Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Does anyone know what happens if you don't name the father on a birth certificate UK

29 replies

magicstarlove · 28/07/2020 22:13

From my google searches I've seen it's not illegal but other sources say a £200 fine

For my own reason I don't really want to share I do not want this person on the birth certificate, he most likely would not show up to register the baby anyway

What would happen if I put unknown. There's hundreds of texts in my phone talking about having a baby together that's the only thing

OP posts:
CyberNan · 28/07/2020 22:18

as far as I am aware its not illegal to not name the father, however every child has a right to know who their dad is so you may want to consider that...

Ponoka7 · 28/07/2020 22:19

You can't name someone who isn't with you, if you aren't married. It isn't recorded as not known anymore, because of the change in law.

The £200 fine is when someone deliberately gives false information, as in having another man go and register with them etc.

Leflic · 28/07/2020 22:21

Depends if you are married or not.
If not there’s no need to put a father on it. In fact the advice is not to. It’s makes life harder down the line if you don’t get on. Just tell your child who their dad is. You don’t need him to have Parental Responsibility ( which he will have if his names on it) which means he can stop you travelling or has the right to be involved at school.
If you aren’t married he will need to turn up at registration to put his name on. You can’t just put a name on.There’s no “unknown“!

I think if you’re married it’s assumed and you need to name him.

Boom45 · 28/07/2020 22:23

If you arent married and you go to register the birth alone you cant name him, whether you want to or not.

NotOdd · 28/07/2020 22:23

Literally nothing.

And as PP says you can’t name someone who hasn’t given permission anyway.

It’s all here...

www.gov.uk/register-birth/who-can-register-a-birth

NC4Now · 28/07/2020 22:24

If you’re not married and he isn’t there when you register it just gets left blank.

indemMUND · 28/07/2020 22:27

If he's not there with you then can't be put on. It's not illegal. He can take it to court to be named on it though.

Thistly · 28/07/2020 22:33

Is it not the case that if a father does not have his name on the birth certificate, he has to go through a process to have parental responsibility recognised?

TeacupDrama · 28/07/2020 22:34

as people say for a Father to be on birth certificate he has to be your husband, ( it is automatically assumed if you are married that husband is Father) if unmarried the alternative is that the father must attend with you at the registrar's office to be named as father, giving false information is obviously a crime but you can't put any name in the father space,
however the Father can apply to the courts both for parental responsibility and to be named on birth certificate this may require a DNA test

Breastfeedingworries · 28/07/2020 22:37

My dds dad isn’t on the birth certificate. I’m sort of avoiding it as don’t want him to have PR however in fairness he pays through Csa, sees her every week ect and is a dad in every way.

Eventually I’ll put him on...he brings it up then forgets about it ect.

PuntoEBasta · 28/07/2020 22:44

It is possible to name the father on the birth certificate even if you are unmarried and he is not present, but it is not straightforward: you have to get a declaration of parentage and have it formally notarised.

Naming the father on the birth certificate gives him parental responsibility. Frankly if he can’t be bothered to attend a short registration meeting I wouldn’t go to the hassle of naming him in absentia. There are options available to him if he decides that he wishes to take responsibility later.

TheSunnySide · 05/08/2020 15:13

You can’t name a father in absentia unless you have a DNA certificate as proof IIRC.
If you don’t name them but they do have evidence through a DNA test then they can apply to be put on to the certificate at a later date and will have PR meaning that so Long as they produce the evidence they can, for example, ask the child’s school to include them in any correspondence or send copies of reports etc.

mosquitofeast · 05/08/2020 15:15

nothing happens. In fact, you can't , unless he is there and agrees

TheSunnySide · 05/08/2020 15:16

Sorry - just to add...unless you are married and then you can.

lyralalala · 05/08/2020 15:25

The fine is deliberately giving wrong information.

So if you take someone else along and name them specifically to stop the actual father having their name on then there's a chance you'll be fined.

Not putting the father on is fine. You can't name him without him being there unless you are married; just as he can't register the birth alone if you are not married.

