By law, the birth of every child in Saskatchewan must be registered with Vital Statistics within 15 days after the birth. Registration is necessary to establish a permanent legal record of a person's birth. Without registration you cannot obtain a birth certificate.

Persons eligible to register a birth

Registering a birth is the responsibility of:

• The mother of the child, the father of the child, or both
• The other parent when the father is unacknowledged, or either parent is incapable
• The person standing in the place of the parents when both parents are incapable

To register a birth

The parents:

• The mother, the father or both must complete and sign the Registration of Live Birth Form. If neither parent is capable of completing and signing the birth registration, the person standing in place of the parents or any person who has knowledge of the birth of the child, must complete and sign the statutory declaration on the registration form and the declaration must be witnessed by a Notary Public, Justice of the Peace or Commissioner for Oaths.
   
• The child's name must be written entirely in characters of the Roman alphabet. If identifiers such as Junior, Jr., II or III are included in either the given name(s) or surname of the child, those identifier(s) will become part of the child's legal name. A child's surname can contain no more than two names either hyphenated or combined. A child's surname can be any name chosen by the parent(s) and does not have to be the same name as that of either parent. However, a child's surname may be determined by a few other factors.
   
• If the birth occurs in a hospital, the hospital requires the completion of the Registration of Live Birth Form before the mother is discharged. If the birth does not occur in a hospital, the mother and/or father must contact the Vital Statistics office to obtain a Registration of Live Birth Form for completion.

The Hospital:

• The hospital forwards the completed Registration of Live Birth Form to Vital Statistics.

Vital Statistics:

• Once Vital Statistics receives the Registration of Live Birth, the information is checked and verified. Any missing or incorrect information is followed up with the appropriate parties (i.e. the mother, father and/or hospital) for correction. The completed registration is entered into a computer database and the hardcopy registration is permanently filed in our secured facility.
   
• Vital Statistics does not send notification of its receipt of the Registration of Live Birth Form.

There is no fee to register a birth within one year of the date of birth.

The information collected on the Registration of Live Birth Form is collected under the authority of The Vital Statistics Act, 1995. The information provided is necessary to register the birth, produce certificates and provide statistical and demographic information. If you have any questions about the collection and use of this information, contact Vital Statistics at 1-866-275-4721.