Should I put him on the birth certificate?

[Issymae5]

What are the implications of not putting the baby's father down on the birth certificate?

The baby won't have documented proof of who their father is.

Why are you considering this?

I am not a lawyer but my understanding is that assuming you are not married / in a civil partnership, if the father is not on the birth certificate, then he doesn't automatically have parental responsibility. This means he doesn't get a say in things like where you live, the child's education, healthcare, can't stop you travelling abroad etc. Some countries will only let you enter with a letter from the childs father. It can be helpful in the event of abusive relationships / circumstances where you think the father isn't going to play a role in the child's life.

That doesn't mean he can't acquire parental responsibility - if you left him off the birth certificate, he could go to court, do a paternity test and be subsequently added to the birth certificate / given parental responsibility. Only you know whether he is going to be motivated to do this.

You could ask MNHQ to move this to the Legal board for more specific comments.

Parental responsibility. He has no say over issues like education, religion and where you live.

He can apply to the court to be added to the birth certificate.

It has no bearing on child support. You can still apply via cms

In addition to parental responsibility, there's also the issue of the child's surname. Whether or not you allow the father to add his name to the BC, use your surname.

If you are not married, the father has to be present to have his name added to the BC. If you are married, your husband is automatically assumed to be the father and can register the birth without the mother present, as far as I recall.

Whether you allow the father's name to be entered depends on the status of your relationship.