He can go to court and have a declaration of parentage added to the birth certificate if he's willing to go down that road of court and wants PR.

Lifeisabeach09 · 05/08/2020 15:38

As PP have said, there is no fine.

It is also a lot easier (for travelling, official documents such as passport, etc) in not having the father named on the birth certificate if you are likely to have a poor relationship or he is likely to become absent. (I know this from experience!)

Bluntness100 · 05/08/2020 15:42

Op as said, if you’re not married you can’t name him unless he goes with you to confirm.

Is the reason you don’t want him on the certificate due to a safe guarding issue? If it’s not, and it’s about your relationship with him, think through what’s best for the child who has a right to know their father and will ha e father unknown on the certificate. It’s starting with a lie

I’d also say he can ask a court to force it, you can’t deny paternal rights.

Lifeisabeach09 · 05/08/2020 15:51

what’s best for the child who has a right to know their father and will ha e father unknown on the certificate. It’s starting with a lie.

Nonsense. Firstly, father 'unknown' is no longer written down. It's left blank. Secondly, a child can still know their father without him being on the official documents and, if the DF is likely to be in and out or fully absent, it would be unwise to put him on it.

Bluntness100 · 05/08/2020 15:55

@Lifeisabeach09

what’s best for the child who has a right to know their father and will ha e father unknown on the certificate. It’s starting with a lie.

Nonsense. Firstly, father 'unknown' is no longer written down. It's left blank. Secondly, a child can still know their father without him being on the official documents and, if the DF is likely to be in and out or fully absent, it would be unwise to put him on it.

Oh for goodness sake, don’t argue semantics, ok it will be a blank space. And let’s face it thr op doesn’t come across like she’s looking to develop a relationship between the child and their father.

And as said, the op has to decide if this is about their relationship or her perception of his ability as a parent. That’s not clear. If she’s trying to punish him for whatever happened in their relationship or if she is aware of a safeguarding issue.

You don’t know, I don’t know, only she knows. And only one thing is clear and that’s she needs to put the child first, be it in leaving him off or putting him on.

laudete · 05/08/2020 16:00

If you're not married and he doesn't turn up to register the baby with you, it is illegal for you to put his name on the certificate. You will not be fined. If he ever gets his act together, he'll have to apply via the courts in the usual manner. Maybe he'll then regret not taking the time to show up. But, you will still have done nothing wrong.

MsAwesomeDragon · 05/08/2020 16:02

You can't name him on the birth certificate unless you are married to him or he goes with you to register the birth.

Literally nothing happens if it's only you named on the BC. It happens all the time!!

Musereader · 05/08/2020 16:10

My DD's father is not on the birth certificate. Nothing happens.

As we were not married he had to be present. He was with me when I booked it, he was aware of it the day before, he was called 3 times and messaged twice before the appointment. He knew exactly when and where it was. It is all his own fault that he could not attend an appointment at 3:30 in a town 20 minutes away because he slept in.

LaGoulueRevenue · 05/08/2020 16:23

One of mine has a blank space on their birth certificate. Nothing happens.
If the father is bothered, then he could get a court order easily enough to be named on it. Few men who surprise, surprise. As the ones who are bothered tend to show up for a simple appointment.
Anyway: whatever your circumstances, nothing happens as you're not in the wrong in any way.

LaGoulueRevenue · 05/08/2020 16:23

Few men do*

Leflic · 05/08/2020 16:40

think through what’s best for the child who has a right to know their father and will ha e father unknown on the certificate.

FFS. Bollocks. There’s no “ unknown” ? Nothing to stop the mother telling her child who there father is. How many times have you looked at your birth certificate to confirm your fathers name? Far better to claim maintenance through the CMS who do a DNA test if the named father is unhappy being named.

The birth certificate gives Parental Responsibility to the named parties. Which is lovely until you realise it doesn’t mean they have to literally take responsibility but it can hinder your child getting a passport, you can’t take them out of the country if the other person objects and you have make a case for no involving them even if they are behaving against the child’s best interests.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.