Fillable Printable Idaho Birth Registration Form
Fillable Printable Idaho Birth Registration Form
Idaho Birth Registration Form
BIRTH REGISTRATION
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. Filing Requirement
A Certificate of Live Birth must be filed for each live birth occurring within this state,
by the attending physician or other person in attendance, even if the infant lives for
only a very short period of time. The certificate is to be filed with the Local Registrar
of the county in which the birth occurred, or as otherwise directed by the State
Registrar, within fifteen (15) days of the date of birth.
If an infant is delivered and shows any evidence of life, at any gestational age, and
subsequently dies, both a Certificate of Live Birth and a Certificate of Death must be
filed by the respective responsible parties.
“Live birth” means the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product
of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, which, after such
expulsion or extraction, breathes, or shows any other evidence of life such as
beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of
voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is
attached. [Idaho Code §39-241(10) ]
The current version (at the time of birth) of the Idaho Certificate of Live Birth is to be
completed and filed. A sample of the certificate currently in use is available online at
Vital Records and Health Statistics.
The hospital or person responsible must complete the birth certificate and obtain the
signature of the certifier and a parent. If applicable, they must also obtain a
completed Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit or a certified copy of a court
determination of paternity. The certificate and paternity affidavit or court
determination (when applicable) must be filed with the Local Registrar or as
otherwise instructed. Signatures must be affixed to the live birth certificate when birth
did not occur in a hospital or freestanding birthing center. The signed medical record
and worksheet will suffice when the birth occurs in a hospital or freestanding birthing
center.
Once the Local Registrar has accepted a certificate for filing, the original birth
certificate along with the paternity affidavit, when applicable, is to be forwarded by
the Local Registrar, within 5 working days, to Vital Statistics in the supplied
postage-paid envelopes. A copy of the birth certificate shall be retained by the Local
Registrar for 3 years.
(With implementation of the Electronic Birth Certificate (EBC) system, most hospital
completed birth certificates are filed directly with Vital Statistics.)
B. Purpose
Facts about the birth of a child are important in several ways:
A birth certificate proves date of birth for:
Entrance to school
Proof of age for athletics
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Permit to work or enter business
Right to drive a car
Right to vote
Right to marry
Right to enter or be exempt from military service
Settlement of pensions
Social Security benefits
A birth certificate proves place of birth for:
Establishing citizenship
Securing passports
Military clearance
Security purposes
A birth certificate proves facts of birth for:
Social Security card for tax purposes
Proving parentage
Inheritance of property
Legal dependency
Employment requirement under Immigration law
Genealogy (tracing ancestry)
Establishing identity
A birth certificate provides statistics for:
Risk factors –vs.- outcome
Teen pregnancy
C. Unreported Births
If the Local Registrar should learn of an unrecorded birth, they should contact the
person responsible for reporting the birth. Any problems encountered in obtaining a
complete certificate should be referred to the State Registrar.
D. Home Births
Births occurring at home or other location (not in or en route to a hospital or birthing
center) are to have a birth certificate prepared and filed, within 15 days of the date of
birth, by the physician, midwife, or other person in attendance at or immediately after
the birth.
The birth certificate must be signed (original signature) by both the certifier and the
parent or legal guardian. Additional evidence of the birth may be required by the
State Registrar, along with the birth certificate, when an infant is delivered at home or
other location (not in or en route to an institution). The Local Registrar should help
prepare the certificate by typing in as much information as is available. Do not give
out a blank certificate unless it is to a person on the Vital Statistics approved
midwife list. Contact Vital Statistics at (208) 334-5984 to verify midwife status. Allow
the person (after making a file copy) to take the certificate, if necessary, in order to
obtain the required signatures, but make sure the signed certificate is returned for
filing within a reasonable length of time. The birth certificate is, by law, to be filed
within 15 days of birth along with a properly completed, notarized, original
Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit or a certified copy of a court determination of
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paternity, when applicable.
Instructions on completing the Certificate of Live Birth for a birth that occurs outside a
hospital or freestanding birthing center are available online at
http://vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov
E. Births Occurring in a Moving Conveyance
Births occurring in a moving conveyance are to be recorded as having occurred at
the place where the baby was first removed from the conveyance.
F. Foundlings
A "Certificate of Live Birth--Foundling" is to be filed for each child of unknown
parentage within fifteen (15) days of being found. Since the parentage is not known
(should not be known), a foundling birth certificate must be placed on file for a child
abandoned under the Idaho Safe Haven Act. The certificate is to be completed and
filed by the person assuming custody of the child. The certificate is acceptable for all
uses in lieu of a normal birth certificate. The State Registrar should be notified
immediately in the event of an abandoned child, since this is uncommon and
requires special instructions for filing of a birth certificate.
A sample copy of the Certificate of Live Birth--Foundling is available online at
www.vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov.
G. Late and Delayed Birth Registration
The Local Registrar may accept for registration a Certificate of Live Birth any time
within one (1) year of the date of birth unless instructed otherwise by Vital Statistics.
Births must be filed on the most recent revision of the certificate.
