Directeur de l'état civil->Birth

Birth

Declaration of birth
Surname and given name(s) of the child
Surname
Given name(s)
Health insurance card
Certificate and copy of an act of birth
Attestation of birth

Declaration of birth

Every child born in Québec must be declared to the Directeur de l'état civil, which enters its birth in the register of civil status.

Registration enables the child to:

prove his/her identity
obtain a health insurance card and social insurance number
obtain a birth certificate and other civil status documents.

The parents¹ must declare the birth of their newborn child within 30 days of the birth.

¹	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 (S.Q. 2002, chapter 6)

Here is the procedure for declaring a birth:

1. The accoucheur (person who assists in the delivery) draws up an Attestation of birth.

A copy of the Attestation is given to the parent(s) along with the Declaration of birth form which one or both parents must fill out, preferably at the hospital, or else at home.
The parent (or hospital) sends the documents to the Directeur de l'état civil.

2. The parent may complete the Declaration of birth at the hospital or at home.

At the hospital: The parent gives the declaration to hospital personnel who will send it together with the attestation to the Directeur de l'état civil.
At home: The parent sends the green copy of the Attestation of birth and the original of the Declaration of birth to the Directeur de l'état civil. They must be received within 30 days of the child's birth.
The parent keeps the green copy of the declaration.
If the parents are not married or joined in a civil union, the signatures of both parents are required to establish their filiation with the child.
A witness (person of full age other than the parents) must sign the Declaration of birth.

An administration fee of $50 will be charged after the 30-day deadline has passed. After one year, it rises to $100.

The Directeur de l'état civil sends parents a Notice of registration of birth along with Birth - Request for certificate or copy of act form.
Parents must check that the information on the Notice conforms to the Declaration and immediately notify the Directeur de l'état civil of any mistake. If they wish, the parents may apply for a birth certificate.

If the mother does not give birth in a hospital, she must contact the office of the Directeur de l'état civil to learn how to declare the birth of her child.

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Surname and given name(s) of the child

Choosing the child’s surname is a major responsibility of the parent(s) and no one else.

Surname

The child’s surname must be formed from the names of his parents. So the child may have a single or compound surname. The surname can have no more than two parts.

If both parents have single surnames, the child may take one or both names. If both names are used, they will be joined by a hyphen.

If both parents have compound surnames, they may give the child a single name taken from one part of these surnames. If the parents want to give the child a compound name, they must make a choice because the child’s surname can be composed of only two parts, preferably joined by a hyphen.

A surname may not contain a number or an initial letter.

If only one filiation (maternal or paternal) of a child is established, he/she will bear all or part of the surname of the parent whose filiation is declared in the act.

Given name(s)

A limit of four given names is recommended. The usual given name must be stated first in the appropriate box. In the case of a compound first name, the two parts may be joined with a hyphen. The spelling of given names entered in the register of civil status matches exactly how you spelled them when you filled out the Declaration of birth¹.

¹	It is important to indicate all given names that you wish to give your child, especially if you will baptize him/her later, since the Declaration of birth constitutes the civil act.

Looking for names?

These sites can help parents find original or distinctive given names:

Portal to francophone given names (french only)
http://cafe.rapidus.net/jhuriaux
Given names and surnames of today and yesterday
http://www.clic.net/~loduches/englishhome.html
Institut de la statistique du Québec
http://www.stat.gouv.qc.ca/default_an.htm
Régie des rentes du Québec
http://www.rrq.gouv.qc.ca/an/accueil/00.htm
Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec
http://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/index_en.shtml
Guide to given names (french only)
http://www.prenom.com
100 000 given names - your name and your destiny
http://www.asiaflash.com/rao/
Baby zone (french only)
http://www.bebe-zone.com/
Educaloi - Le carrefour d'accès au droit (access to the law) (french only)
http://www.educaloi.com/

To consult the Civil Code of Québec:

Faculty of Law, Université de Montréal
http://www.lexum.com/index_en.html

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Health insurance card

Recording the child’s birth in the Québec register of civil status will allow parents to receive their child's first Medicare card rapidly after verifying his or her eligibility for the health insurance plan.

An incorrect registration could alter the information
on the child’s health insurance card!

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Certificate and copy of an act of birth

To obtain a civil status document concerning birth, consult sections:

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Attestation of birth

To obtain an attestation of birth, consult the Attestation section.

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