Child who died at birth: What are the civil registration rules?

Verified 07 December 2021 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Civil registration rules differ depending on whether the child who died at birth was born alive and viable or not.

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Deceased child born alive and viable

If your child died before the birth declaration, the registrar shall establish a birth certificate and one death certificate.

You must provide a medical certificate. This document should state that your child was born alive and viable and state the day and time of birth and death.

Your child is registered on the family record book.

Warning  

in the absence of a medical certificate, the registrar shall draw up a certificate of a lifeless child.

Who shall I contact

Lifeless child

The registrar shall issue a child with no life certificate in the following cases:

  • Your child is stillborn
  • Your child was born alive but not viable and died before the birth declaration

You must provide a medical certificate of delivery.

This certificate, drawn up by the practitioner (doctor or midwife), mentions the time, the day and the place of delivery.

Your child is registered on the family record book.

You can give it a first name (or several).

You can also give it a last name.

You can choose from the following surnames:

  • Father's name
  • Mother's name
  • The names of the father and mother, in the order you want (up to one last name for each)

The entry of the first name(s) and the last name shall not have legal effect. It does not create a parent-child relationship.

FYI  

if you are not married and the lifeless child is your 1er child, you can ask for a family record book the registrar who drew up the act of lifeless child.

Who shall I contact