of the LCR does not receive any disagreement on the registration, the LCR shall proceed with the evaluation of the documents submitted.
3. If all goes well during the evaluation and verification, the LCR shall register the vital event (birth, marriage, or death).

A vital event that is registered late shall be marked with red ink in the civil registry book. Likewise, the registry number on the certificate shall also be printed in red ink. The remarks, “Delayed Registration” shall appear on the upper right-hand margin of the birth certificate and “Remarks” portion of the registry book.

You may inquire directly at the LCR office for the fees involved when filing a delayed registration of birth. When discussing fees, always make sure you are transacting with an employee or staff of the LCR office or the city hall and never with a fixer.

For more information on delayed registration of vital events, you may visit the website of the PSA.