Kenya - Register a birth

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Procedure

Apply In Person
A child born in Kenya or a child of Kenyan descent born Abroad should be registered immediately after birth or within the first two months. This should be done by the parents or the designated guardians, either at any of the Huduma centers spread across all the counties in Kenya or District Registrar of the Births and Deaths Office or Civil Registration Services office or the Kenya Consulate/ Embassy/ High commission office abroad. Even if a child dies at birth, it still needs to be registered.
Below are the different scenarios for birth registration application in Kenya:

1. Application for on-time registration of births that occurred in health facilities or outside health institutions, (Immediately after birth, less than 6 months old).
2. Application for late registration (after 6 months of birth).

In Kenya Application
Application for Early Birth Registration On-time registration of births that occurred in health facilities or outside health institutions, (Immediately after birth, less than 6 months old).

1. Births that occurred in health facilities
   • The process begins with the registration of birth and the issuance of notification of birth. If a child is born in the hospital, all medical facilities in Kenya register the birth and provide a birth notification card/receipt.
   • The notification contains details such as the name of the child, the name of the parents, the hospital where the delivery took place, the date, the appropriate and official stamp, and the authorized signature from the hospital.
   • Applicants should then produce the notification of the birth to any of the Huduma centers spread across all the counties in Kenya or the Civil Registration Services office for the birth certificate processing.
   • Alternatively, the applicant can visit the nearest district registrar of the births and deaths which lie within the civil registration of Kenya that have been handed the responsibility of all the birth records in Kenya and submit the birth notification for the processing of the birth certificate.
   • Applicants are issued with the Application form for Birth Certificate, Forms are available for free at the Enquiries Desk at either office to complete and attached all relevant supporting documentation as listed under the “Required Documents” to be validated by the processing officer.
   • The officer will then verify, if all the necessary information and documents have been provided and that the applications comply with the selection criteria, if everything is in order, the officer will enter the birth into the Birth Register and the applicant are issued with an acknowledgment letter containing details of the application and should be produced and surrendered will collecting the birth certificate.
2. Births that occurred outside health institutions:
   • Where a child was born at home, the person concerned should notify the Community Health Volunteer (CHV) or Village Elder (VE) immediately after birth who shall then visit the family’s home.
   • A CHV/VE shall inform the parent(s) of the value of birth registration, explains the process, and completes the customized B1 form with the parent(s)
   • A CHV/VE hands over/submit the filled customized B1 form to the Assistant Chief immediately after filling the customized B1, within 6 months
   • Assistant Chief verifies the information on the customized B1 form, then copies the details to the legal Birth Register (B1 register), signs and stamps the form
   • Assistant Chief hands over the Acknowledgment of Birth Notification (Pink Slip) to the CHV/VE.
   • CHV/VE distributes the Acknowledgement of Birth Notification (Pink Slip) to the parent(s) and advises on how to apply for a Birth Certificate either at the District Registrar of the Births and Deaths Office or Civil Registration Services office or any of the Huduma centers spread across all the counties.
   • Assistant Chief submits monthly returns of Birth registers (B1 register) to the sub-county registrar of birth.
   • Registrar verifies the information, enters the details into Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (CRVSS), and renders the record and complete or verified within the system.
   • It should be noted that the is no fee charged for early registration of a birth, however, a normal fee is charged for the processing of a birth certificate as explained under the “Fess’ section of this page.

Application for Late Birth Registration

1. This application is for births that were not registered within 6 months. If you do not have a birth notification (In cases where the child is born at home or late registration)
2. An Acknowledgement of Birth Notification (ABN - Pink Slip) is not provided after six months of birth, and the informant will need to fill in late registration form-B1 available at the either the nearest District Registrar of the Births and Deaths Office or Civil Registration Services office or any of the Huduma centers spread across all the counties.
3. The completed and signed form-B1 attached to relevant supporting documents as listed under the “Required Documents” section of this page should be submitted to the Births and Deaths Office/section at the District Civil Registrar's office or Huduma center or Civil Registration Services office.
4. The application shall be accompanied by an applicable late registration fee and a birth certificate fee as explained under the “Fees” section of this page.
5. The officer will then verify, if all the necessary information and documents have been provided and that the applications comply with the selection criteria, if everything is in order, the officer will enter the birth into the Birth Register.
6. Applicants are issued with an acknowledgment letter containing details of the application and should be produced and surrendered will collecting the birth certificate.

Abroad Application

1. Application for Registration of the Birth outside of Kenya of a child who is a citizen of Kenyan can be made by any person having knowledge of the birth to the Kenya Mission Abroad (Embassy/ Consulate/ High Commission).
2. The application shall be made in writing using a prescribed form, Application for Registration of Birth of a Citizen of Kenya Occurring Abroad-Form BDA 1, obtainable at any of the Kenya Mission A broad offices or download it via the Mission Website it available, or directly download the form via this Application for Registration of Birth of a Citizen of Kenya Occurring Abroad-Form BDA 1.
3. Upon obtaining the application form, the applicant should legibly complete the form, attach all the supporting documentation as listed under the “Required Documents” section of this page and submit the complete application file to the Mission office for consideration.
4. It should be noted that some Kenya embassies abroad e.g Kenya Embassy in Berlin, required the applicant to obtain or download a checklist for the Birth Registration, available at the Mission office or downloadable via the Mission website.
5. The issued or separately printed out checklist should be signed by the applicant and submitted along with the application to confirm that the applicant has read and provided all of the necessary documents. This is a mandatory requirement. Failure to adhere to these requirements will lead to the application being rejected. Do not staple the documents.
6. The application shall also be accompanied by a prescribed fee. The payment of such fee should be made as per the Mission preferable payment mode and proof of payment should be attached to the application documents.
7. At the time of submission, if in person, awaiting card/slip as an acknowledgment will be issued to the applicant.
8. The application file is then forwarded to Kenya, Civil Registration Services head office for Registration and Processing of the birth certificate, which is usually between 03 months or more.
9. Upon successful processing of the application file, the birth is registered and the birth certificate is drawn up and forwarded the certificate to the embassy office where the application was filed to be issued/sent to the applicant.

