Adding a father’s name to a birth certificate

It is important that a child has its appropriate surname and for no better reason than the fact that it provides a great sense of identity.

Another reason that a surname is important is that it allows one to trace their true ancestral lineage, as the surname is the most common way to identify family.

In Jamaica once a child is born in marriage, the child automatically takes the surname of the husband. However, the same privilege is not afforded to unmarried couples and children who are born out of wedlock.

When a child is born to unmarried parents in a hospital, the father must be present at the time of registration to sign the birth record. If the father is not present or if the child is born outside of the hospital, the father must accompany the mother to the local district registrar and sign the birth record at the time of registration. Or, both parents sign the declaration of paternity within six weeks of the birth, for the father's particulars to be added free of cost. Once six weeks pass, both parents are required to complete an addition of father's particulars' (STATUS) form.

THE APPLICATION

The STATUS form can be obtained from the Registrar General Department (RGD) office in the individual's area or it can be downloaded directly from the RDG website.

Both parents will be required to complete the application form in the presence of a justice of the peace, attorney of law, school principal, clerk of the courts, or a notary public. Thereafter they must attach all the required supporting documents, for example birth certificate, father's birth certificate and valid ID for both parents, to the application form and submit it to the RDG's services section.

An RGD official will verify the application and if it is correct, the parents will be directed to pay the required application fee of $1500 to have the certificate in six weeks or the fee of $3,500 to have the certificate within 7-10 working days. Upon payment of the fee, the application will be forwarded to the responsible authority for processing. An acknowledgment receipt with details of the application will be issued.

The application file will be processed and the new birth certificate with the child's father's particulars added to it.

Odane Marston is an attorney-at-law who specialises in conveyancing, administration, probate, recovery of possession, criminal litigation and divorce. Marston may be contacted via email odanemarston@gmail.com or telephone 876-999-5391. This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.