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Lone parents

Use our Single Parent forum to speak to other parents raising a child alone.

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Original poster

birth certificate how important is it that the father is named

38 replies

lou222 · 31/07/2008 11:23

i need to register my son's birth but not sure if the father will come with me and whether i need to persuade him to do this?
what implications are there for having him on the birth certificate and not?
I've looked on various websites and rang parentline (who weren't very helpful) .

OP posts:

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Katiekins83 · 01/08/2008 14:30

hello lou222 and all!

i went through tthe same thing except that my ex said he wanted his name on, and i even book ed the apointment around his work and he didnt turn up. i was very angry at the time.

everyone has made really good points to you, but you have to do what is best for you, and if he in the future changes his mind...as my ex has...he now sees DS every other day after not seeing him for the first 2 years of his life...then it can be changed at a later date. the only certificate that will say father unknown on is the one that most people wont see, the main one jusy has mother on it, other is only used when applying for pasport etc, and you have to choose to pay for that one, should you be needing it. also no father on birth cert also means should you apply for a passport for him you would not have to get him to give you his passport details and other personal details about him...making life that little bit easier for you!
regarding maintanence as long as he is aware that he is the father he does not have to be named on there for you to get it, and even if he says he isnt, he will have to pay untill it is proved he is not!
you never know what is around the corner and just do what is best for you and yor DS, and one day you may be as suprised as i was when i got the call from XP to see if he could come and see DS!
take care

nervousal · 01/08/2008 14:37

sorry if this has been answered! A post above said that if his name is on the BC then mum needs to get permission to take child out of country? Since when? How would passport control know who was named on the bc?

RockinSockBunnies · 01/08/2008 18:19

My DD's father was totally uninterested in her - he's never met her and isn't named on the Birth Certificate. On her full certificate it certainly doesn't say "Father Unknown"; there's just a blank space instead. Since DD's father made it blatantly clear that he wanted nothing to do with either of us, I saw no reason for him to be on the Birth Certificate and I certainly didn't want to communicate with him over the issue. He was pursued seperately by the CSA who did a DNA test after he denied paternity. Since he has no involvement whatsoever in DD's life (who is now aged seven), I don't think it will be an issue for her that he isn't on her Birth Certificate. She knows who her father is and has seen photos, but it's not an issue for her as he's never been a part of her life.

VictorianSqualor · 01/08/2008 18:25

Only read OP.
All depends how much you want him involved.
If he is a knob I wouldn't consider it.
If he is named on the certificate he has the right to 50% say in everything(parental responsibility), obviously if you have a decent guy around who will take the responsibility as well as the right , do it, but not if he will use it against you.

VictorianSqualor · 01/08/2008 18:27

nervousal, if the child was born after 2003 the father being named grants him PR and he can say 'No' to anything he wants.

gillybean2 · 01/08/2008 21:53

He can't say no to anything he wants. That is rubbish. He can ask for information from doctor, school etc that allow him to fulfill his responsibilities as a parent. And if there are disagreements about the what is best for the child he can go to court over it. But a resident parent can take the child abroad on holiday for up to 28 days without the non resident parents permission. He could complain if it infringed on his parenting time, but in all likelyhood the court would regard the holiday as being of benefit to the child and the child would go.

Passport office only want to know when there is a court order in place. No court order no need to inform them of anything.

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 01/08/2008 22:03

here see the bit about accompanying the child out of the country?

the law changed re all children born after dec 1st 2003. he would have paretal responsibility and he would be able to say to to choice of schooling, religion, holidays etc.

4andnotout · 01/08/2008 22:10

Just a quickie to say i have no fathers name on my birth certificate and i have never worried about it, my dd1 has no name on hers.

VictorianSqualor · 02/08/2008 09:05

gillybean, he can say No. He may have to fight it in court but he can still say No.

DD's dad doesn't have PR, but DS's dad(same man, one before 2003 one after) does. He ahsn't seen them in about 6 months, and only then because I took them to his sister's son's birthday party. DD has asked to change her surname, which I have done legally with no issue, but if I want to do DS's I have to take him to court as he can say 'No' and I can't do it without his permission.

yama · 02/08/2008 09:33

Must be different in Scotland Lou. My dd's birth certificate has a dash under Father's Name and Father's Occupation.

I don't think it will affect her self esteem or bother her when she is older. She is almost three and I have many reasons for believing this.

Loriycs · 02/08/2008 22:47

havnt read all the tread as getting tired now, but i think you can only name the father in his absence if you are married to him. I dont think 'father unknown' is still put on birth certs, i may be wrong but i'd be very surprised in this day and age. My children have two versions of their birth certs. The free one issued doesnt state parents details on it anyway, only the longer one that you pay for.So you could just opt for the basic one. Ive never even used the long versions anyway. Hope that helps.

Trafficcone · 02/08/2008 22:55

They do NOT say Father unknown!!! The space is blank! My Ds1 has a long and short birth cert. Short doesn't actually mention parents at all and the long one has nothing written in the father boxes.

kiddiz · 03/08/2008 00:00

You need a full birth certificate to get your first passport now. I had to get them for my 3 dcs to get passports when we went abroad for the first time with them last year. You don't need a full certificate if you are just renewing your passport only for your first passport and they won't accept the short version

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