All births registered one (1) year or more after the date of birth are to be registered
directly with the State Registrar as delayed filings on a "Delayed Certificate of Birth"
form. All inquiries and correspondence regarding registration of births one (1) year or
more after the date of birth must be referred to Vital Statistics at (208) 334-6538.
The procedure followed by Vital Statistics in handling delayed birth registration is
found in Idaho Code §39-278 and in the departmental rules (IDAPA 16.02.08.650
).
Idaho Code §39-267 and Idaho Code §39-278 provides more information regarding
court ordered delayed registration of birth.
II. VITAL STATISTICS PROCEDURES
A. Birth Notification
After screening and processing of the live birth certificates, they are permanently
filed with Vital Statistics. This office notifies the parents through a verification letter,
which includes an abstract of the birth information, that the birth has been registered.
The verification letter shows only selected information from the birth certificate, most
of which is necessary for legal purposes, including the child’s full name, sex, date of
birth, birthplace, names of parents, etc. The letters are not certified copies of the birth
certificate and cannot be used as legal documents.
The parents are asked to check the accuracy and completeness of the information
appearing on the verification letter. Instructions for correcting errors and a correction
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affidavit are included as part of the letter. Other pertinent information on
immunizations is enclosed with the verification letter.
A birth verification letter is not sent to the parent(s) if a question on paternity exists or
if the child is to be adopted.
The certificate request form for ordering a certified copy of the birth certificate is
located at http://vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov.The Fee Schedule for obtaining
documents and services from Vital Statistics is also located at
http://vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov.
B. Correction of Birth Certificates
A person wishing to correct a birth certificate that has been registered with Vital
Statistics should be referred to Vital Statistics at (208) 334-5990. Issues on
paternity should be referred to the Vital Statistics Paternity Specialist at (208) 334-
5990.
Note: Care should be taken when completing any correction affidavit.
The correction affidavit is available online at http://vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov
AN ITEM CAN BE CORRECTED ONLY ONE TIME
Once an item has been amended, it cannot be amended again except upon receipt
of a court order from an Idaho court. The procedure followed by Vital Statistics in
handling court ordered amendments is found in Idaho Code §39-278.
----The requirements for correcting a birth certificate are as follows:
(Please note: The following instructions do not apply in all cases, depending on
circumstances and/or any previous actions taken.)
Less than one year from the date of the event:
An incorrect item on a Certificate of Live Birth may be corrected/amended with a
completed, notarized correction affidavit. The affidavit must:
1. Identify the certificate to be corrected,
2. Include the incorrect information as it is listed on the certificate,
3. State the correct information as it should appear,
4. Be signed by one or both parents or the child’s legal guardian, when
applicable (depending on the circumstances).
- Either parent may sign to correct minor spelling or typing errors
- Both parents must sign to change or add a child’s name (If the father is
not listed only the mother’s signature is necessary.)
Documentation to support the requested amendment is required to change the time
of birth, date of birth or sex of the child.
Supporting documentation may also be required for other minor corrections.
One year but less than seven years from the date of the event
A completed correction affidavit (as noted above in the instructions for less that one
year) is required along with one or more documents that support the requested
amendment.
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The addition of a child’s given name(s) on the birth certificate, when only a surname
is listed, requires only a notarized affidavit signed by both parents. If the father is not
listed, only the mother’s signature is necessary.
Seven years and more from the date of the event
A completed correction affidavit (as noted above in the instructions for less that one
year) is required along with one or more dated document(s) that support the
requested amendment. A document dated within the first year of birth may be
required.
Paternity
The correction procedures listed above cannot be used to add or remove a father’s
name or to list a different father.
An Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit form may be completed in order to add a
father’s name (mother - not married) or to list the biological father when the husband
is not the biological father (mother - married). This affidavit may be completed prior
to or after the birth.
A sample Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit form is available online at
www.vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov.
Issues on paternity should be referred to the Vital Statistics Paternity and Adoption
Specialist at Vital Statistics at 334-5990.
C. Legitimation
When a child born out-of-wedlock has been legitimated by the subsequent marriage
of the child's natural parents, the original birth certificate can be replaced to show the
information as it would have been shown if the parents had been married at the time
the child was born. The requirements to replace the original birth certificate are a
notarized "paternity and subsequent marriage" affidavit completed and signed by the
father and mother acknowledging him to be the natural father of the child and a
certified copy of the parents' marriage certificate.
All correspondence pertaining to legitimation should be sent to Vital Statistics. All
amendment procedures of this nature are to be conducted by Vital Statistics.
D. Registration of Notice of Commencement of Paternity Proceedings
(Referred to as the Putative Father Registry.)
Vital Statistics maintains a Putative Father Registry for fathers of children born out-
of-wedlock who wish to claim rights of paternity. The registry enables fathers of
children born out-of-wedlock to declare their paternal rights and intent to support the
child to the best of their ability. More information can be obtained from Vital
Statistics.
A copy of the registration form and information on the registry is available online at
http://vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov
E. Abandoned Child Registry
A parent of a child surrendered to a Safe Haven who wants to claim parental rights
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must file a notice of claim of parental rights with Vital Statistics before a court order
is entered terminating parental rights. Forms for this registration are available at the
office of the county clerk in every county in Idaho and from Vital Statistics.
