Births and Deaths Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 1976

[F1 Registration of father where parents not married [F2 or civil partners] N.I.

14.— (1) This Article applies in the case of a child whose father and mother were not married to [F3 , or civil partners of,] each other at the time of his birth[F4 and subject to Article 14A].

(2) The father of the child shall not as such be under any duty to give any information under this Part concerning the birth of the child.

(3) A registrar shall not enter the name of any person as the father of the child in such a case unless—

(a) the mother and the person stating himself to be the father of the child jointly request him to do so [F5 in the prescribed manner]; or

(b) the mother requests him to do so and produces—

(i) a declaration in the prescribed form made by her stating that that person is the father of the child; and

(ii) a statutory declaration made by that person stating himself to be the father of the child; or

(c) that person requests him to do so and produces—

(i) a declaration in the prescribed form by that person stating himself to be the father of the child; and

(ii) a statutory declaration made by the mother stating that that person is the father of the child; or

(d) the mother or that person requests him to do so and produces—

(i) a copy of a parental responsibility agreement made between them in relation to the child; and

(ii) a declaration in the prescribed form by the person making the request stating that the agreement was made in compliance with Article 7 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 and has not been brought to an end by an order of a court; or

(e) the mother or that person requests him to do so and produces—

(i) a certified copy of an order under Article 7 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 giving that person parental responsibility for the child; and

(ii) a declaration in the prescribed form by the person making the request stating that the order has not been brought to an end by an order of a court; or

(f) the mother or that person requests him to do so and produces—

(i) a certified copy of an order under paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 which requires that person to make any financial provision for the child and which is not an order falling within paragraph 5(3) of that Schedule; and

(ii) a declaration in the prescribed form by the person making the request stating that the order has not been discharged by an order of a court; or

(g) the mother or that person requests him to do so and produces—

(i) a certified copy of any of the orders which are mentioned in paragraph (4) which has been made in relation to the child; and

(ii) a declaration in the prescribed form by the person making the request stating that the order has not been brought to an end or discharged by an order of a court.

(4) The orders are—

(a) an order under section 5A of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1886 giving that person custody of the child;

(b) an order under the Illegitimate Children (Affiliation Orders) Act (Northern Ireland) 1924 adjudging that person to be the putative father of the child.

(5) Where a person stating himself to be the father of the child makes a request to the registrar in accordance with any of sub-paragraphs (c) to (g) of paragraph (3)—

(a) that person shall be treated as a qualified informant concerning the birth of the child for the purposes of this Part; and

(b) on the giving of the required information concerning the birth of the child by that person [F6 in the prescribed manner] every other qualified informant shall cease to be under the duty imposed by Article 10(4).

[F7 (6) This Article shall not apply to the registration of a still-birth.]]

F1 1995 NI 2

F2 Words in art. 14 heading inserted (13.1.2020) by The Marriage (Same-sex Couples) and Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1514), regs. 1(2), 22(3)(a) (with regs. 6-9)

F3 Words in art. 14(1) inserted (13.1.2020) by The Marriage (Same-sex Couples) and Civil Partnership (Opposite-sex Couples) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/1514), regs. 1(2), 22(3)(b) (with regs. 6-9)

F4 2003 c.24

F5 Words in art. 14(3)(a) substituted (16.11.2012) by Civil Registration Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 20), ss. 4(2), 34; S.R. 2012/406, art. 2, Sch.

F6 Words in art. 14(5)(b) substituted (16.11.2012) by Civil Registration Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 20), ss. 4(3), 34; S.R. 2012/406, art. 2, Sch.

F7 Art. 14(6) added (3.10.2011) by Civil Registration Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (c. 20), ss. 6(1), 34; S.R. 2011/323, art. 2(c)