Declaration of birth or recognition of a child: what are the differences?

Verified 26 August 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

The birth declaration is obligatory. It has to be done within 5 days on the day of delivery, at the town hall of the place of birth.

Recognizing a child is one step voluntary and personal. It's made in front of a registrar (or by notarial deed).

Recognition establishes the relationship of parentage between the child and the parent. It affects the exercise of parental authority and on the child's name.

If you're here mother, it is sufficient that your name is indicated in the birth certificate.

If you are the fatherHowever, your situation depends on your relationship with the child's mother:

If you are married to the mother of the child, it is sufficient that your name is indicated in the birth certificate
If you're not not married to the mother, recognition is necessary to establish the relationship of filiation with your child.

If you are a female couple, specific rules are laid down.

The recognition process depends on your situation:

You can recognize your child on the occasion of the birth declaration.

You can also recognize your child before (or after) the birth declaration.

FYI

In a married couple, the father does not need to recognize his child.

You can recognize your child yourself if you have any of the following:

Minor
Major for which a legal protection measure has been adopted (guardianship, trusteeship, family entitlement, etc.).

The procedures for recognizing a child and registering a birth differ:

Tableau - Differences between child recognition and birth registration
Approach	Child recognition	Declaration of birth
Initiative	Voluntary gait	Mandatory approach (subject to criminal sanction)
Deadline	At any time	Within 5 days of birth
Objective	Declare paternity	Declare the birth of a child
Who can take the step?	The unmarried father	The father or any person who attended the birth
Procedure	Approach to recognizing a child	Official declaration of the birth of a child
Location	In town hall	At the town hall of the place of birth

Your couple must be engaged in a project ofMPA: titleContent, with donation of semen.

Early joint recognition is done in front of a notaryat the same time as the signature of the consent to the donation of semen.

Joint recognition must be given to the registrar when the child is declared born by one of the following persons:

In case delivery under X, recognition of the child is possible for both the father and the mother, within 2 months after birth.

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