You can tell everyone your age but unless there’s a birth certificate to prove it, you’re just like a foundling with no proof of identity.

Sadly, a lot of Filipinos are in such a precarious situation. They request their birth certificates from the PSA only to be told that their birth records never existed in the first place.

In fact, as of 2019, some 5 million Filipinos¹ remain unregistered with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), with 40% of them being children aged 0-14 years old.

And because the birth certificate is a critical requirement whenever you’re applying for a passport, enrolling in a school, getting insurance claims, or applying for a job, the lack of it will prevent you from advancing further in life.

Fortunately, all hope is not lost. In this in-depth guide, we’ll teach you how to file for late registration of birth and claim the birth certificate you’ve been deprived of.

Go back to the main article: How to Get Birth Certificate in the Philippines: An Ultimate Guide

Who Should Apply for Late Registration of Birth?

According to Sec. 2 of Presidential Decree 651², all births are required to be reported or registered with the local civil registrar within 30 days from the time of birth.

The local civil registrar or LCR is usually located inside or near the city or municipal hall.

Depending on where the baby was born, the responsibility of registering/reporting the birth falls on either the attending physician/nurse/hospital administrator (if born in the hospital) or the midwife/hilot (if born at home).

When the registration takes place beyond the required 30-day time frame, it is referred to as delayed or late registration.

Late registration is a common issue among those who were born in the provinces through a traditional midwife or hilot, someone who is often not aware, much less trained, to process the required paperwork.

As a result, the baby enters adulthood only to discover that neither PSA nor the LCR can retrieve his/her birth records.

Filipinos born abroad aren’t excused either.

Parents (one or both of whom must be Filipino citizens) must report the birth of their child to the Philippine Embassy within 100 days from the date of birth. Otherwise, it will be classified as late registration and no record of birth will be forwarded to the Office of the Civil Registrar-General in Manila.

Unless the applicant files a late registration of birth, he/she won’t be able to apply for Philippine passport and get the privileges given to Filipino citizens.

This guide is for all Filipinos who are aware of or just recently discovered their lack of birth certificate, thus holding them back from doing anything that requires proof of one’s identity.

Requirements for Applying for Late Registration of Birth

Before heading to the local civil registrar or DFA office (if you’re born abroad), make sure you already know or have completed all the documentary requirements needed to file for late registration of birth.

Take note, however, that fees and requirements may vary depending on the civil registrar you’ll be transacting with. It’s recommended, therefore, to check your local civil registrar’s website first to see the updated checklist of requirements.

If you’re using the Internet, simply enter the search string “late registration of birth certificate + name of your city/municipality” into the Google search box and it will return either a page or a PDF file with the complete list of requirements and procedures.

In general, here are the documentary requirements usually requested when you’re applying for late registration of birth:

1. If the applicant is a minor (less than 18 years old)

a. Certificate of No Record of Birth or the “Negative Results Certification” (NRC) issued by the PSA.

b. Four (4) copies of the Certificate of Live Birth duly accomplished and signed by the proper parties.

c. Affidavit for Delayed Registration (at the back of Certificate of Live Birth) duly accomplished by the father, mother, or guardian (must be in the presence of these people), declaring the following:

• Name of the child.
• Date and place of birth.
• Name of the father (if the child is illegitimate and has been acknowledged by him).
• If legitimate, the date and place of marriage of parents.
• Reason for not registering the birth within thirty (30) days after the date of birth.
• If you’re filing for late registration of the birth of an illegitimate child and you’re not the mother, declare in a sworn statement the recent whereabouts of the mother.

d. At least two documents showing the name of the child, date and place of birth, and the name of the mother (and the name of the father, if the child has been acknowledged).

The following documents are accepted:

• Immunization Card/Early Childhood Care and Development Chart/Yellow Card (for children).
• Baptismal certificate.
• School records (nursery, kindergarten, or preparatory).
• Voter’s affidavit.
• Income tax return of parent/s.
• Insurance policy.
• Medical records (old).
• SSS/GSIS documents.
• Others, such as barangay captain’s certification.

e. Affidavit of Two Disinterested Persons who might have witnessed or known the birth of the child.

In most civil registrars, this affidavit is only required when none of the aforementioned requirements are available.

The “two disinterested persons” referred here could be neighbors or family friends who have personal knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the applicant’s birth and will not benefit directly by revealing such information (as opposed to relatives who may be motivated by insurance claims, etc.)

