Government

Legal documents for your baby

When your baby is born, you have to fill out many documents to make your child’s entry into the world official. Thankfully, hospitals and birthing homes will give you the essential papers!

Declaration of Birth

The Civil Code of Québec requires the birth of any child born in Québec to be declared to the Directeur de l'état civil. You must declare your newborn's birth within 30 days of the delivery using the Declaration of Birth form.

Under the law and unless otherwise indicated, the term parents includes couples of the same or opposite sex, reflecting changes introduced by the Act instituting civil unions and establishing new rules of filiation.

Make sure that your child's Declaration of Birth is forwarded to the Directeur de l'état civil on time. If it is received more than thirty days after your child's date of birth, you may have to pay a $50 fine. After one year, the fine is $100.

Steps involved in declaring a birth

1. Attestation of birth

  • The person assisting in the birth (accoucheur) completes the Attestation of Birth form;
  • He/she gives you a copy with the Declaration of Birth form;
  • The hospital staff forwards the Attestation of Birth to the Directeur de l'état civil.

2. Declaration of birth

If you are married or in a civil union with one another:

  • If you are the child's biological mother or other parent, you can complete and sign the Declaration of Birth form alone.
  • A witness (person of full age other than the parents or accoucheur) must sign the Declaration of Birth.
  • It is preferable to give the completed and signed Declaration of Birth to the hospital staff, who will forward it with the Attestation of Birth to the Directeur de l'état civil.

If you are not married or in a civil union with one another:

  • Both the child's biological mother and other parent must complete and sign the Declaration of Birth form.
  • A witness (person of full age other than the parents or accoucheur) must sign the Declaration of Birth.
  • It is preferable to give the completed and signed Declaration of Birth to the hospital staff, who will forward it with the Attestation of Birth to the Directeur de l'état civil.

3. Confirmation of your child's registration in Québec's register of civil status

The Directeur de l'état civil sends the parents a letter confirming that their child's birth has been registered in Québec's register of civil status.

Check to make sure the information appearing on this notice corresponds to the Declaration of Birth and immediately inform the Directeur de l'état civil of any error.

You must wait to receive this letter before ordering a birth certificate or any other civil status document in your child's name.

4. Official documents

The Declaration of Birth is mandatory if you want to obtain a passport, a visa or have your child baptised. If you want a Birth Certificate or a copy of the Act of Birth, you must fill out a Request for a certificate or the copy of an Act.

The larger size Birth Certificate holds information like: age, sex, date and time of birth, place of birth, inscription number, issue date as well as the mother’s and father’s names. This document is required when registering your child to school, daycare or any other governmental plan, to get a social insurance number or a driver’s licence, etc… It is also required by Passport Canada when getting a passport for a minor ($15 per certificate).

The concise Birth Certificate holds the same information as the larger one except for the parents’ names. The concise Certificate is not accepted when registering your child to school, daycare or any other governmental plan, to get a social insurance number or a driver’s licence, etc…  It is not accepted by Passport Canada when getting a passport for a minor ($15 per certificate).

The Act of Birth copy holds exactly the same content as the original Act. An Act of Birth copy is necessary for Canadian Citizenship applications, work visas and travelling visas. Embassies and consulates also demand a copy of the Act of Birth ($20 per copy).


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