A copy of the Abandoned Child Registry form is available online at
http://vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov.
F. Adoption
The Clerk of the District Court having jurisdiction over an adoption is required by law
to send to Vital Statistics a certified Certificate of Adoption. A new birth certificate is
prepared upon request of the attorney or adopting parents for children born in Idaho.
The new birth certificate lists the adopting parents and when applicable, the child’s
new name. The original birth certificate and adoption documents are sealed in a file
in Vital Statistics and can only be opened by an order from an Idaho court, except
as provided for in Idaho Code §39-259A(f), which pertains to the Voluntary Adoption
Registry.
A birth certificate for a foreign born child who was adopted in Idaho may be placed
on file when requested and appropriate documentation is provided.
G. Voluntary Adoption Registry
Vital Statistics maintains a confidential Voluntary Adoption Registry
for individuals
such as an adoptee (born in Idaho) or their birth parent(s) who wish to be known to
the other party(ies). More information can be obtained from Vital Statistics.
A copy of the Voluntary Adoption Registry form is available online at
http://vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov.
III. REVIEW AND SCREENING
A. General Guidelines
The Certificate of Live Birth must be legibly completed using a typewriter with good
black ribbon and clean keys, a computer printer with high resolution, or by printing
neatly and legibly using permanent, unfading black ink. Certificates completed in
other colored ink or pencil is not acceptable.
The current version (at the time of birth) of the Idaho Certificate of Live Birth is to be
completed and filed. A certificate that is prepared on an improper form, is a photo or
carbon copy, or is defaced will be rejected.
All items must be completed or the reason for their omission explained. Entries such
as "unknown," "not available," or a dash “-” may be given when appropriate.
A certificate that is incomplete, contains improper or inconsistent data, lined-through
information, excessive white out, messy alterations, or erasures is not acceptable.
When a birth occurs outside a hospital or freestanding birthing center, the certifier
and one parent must personally sign the birth certificate in black or dark blue ink;
other colored ink, pencil, rubber stamps, or facsimile signatures are not acceptable.
When a birth occurs in or en route to a hospital or freestanding birthing center, the
name of the certifier and the name of the parent may be typed on the birth certificate
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in place of the signatures; the actual signatures must be on the medical record and
worksheet kept at the birthing facility.
If the mother was married at birth, conception, or any time between [see item #14 of
How To Complete a Birth Certificate], the husband must be listed as the father.
If the mother was not married at birth, conception, or any time between [see item #14
of How to Complete a Birth Certificate], the natural father’s information can be listed
only when a properly completed original Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit or
certified copy of a court determination of paternity is filed with the birth certificate;
otherwise, the father’s information must be blank.
A sample copy of the paternity affidavit is available online at
www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.
Upon receipt of a birth certificate, the Local Registrar must screen the form
thoroughly. The certificate should be accepted for filing only if it is complete and
appears accurate. If the certificate meets all requirements, the Local Registrar will
accept the certificate for filing. A file copy is to be made by the Local Registrar and
the original birth certificate forwarded to Vital Statistics.
The Local Registrar should forward the birth certificate to Vital Statistics for
permanent filing within 5 working days from the date the accepted certificate is
received for filing.
The Local Registrar does not enter a local registrar number, signature, or date on the
Certificate of Live Birth
.
The Local Registrar should make a copy of all unacceptable birth certificates prior to
returning the certificate to the hospital or certifier and place the copy in a tickler file
for any needed follow up. The hospital or certifier must file a satisfactory replacement
of a rejected certificate within a reasonable time.
No corrections or additions to the legal (top front) portion of the certificate are to be
made by the Local Registrar. The Local Registrar may make additions to the
statistical (lower and back) portion of the certificate if the additions are few (for
example, to add birth weight) and the information has been obtained from the
appropriate person (hospital or certifier). In most cases, however, it is preferable that
the certificate be returned to the hospital or certifier for correction. The Local
Registrar must make sure that all returned certificates are re-filed within a
reasonable time.
If a Local Registrar receives a certificate for a birth that occurred in another
registration district, the certificate should immediately be forwarded to the
appropriate Local Registrar.
Note: If the certificate is not acceptable for filing, a file copy should be made
and the original certificate returned to the hospital or certifier for completion.
The hospital or certifier should also be given the name and address of the
appropriate Local Registrar with which to file the completed certificate. The
Local Registrar for that county should be sent a file copy and notified of the
action.) A record of this action should also be kept by the initial Local
Registrar.
A current listing of Local Registrars is available online at
http://www.vitalrecords.dhw.idaho.gov.
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Do not attach sticky notes to certificates on top of the typed information; the ink may
lift off when the note is removed.
B. Helpful Resources
The instructions for completion of every item on the Certificate of Live Birth
can be found in the additional reference guide titled How to Complete a Birth
Certificate.
Please contact Vital Statistics
, registration or field staff, with any problems,
questions or concerns regarding completion of the Certificate of Live Birth.
Updated 6/10/13