2. If the applicant is 18 years old or above

a. All the requirements mentioned above.

b. Certificate of Marriage, if married.

3. If the applicant was born abroad

When someone is born abroad to one or both parents who are Filipino citizen/s, the birth must be reported to the Philippine Embassy or the Consulate that has jurisdiction over the place of birth.

The reporting should take place within 12 months from the time of birth. It is done so that the baby will have a Report of Birth in the PSA database.

Having this Philippine equivalent of the foreign birth certificate enables the child to grow up enjoying the privileges given to Filipino citizens.

In case you’re the parent/s who live abroad and were not able to report the birth of your child with the Philippine Embassy, you may still do so, provided that you also submit a notarized Affidavit of Delayed Registration of Birth.

For the complete procedure, please read this guide: How to Get Birth Certificate for Newborn Babies Born Abroad.

Meanwhile, if you’re someone born abroad and now live in the Philippines, ask your parents if they’re able to report your birth to the Philippines Embassy when you’re a child.

If not, you can still acquire a birth certificate from PSA by applying for late registration of birth at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) main office in Parañaque City.

The list below presents the documentary requirements you need to file for late registration of birth. Ensure that you bring both the original copy of the document/s and at least 5 photocopies of each. The forms mentioned below are available at the Consular Records Window in DFA.

a. Report of Birth Form (FA Form No. 40)

• Print five forms in A4 paper and fill them out, making sure the answers are either typewritten or printed legibly.
• Item 20 in the form should be notarized by the notary public.

b. Foreign birth certificate

• If not written in the English language, please submit an official English translation (notarized and authenticated).
• Must be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country of birth if the applicant was born in the following places/countries: Shanghai, Norway, Austria, France, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Iceland, India, and Middle Eastern countries like UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This also applies to those born under the consular jurisdiction of the Philippine Embassy in Mexico.
• If born in Japan, please submit original copies of Shussei Todoke No Kisai Jiko Shomeisho (Birth Notification Report issued by the Japanese City Hall) or certified true copy with stamps from City Hall; Boshi Techo (Maternity Record Book); and the latest Koseki Tohon (Family Registry). In case the applicant was born inside a US base in Japan, please also provide a copy of the birth certificate issued by the hospital within the vicinity of that base and the Consular Report of Birth.
• If the applicant was born under the consular jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, submit PSA birth certificate of Filipino parent and Foreign birth certificate of Foreign national parent.
• If the applicant was born under the consular jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, submit the original certified true copy of live birth (long form).

c. First passport or travel document of the applicant.

• Photocopies of the bio data pages and used visa pages.
• In case it’s unavailable, kindly execute an Affidavit of Non-submission of Document with an attached copy of the applicant’s valid/recent passport or any valid ID.

Related Article: How to Get Philippine Passport for Minors: An Ultimate Guide

d. If parents are married, please submit their foreign marriage contract/Report of Marriage (ROM)/authenticated marriage certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

e If parents are unmarried, please submit the following:

• If the applicant is using the surname of the father, please submit an Affidavit to Use the Surname of the Father (AUSF) to be executed by the mother and Affidavit of Acknowledgement of Paternity to be executed by the father. If the affidavits will be executed in the Philippines, these should be registered first as Legal Instruments at the Local Civil Registry Office of the place of execution and authenticated by the DFA. If executed abroad, the affidavits should be registered first at the Foreign Service Post (FSP) of the country of residence of the parent(s) or at the FSP nearest the place of residence.
• If the applicant is using the mother’s surname, please submit the Birth Certificate of the mother and a notarized Affidavit of Illegitimacy.

f. Passport of the applicant’s parents (valid at the time of the birth of the child) and any current/valid passports of both parents

• Please provide photocopies of the passport bio data pages.
• If the old passports have been lost or are no longer available, please execute an Affidavit of Non-submission of Document with an attached copy of valid/recent passport or any valid ID [(i.e. Green card or permanent resident card, copy of visa (at the time of birth of the child), working permit if working abroad at the time of birth of the child].
• If the applicant was born in the USA and Canada, submit any of the following documents of parent/s: USA/Canada Visa, USA/Canada Working Permit, or Green Card/Permanent Resident Card.
• If the Filipino parent/s had acquired foreign citizenship (i.e. American, Australian, British or Canadian) and re-acquired Philippine citizenship, submit a certificate of naturalization of parents and re-acquisition certificates of parents and of the child. If the child is 18 years old and above at the time of parent’s re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship, please submit an Identification Certificate for Filipino citizen issued by the Bureau of Immigration.