Important Notes for Abroad Application.

1. Applicants who want the processed birth certificate sent to them by post are advised to attach one of the following to their request(s):
   • A registered self-addressed envelope with the appropriate stamps
   • A pre-paid envelope from any recognized courier service provider.
2. Not all embassies offer the post/mail return service (please consult with the embassy)
3. Applicants can file their application via mail, in some embassies, please confirm with the nearest embassy/consulate office, and if they offer this service since not all embassies offer the service.

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Required Documents

In Kenya Application Requirement

• The birth Notification form is given by hospital personnel at the time of delivery.
• Applicable Identity document of the parents:
  • Kenyan nationals: National ID or Passport of at least one of the parents or guardians.
  • Non-citizens: Passport of at least one of the parents.
  • Special immigrants (i.e. refugees): Refugee ID or Attestation Card of at least one of the parents and Child’s Immunization card or baptism card.

Birth Certificate Application Requirement:

• Acknowledgment of Birth Notification (ABN - Pink Slip)
• Photocopy of National ID of one or both parents ( Kenyan ID for citizens/ Valid Passport for foreigners/ Refugee ID or Attestation Card of at least one of the parents)
• Proof of payment for the birth certificate.

Abroad Application Requirements:

• Duly completed Application for Registration of Birth of a Citizen of Kenya Occurring Abroad-Form BDA 1.
• Two (2) Notarized photocopies of both parents' passports. The copies of the Kenyan parent's passport must be the last 4 pages of the manual passport (including the photo page) OR the last 2 pages (address and photo page) of the e-Passport.
• Two (2) Notarized photocopies of the child's Foreign Birth certificate were issued by the civil authorities. Ensure that the birth certificate is certified for use abroad.
• Copy of the child’s foreign passport. (If available)
• Two (2) Notarized copies of parents' (international) marriage certificate if legally married.
• Proof of payment of non-refundable processing fees (Registration & Birth Certificate fee)
• Applicants above the Maturity age (18 years and above) should show proof of Dual Citizenship.
• A self-address stamped envelope for the return processed document. The envelope should have enough postage for FedEx, Express Mail, Certified Mail, or Priority mail with delivery confirmation. (NB: UPS, Metered stamps, and Regular Mail are not accepted)

Office Locations & Contacts

Department of Civil Registration - Head Office
Hass Plaza 4th Floor, Lower Hill Road,
P.O Box 49179- 00100
Nairobi
Tel: +254-20-2714987/8
Fax: 2714989
Email; [email protected]
Website: link

Eligibility

The following persons are eligible to apply:

• Mother or father of the child.
• Occupier of the house in which the child was born
• In the absence of the above, a guardian/person taking charge of the child shall give notice of the birth.
• Applicant above the Maturity age (18 years and above).

Fees

Applicable fees in Kenya are:

• Kenyan nationals:
  • Early Registration-Ksh.50.00
  • Late Registration- Ksh.150.00
• Non-citizens: 40 USD or its equivalent
• Special immigrants (i.e. refugees): Free to refugees

For abroad application fees vary from one embassy to another.

Validity

• The birth registration is valid forever.

Documents to Use

Application for Registration of Birth of a Citizen of Kenya Occurring Abroad-Form BDA 1

Sample Documents

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Processing Time

• For births registered within (06) months of occurrence, the service will be completed on the same day or within one week.
• For births registered after (06) months of occurrence, it is considered a late registration and the service will take fourteen days to complete.
• For abroad applications, the processing time is usually between 03 months or more.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
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Instructions

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since January 1908.

Required Information

• The name of the newborn baby. This may sometimes be optional.
• Date and the place of the birth.
• The sex of the child (Whether male or female)
• The type of birth (i.e. whether single or multiple as in twins/triplets etc.)
• The exact place of Birth / Name of the hospital where the child was born
• The nature of birth.
• Birth Notification No.
• The particulars of the mother. i.e. the name, age, marital status, the previous births and the area/district the mother resides in.
• Full Name of Mother before marriage
• The name of the father for married couples.
• Applicants' Address
• Postal Address of Child (For late application)
• Declaration by the applicant

Need for the Document

• All births that occur within Kenya regardless of the parents’ nationality or Kenyan citizens born abroad have to be registered in the Kenya Civil and National Registry. Once successfully registered, the child will be issued a birth certificate.
• Birth registration helps children to secure their legal identity, family relationships, nationality and gives them access to public services such as school enrolment, and private services such as health insurance or opening a bank account.

Information which might help

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Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Other uses of a birth certificate

• A birth certificate can be used as proof of identity/Nationality.
• It is used to register a child in the national insurance scheme.
• It is used to register for primary and secondary school examinations.
• A birth certificate is required during the application of a Kenya identity card/passport.
• A birth certificate is required during the application of a marriage certificate or death certificate.

External Links

Huduma Kenya-Birth Services

Others

More information which might help people.