Page 3 | Has anyone had to reregister their DC after getting married?

Darkroot · 2023-04-27T11:07:09+00:00

First of all, ridiculous, why am I being made to do this? Secondly, does anyone know if I get their original birth certificates back or are they lost for ever?

notafruit · 27/04/2023 15:02

I was given the forms by the registrar when I got married (to my DC's dad) but didn't bother filling them in. They had his surname anyway.
A PP has mentioned passports, but 2 of my DC's applied for passports as older teens and didn't have any issues.

BitchImTheSecretIngredient · 27/04/2023 15:05

The registrar told us this when we registered DS because we weren't married. Something to do with inheritance

QforCucumber · 27/04/2023 15:10

I've just looked at this - as we got married abroad it says to send the original marriage cert along with the birth cert - do you get the marriage one back? We only have one copy!

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 15:14

DontMakeMeShushYou · 27/04/2023 14:51

I did know it was a thing. We didn't do it. I didn't know there was a time limit of 3 months so we've missed that boat by 18 years anyway.

Anyway, it seems ridiculous. My name should appear on DS's birth certificate as it was at the time of his birth. Not what I changed it to at a later date.

No time limit

We did it almost 2yrs after getting married

And it's more important if you have kids after getting married - tho we only have mini blondes so not an issue

But if you die

If all goes tits up and your kids don't get on. The more legal one would be the child you had after getting married and if they really wanted to they could contest the will

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 15:15

QforCucumber · 27/04/2023 15:10

I've just looked at this - as we got married abroad it says to send the original marriage cert along with the birth cert - do you get the marriage one back? We only have one copy!

Did they not suggest you get 3/4

As often they don't send them back or if changing stuff means you have to wait months for it to be returned till you can send off again for another chnage

QforCucumber · 27/04/2023 15:20

@Blondeshavemorefun nope, tbf they didn't suggest anything - we got married 4 years ago now and have never needed to send it off for anything yet, everywhere has accepted with a scanned copy or my new passport as ID

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 15:21

You are lucky @QforCucumber

I have had to send off for bank accounts - talk talk - council tax - water - driving license to make a few

DontMakeMeShushYou · 27/04/2023 15:24

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 15:14

No time limit

We did it almost 2yrs after getting married

And it's more important if you have kids after getting married - tho we only have mini blondes so not an issue

But if you die

If all goes tits up and your kids don't get on. The more legal one would be the child you had after getting married and if they really wanted to they could contest the will

Show quote history

The article that was linked to earlier (on the solicitor's website) says there is a 3 month time limit. That's what I was going by. Also, there is a time limit of three months from the date of the marriage to re-register the birth.

DontMakeMeShushYou · 27/04/2023 15:28

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 15:21

You are lucky @QforCucumber

I have had to send off for bank accounts - talk talk - council tax - water - driving license to make a few

Most places will accept a photocopy. For more official things, you can get a certified copy - just take it into a solicitor or a bank and they can make a photocopy and certify it for you.
Certifying a document - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Certifying a document

Certify a document as a true copy of the original by getting it signed and dated by a professional person, like a solicitor

https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document

meditrina · 27/04/2023 15:28

Unless you are in the rarefied worlds of titles and their entailed estates, then it doesn't matter at all whether the DC are legitimate, legitimated or illegitimate.

It no longer affects inheritance

ArcticSkewer · 27/04/2023 15:30

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 15:14

No time limit

We did it almost 2yrs after getting married

And it's more important if you have kids after getting married - tho we only have mini blondes so not an issue

But if you die

If all goes tits up and your kids don't get on. The more legal one would be the child you had after getting married and if they really wanted to they could contest the will

Show quote history

That's no longer the case - obviously if the will only names specific children that could cause an issue, but all biological children are treated the same under law.

Ortiguilla · 27/04/2023 15:30

I did it. In order to double barrel the children's names. There's no way in hell I would have given them their dad's surname before we were married!

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 15:49

DontMakeMeShushYou · 27/04/2023 15:24

The article that was linked to earlier (on the solicitor's website) says there is a 3 month time limit. That's what I was going by. Also, there is a time limit of three months from the date of the marriage to re-register the birth.

Show quote history

They say 3mths @DontMakeMeShushYou but we were having letter and phone calls 9/12/15mths after saying we needed to have it done

I asked the registrar and they said reregistering can be done anytime

we did jan or feb this year after nearly 2yrs of marriage

MidgeHardcastle · 27/04/2023 16:00

Last year dp and I had a civil partnership signing after 40 years together and the registrar asked when we wanted to legitimise our children. Bearing in mind that they are all in their 30s, I said (calmly but raging inside) that to shame our children by them knowing that they had previously been 'illegitimate' and would now be allowed to hold their heads up in public as proper citizens was not something that I would ever consider. I ranted on for a bit about it would not being a true reflection of their births etc and the registrar agreed it was outdated but she had to give us all the information.

MidgeHardcastle · 27/04/2023 16:03

Meant to add it was something to do with additional children being born after the marriage and we all had a good laugh about that (we are mid-60s)

Original poster

Darkroot · 27/04/2023 16:23

Hold on… I was supposed to sign their certificates? I’ve just looked the kids ones and neither of us has signed anything, only the registrar.

And agree that I shouldn’t have to change my name on their birth certificates, I wasn’t a Mrs then! It’s like rewriting history.

OP posts:

Needmorelego · 27/04/2023 16:42

@Darkroot I think you do just sign the register not the certificate. The certificate is just a copy for you.
The register is the legal record.
At least - I think 🤷🏻‍♂️

aberlot · 27/04/2023 16:57

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 14:27

Yes we had to do it. Had countless letters and calls about it and could be fined £2😂

Took 20min and mini blondes has new birth certificate saying my married surname now instead of previous surname

Otherwise all the same as she was under daddy's name

Who was calling and sending the letters?

ILookAtTheFloor · 27/04/2023 17:00

We did it. Got married when eldest DD was 3 and re-registered her as a child of the marriage. I can't remember why now aside from our mortgage advisor definitely recommended it and the registrar mentioned it at our wedding.

Notellinganyone · 27/04/2023 17:04

I’ve never heard of this and had my DS a year or so before I got married. It’s never been an issue. Who t9ld you you were supposed to? What happens if you don’t?

Sometherusername · 27/04/2023 17:04

We did a lot of research - I don't remember the details but the jist (gist?) was that there is no legal consequence to not re registering, other than a potential £1 or £2 fine.

I find the whole idea of i/legitimacy pretty offensive, so decided not to bother. Especially as we weren't changing her name.

Sometherusername · 27/04/2023 17:05

(or my name, or his name)

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 17:05

ArcticSkewer · 27/04/2023 15:30

That's no longer the case - obviously if the will only names specific children that could cause an issue, but all biological children are treated the same under law.

Show quote history

are you sure ? Only as we did this earlier this year and last told us it was still needed to be done

even tho will be no more mini extra blonde siblings

Sparklytori · 27/04/2023 17:07

I didn't bother and only questioned it with the registry office when I was divorced and getting remarried! Turns out I didn't have to re register my daughter

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/04/2023 17:07

aberlot · 27/04/2023 16:57

Who was calling and sending the letters?

Show quote history

Im trying to see if can find one. Think I threw them away once we re registered mini blondes in the new year

from birth marriage and deaths

and one from our registry office within 3mths of marrying in 2021 but we never got round to it

then had a phone call

then another letter reminding us