Know your rights

The Birth Certificate

Birth Entries of Adopted Children

Once somebody has been adopted the Registrar General in compliance with the adoption order from court makes an appropriate entry in the Adopted Children’s Register and inserts the work “Adopted” against the previous entry in the register of birth relating to the adopted child.

Important things to think about when registering a birth:
1. Think carefully about the names you want to give the child, or yourselves if you are an adult. These will be the person’s names for the rest of his or her life and will appear on the National Registration Card, passport, school certificates, and any other document. It is expensive to get a name changed once it has been registered on a birth certificate.
2. If the person’s birth had already been registered, it is against the law to register him or her again. You can register a birth only once.
3. Check the certificate as soon as you get it. If the registration office has made a mistake, such as a spelling error, get the office to correct it immediately.
4. Do not tell a lie when registering a birth. It is against the law, and may cause problems later.

Things to remember after the birth has been registered:
a) always use the name that appears on the birth certificate when taking the child to the clinic, when registering the child at school for exams, for a National Registration card. All official documents should show the same name and spelling.

Changing a name on a birth Certificate:
a) once a birth is registered, the name on the birth certificate is the legal name of that person.
b) It can be changed only with the help of a lawyer, and this costs a lot of money.
c) It is better to make sure when you register that you give names which will not embarrass the child when he becomes an adult.
d) If you feel you must change a name on a birth certificate, you go to a lawyer who will arrange for a notarial deed. Then you will have to change the name on all your other documents as well.

What to do when the people in the registration office are unhelpful

he officials in the Registration Office are employed to assist you do what the law requires you to do. You MUST have the right to be assisted, and they have the duty to give you assistance.

Sometimes people do not have all the documents needed to register a birth, or for some reason are unable to get one of the documents. The people working in the Registration Office should explain to you what to do. However, sometimes they are not helpful, and do not answer your questions or tell you how to solve your problems.

If this happens, and you do not know what to do next, you can ask the Community Relations Liaison Officer at the police station, or visit your nearest Legal Advice Centre for assistance. You can get the address of the Legal Advice Centre from the District Administrators Office or the police station.