g. Other requirements

• Five recent passport size photos of the applicant.
• DFA Authenticated Birth Certificate of the Filipino parents issued by the PSA.
• For applicants who are more than one year old, a notarized Affidavit of Delayed Registration and a notarized Affidavit of Two (2) Disinterested Persons.
• Negative Results Certification (NRC) of Birth Record from the PSA (CRS Form No. 1).
• Consular Fee of USD 25.

In addition to the core requirements above, the DFA may also request additional documents depending on the results of their evaluation. This is to ensure that you have the qualifications determined by the Philippine law to acquire a birth certificate from the PSA.

How To File Late Registration of Birth Certificate in the Philippines: 3 Easy Steps

1. Verify the absence of your birth records

Before applying for late registration, you must first confirm if you really don’t have existing birth records both in the Philippine Statistics Authority (formerly NSO) and your local civil registrar.

At this point, I assume you already requested a copy of your birth certificate from the PSA and received a Negative Intent or Negative Results Certification (NRC) which means nothing came out of their database.

The next step should be going to the local civil registrar with jurisdiction over the place of your birth and request for a copy of your birth records.

If they’re able to retrieve your records, it simply means the files haven’t been forwarded to PSA yet. In this case, all you need to do is to file for an Endorsement and let the local civil registrar expedite the transmission for you.

On the other hand, if none of your birth records exist both in PSA and the local civil registrar, it means your birth wasn’t reported at all, in which case applying for delayed or late registration of birth is the appropriate solution.

2. Obtain the requirements

For a complete list of documentary requirements needed for applying for late registration of birth, please refer to the previous section.

3. Proceed to the office of the local civil registrar (for Philippine-born applicants) or to the DFA Office of Consular Affairs (for foreign-born applicants)

a. Philippine-born applicants

For applicants born in the Philippines, the late registration of birth must be filed at the local civil registrar with jurisdiction over the place of your birth.

Again, the office of the LCR is usually located within the municipal or city hall.

Upon arrival, you will be asked to register in a logbook before giving you a queue or priority number. Wait for your turn to submit the documentary requirements and forms which will be assessed by the PSA.

Processing period is approximately 5 days after which you’ll return to the civil registrar to claim the birth certificate.

The fee may vary as local civil registrars follow different tax codes. It also varies depending on the age of the applicant. In Makati, for example, applicants below 2 years old are charged Php 200 while those older than 2 years old are required to pay Php 500.

In case you’re now living in a town/province/city too far from your place of birth, you don’t have to travel just to file the late registration.

With the process called Out-of-town Late Registration or Reporting of Birth, you can now apply at the nearest civil registrar and let them process and transmit your documents to the civil registrar with jurisdiction over the place of your birth.

For example, if you currently live in Makati but were born in Laguna, the Out-of-town Late Registration enables you to file at the Makati civil registrar and have your application processed without leaving the city.

The only downside is you have to pay an Endorsement fee of more or less Php 290 to complete the out-of-town transaction.

b. Foreign-born applicants

For those born abroad, proceed to the  DFA Office of Consular Affairs located at Bradco Avenue corner Macapagal Avenue, ASEANA Business Park, Parañaque City.

Late registration of birth is only processed through a walk-in application. No online appointment is required.

Get the required forms at the Consular Records Window. Fill them out and submit the duly accomplished forms along with the rest of the requirements (see step 2) to the Door 1, Window 1 at the Ground Floor.

The Consular Fee of USD 25 as well as the Translation Fee (if applicable) of USD 25 will be paid to the Cashier located at the 2nd floor of the DFA Office of Consular Affairs.

Birth certificates of foreign-born applicants are issued after a processing period of approximately 2 to 4 months.

Go back to the main article: How to Get Birth Certificate in the Philippines: An Ultimate Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I apply for the late registration of birth of an illegitimate child?

References

1. Movido, A. (2019). 5 million Pinoys without birth certificate: PSA. Retrieved 8 October 2020, from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/27/19/5-million-pinoys-without-birth-certificate-psa
2. Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Presidential Decree No. 651, s. 1975 (1975).