What is notification of birth? Authority to issue notifications of birth in Vietnam

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. What is notification of birth?

According to current Vietnamese law, there is no regulation on what notification of birth is. However, it can be understood that a notification of birth is one of the documents issued from the time each person is born to serve as a basis for authentication and confirmation of a person's birth.

In addition, the notification of birth is also used to carry out birth registration procedures for children or other administrative procedures upon request.

What is notification of birth? Authority to issue notifications of birth in Vietnam (Internet image)

2. Authority to issue notifications of birth in Vietnam

According to Clause 1, Article 16 of Circular 56/2017/TT-BYT, medical examination and treatment establishments in Vietnam that have been granted medical examination and treatment operation licenses and are permitted to provide midwifery services within the scope of their professional activities are permitted to issue notifications of birth. 

3. Current form of notification of birth and instruction on filling out the form in Vietnam

The current form of notification of birth is specified in Appendix 5 of Circular 56/2017/TT-BYT, specifically:

Form of notification of birth

* Instruction on filling out the notification of birth in Vietnam

(1) Full name of mother or carer: Write the mother's name according to the citizen identity card, passport, or household registration in capital letters, and have it stamped.

(2) Year of birth: Enter the year of birth of the mother or caregiver according to the calendar year.

(3) Registered places of permanent and temporary residence: Enter the place of permanent and temporary residence according to the 4-level place name: hamlet/hamlet, commune/ward/township, district/district, province/city.

In case a foreigner has registered to permanently or temporarily reside in Vietnam, write the same as Vietnamese. In case a foreigner who has not registered for permanent or temporary residence in Vietnam but lives in a border area gives birth at a Vietnamese medical facility, write the name of the province and country where they are living.

(4) Social insurance number/Health insurance card No: Enter the social insurance book number or social insurance number.

The recording of the social insurance number is only required when the official social insurance agency gives notice of the use of the social insurance number instead of the social insurance book number.

(5) ID/CID/Passport number of mother or caregiver: Specify the issued ID/CID number; if there is no ID/CID but you have a passport, write the passport number. If you do not have ID/CID and Passport, leave blank.

(Only the regulation of writing ID/CID or passport number will be applied until the social insurance agency officially announces the use of the social insurance number instead of the health insurance card number).

(6) Ethnicity: Specify the name of the mother's or foster parent's ethnic group, such as: Kinh, Tay, Nung, Hoa, or other ethnic groups.

(7) Father's full name: Enter the information provided by the patient or the patient's family. The medical facility is not responsible for the accuracy of the father's first and last names.

(8) Child was born at: Enter the hour, minute, day, month, and year in which the child was born according to the calendar year.

(9) At: Enter the place where the child was born, specifically:

- In case the child is born at a hospital, write the name of the hospital and the administrative location where the child was born (Example: General hospital of Nam Dinh province).

In case the child is born at another medical facility, write the name of the medical facility and the 3-level administrative place where the child was born (Example: Lien Bao commune health station, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province). ;

- In case children are born at home, write at home and 3 levels: commune/ward, district/province, and province/city (Example: at home in Lien Bao commune, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province) );

- In case the child is born in another place, other than the medical examination and treatment establishment, also write the place where the child was born and the administrative-level geographical location. (Example: giving birth on the way, in Lien Bao commune, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province);

- In case the child is abandoned, specify the abandoned child, the place where the child is found with the administrative level 3 (Example: abandoned birth in Lien Bao commune, Vu Ban district, Nam Dinh province);

(10) The number of births: Enter all births, including this birth, premature births, and dead births.

(11) Number of children currently alive: Enter the number of children currently living, including this live birth.

(12) Number of children in this birth: Enter the number of offspring this time. In case of giving birth to twins or more, specify the number of children and issue a separate notification of birth for each child.

(13) Child's sex: Specify whether the child born alive is male or female. If it is unclear whether a deformity is male or female, write unspecified.

(14) Weight: Enter the birth weight of the baby weighed in the first hour after birth in grams. (For example, a baby born is 3500 grams). If not weighed, leave it blank.

(15) Child's condition: Specify the child's condition at the time of making the notification of birth: healthy, weak, deformed, or other health-related manifestations (if any). If malformations are detected, specify the type of malformation, including morphological defects if they are found.

(16) Expected baby name: Enter the expected name for the child. This tentative name is subject to change upon birth registration.

(17) Note: In cases of giving birth by surgery or having a baby under 32 weeks old, or having a baby under 32 weeks old and having surgery, the notes section must clearly state one of the following contents: "birth by surgery" or "birth of a baby under 32 weeks old" or "surgery, birth of a baby under 32 weeks of age".

(18) Midwife: sign, specify the title, and give the full name (for the case of birth at a medical facility). In case of a home birth, specify the name and title of the birth attendant (if a member of the medical staff). For example: Midwife in village, write Midwife and the full name of the midwife. If the recipient is not a member of the medical staff, only the full name is required.

(19) Date, month, and year of notification of birth: Record according to calendar day, month, and year.

(20) Recorded person: Sign, specify your title and full name.

(21) The head of the medical examination and treatment establishment or the person authorized by the head of the medical examination and treatment establishment may sign and seal the medical examination and treatment establishment's seal.

In case the medical examination and treatment facility has only one competent person to examine and sign the discharge paper, that person only needs to sign and stamp the part of the paper pertaining to the head of the unit.

In case of giving birth at home, the baby is abandoned or born at another place other than a medical facility... but the health station issues a notification of birth through a village health worker, and the head of the medical station shall record and certify, sign, stamp, and clearly write his/her name.

(22) Confirmation of father, mother, or next of kin: signature, full name, relationship with the child.

Note: The expiry date of the notification of birth is until the child's birth is registered.

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