Is it illegal not to register a birth?
It is a legal obligation to register a child’s birth within 6 weeks of delivery and although it enables the government to know who has been born and when, and may be a gateway to access to services and rights, it does not change the fact that a child’s parents are responsible for his care and for decision making about …
Why would a birth not be registered?
Women may be unable to register their children if the father is unknown, or if he refuses to acknowledge paternity – such as in cases of survivors of rape or incest. Lack of birth registration can also reinforce existing gender gaps in areas like education.
Can a father apply for a birth certificate without the mother?
Fathers can now register children at birth alone. The Constitutional Court has ruled that a section of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act is unconstitutional. This means unmarried fathers can now register their children, without the mothers, at the Department of Home Affairs.
Can you register a child without the father present?
If the parents are not married at the time of birth, the father must be present at the time of registration to sign the birth record or both parents sign and submit the declaration of paternity within six weeks of the birth, for the father’s name to be added to the child’s birth certificate.
What rights do unmarried fathers have in South Africa?
Unmarried fathers also acquire full parental rights and responsibilities, in terms of section 21, if they were either living in a permanent life partnership with the child’s mother at the time of the child’s birth, or if they consent and successfully apply for such rights as well as contribute to the child’s upbringing …
Is it illegal to not put father on birth certificate?
It is not illegal for a mother not to put the father’s name on the birth certificate. A father’s name can be added to the birth certificate at a later time. If the parents are married, then both parents details will appear on the birth certificate. Either parent can register the child’s birth on their own.