If we are not married, will our names be on our child's birth certificate in Vietnam?

If we are not married, will our names be on our child's birth certificate in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 15 of the Law on Marriage and Family 2014 stipulating rights and obligations of parents and children for men and women cohabiting as husband and wife without marriage registration as follows:

Rights and obligations between a man and woman cohabiting as husband and wife and their children must comply this Law’s provisions on rights and obligations of parents and children.

Pursuant to Article 9 of Decree 123/2015/ND-CP stipulating documents to be submitted and presented upon birth registration as follows:

1. An applicant for birth registration at the People’s Committee of commune, ward, or town (hereinafter referred to as commune) shall submit documents as prescribed in Clause 1 Article 16 of the Law on civil status; and an applicant for birth registration at the People’s Committee of suburban district, urban district, district-level town, provincial-affiliated city (hereinafter referred to as district) shall submit documents as prescribed in Clause 1 Article 36 of the Law on civil status.

2. The applicant for birth registration shall present documents as prescribed in Clause 1 Article 2 hereof.

If the child’s parents have their marriage registered, the marriage license shall also be presented.

Pursuant to Article 16 of the Law on Civil Status 2014 stipulates birth registration procedures as follows:

1. Birth registrants shall submit declarations made according to a set form and birth certification papers to the civil status registration agency. If having no birth certification paper, a document of a witness certifying the birth shall be submitted; if there is no witness, there must be a written pledge of the birth; for birth registration for abandoned children, there must be a written record certifying the child’s abandonment made by a competent agency; for birth registration for children born by surrogate mothers, there must be a document proving the surrogacy as prescribed by law.

2. Immediately after receiving full papers specified in Clause 1 of this Article, if seeing that the birth declaration is complete and proper, justice and civil status officers shall record birth registration contents under Clause 1, Article 14 of this Law in the civil status books and update them in the electronic civil status database and the national population database for getting personal identification numbers.

Justice and civil status officers and birth registrants shall together sign in the civil status books. Chairpersons of commune-level People's Committees shall grant birth certificates to birth registrants.

3. The Government shall stipulate in detail the birth registration for abandoned children and children whose parents have not yet been identified due to surrogacy; and the determination of native places for abandoned children and children with unidentified parents.

Pursuant to Article 14 of the Law on Civil Status 2014 which regulates birth registration contents as follows:

1. Birth registration contents include:

a/ Information of the person whose birth is registered: family name, middle name and first name; gender; birthdate; birthplace; native place; ethnicity; and citizenship;

b/ Information of the parents of the person whose birth is registered: full name, middle name and first name; year of birth; ethnicity; citizenship; and place of residence;

c/ The personal identification number of the person whose birth is registered.

2. The determination of citizenship, ethnicity and family name of a person whose birth is registered must comply with the law on Vietnamese nationality and civil law.

3. Contents of birth registration specified in Clause 1 of this Article are basic civil status information of individuals and shall be recorded in the civil status books and birth certificates and updated in the electronic civil status database and national population database. Dossiers and papers of individuals related to birth registration information must be consistent with their birth registration contents.

The Government shall stipulate the grant of personal identification numbers to persons whose birth is registered.

Article 25 of the Law on Civil Status 2014 stipulates procedures for registration of parent and child recognition as follows:

1. Requesters for registration of parent and child recognition shall submit declarations, made according to a set form, and evidence proving father and child or mother and child relationship to the civil status registration agency. All parties must be present upon registration of parent and child recognition.

2. Within 3 working days after receiving complete papers specified in Clause 1 of this Article, if seeing that the parent and child recognition is proper and there is no dispute, the justice and civil status officer shall record the registration of parent and child recognition in the civil status book and together with the parent and child recognition registrant sign in the civil status book, and report to the chairperson of the commune-level People's Committee to issue an extract to the requester.

In case of necessity to verify, the time limit may be prolonged for no more than 5 working days.

According to this Article, rights and obligations between men and women living together as husband and wife and children shall be settled in accordance with this Law on rights and obligations of parents and children. In the birth registration form, you can enter the father's name and when the birth registration agency requires proof, you can have a DNA test to prove the paternity. Or you can carry out the procedures for registration of paternity recognition according to the provisions of Article 25 of the 2014 Civil Status Law in Vietnam.

What is birth registration declaration form according to the law in Vietnam? 

Pursuant to Appendix 5 issued together with Circular 04/2020/TT-BTP, the regulations on birth registration declaration form are as follows:

SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Independence - Freedom - Happiness

DECLARATION FOR BIRTH REGISTRATION

To: ⁽¹⁾ ................................................................................. .................................

Last name, middle name, name of requester : ..................................................................................................... ................................. ..........

................................. ................................. ................................. ..........

Place of residence: ⁽²⁾ ........................... ................................. ..............................

................................. ................................. ................................. ..........

Personal papers: ⁽³⁾ ................................ ................................. .................

................................. ................................. ................................. ..........

Relationship with the person who was born: .................................................................. ................................. ......

Request the birth registration agency for the following people:

Last name, middle name, first name: ................................................................. ................................. ..............................

Date of birth: ........................................... .inscribed in words: ................................. .....

................................. ................................. ................................. ..........

Gender: ............ Ethnicity: ..................... .....Nationality: .......................................... ..........

Place of birth: ⁽⁴⁾ ............................ ................................. ..............................

................................. ................................. ................................. ..........

Home town: ............................................... ................................. ..............................

Last name, middle name, mother's name: ................................................................. ................................. ................................. ....

Year of birth: ⁽⁵⁾ .............................................................................. ...........Ethnic nationality: .............. ..........................

Place of residence: ^( 2 ) ................................................................. ................................. ..............................

................................. ................................. ................................. ..........

Father's name, middle name, middle name: ................................................................. ................................. ................................. ...

Year of birth: ⁽⁵⁾ .............................................................................. ..........Ethnic nationality: ............... .............

Place of residence: ^( 2 ) ................................................................. ................................. ..............................

................................. ................................. ................................. ..........

I hereby certify that the content of the request for birth registration above is true and agreed upon by the relevant parties in accordance with the law.

I take full responsibility before the law for the content of my commitment.

Worked at: ……………………., date…………month ……………………

Notes :

⁽¹⁾ Specify the name of the birth registration agency.

⁽²⁾ Record according to the place of permanent residence; if there is no registered place of permanent residence, write according to the place of temporary residence registration; In case there is no registered place of permanent residence and place of temporary residence registration, write according to the place where you are currently living.

⁽³⁾ Write information about the identity papers of the registrant, specifying the number, issuing agency, date of issue of passport, identity card or valid alternative document (Example: Identity card 001089123 issued by Hanoi Capital Police on October 20, 2014).

⁽⁴⁾ In case of giving birth at a medical facility, specify the name of the medical facility and the address of the head office of that medical facility.

For example: - Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, La Thanh Street, Ngoc Khanh Ward, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

- Health station in Dinh Bang commune, Tu Son district, Bac Ninh province.

In case of birth outside a medical facility, write the names of 03 administrative levels (commune, district, province) and place of birth.

For example: Dinh Bang commune, Tu Son district, Bac Ninh province.

⁽⁵⁾ Fill in the date and month of birth of the father and mother (if any).

⁽⁶⁾ Please mark an X in the box if there is a request for a copy and specify the quantity..

Best regards!