Registration of Births
The birth registration must be completed at the time of birth and remain with the hospital where the child was born. The hospital will forward the document to Vital Statistics for processing. The birth registration must be sent to the Vital Statistics office within 10 days of the date of the child's birth and only under special circumstances can the parent(s) mail the registration directly to Vital Statistics.
The Registration of Birth form is a permanent legal record of the birth event therefore it is very important that it be completed fully and accurately as the information recorded on the Registration of Birth is used to produce birth certificates.
Parents of a newborn child have various options when choosing the child's last name. Some restrictions may apply. Refer to Choosing a Last Name for Your Child for further information.
Once a birth is legally registered, corrections or amendments may only be completed with the appropriate documentation and affidavits. If an amendment is requested within 90 days from the date of the event (birth, marriage, death, stillbirth) there is no fee. However, after 90 days, a $20.00 government fee will be applied.
When you register your newborn’s birth, you have the option to apply for your child’s Social Insurance Number (SIN) as well as the Canada child benefits (CCB) at the same time. These are referred to as the Newborn Registration Service and the Automated Benefits Application (ABA).
Newborn Registration Service: applying for your child’s SIN
A SIN is required to access various Albertan and Canadian government benefits and programs such as the Registered Education Savings Plan, the Canada Learning Bond and the Canada Education Savings Grant and the Alberta Centennial Education Savings Plan Program. Information about the federal programs can be obtained at the CanLearn website (external site). Information about the Alberta Centennial Education Savings Plan can be found at Aces Plan or by calling 1-866-515-ACES (2237). To apply for your child's SIN, simply add your signature in the "request for a Social Insurance Number for my Child" section found at the bottom of the Registration of Birth form.
The information for your child’s SIN application will be sent to Service Canada over a secure network after the birth has been registered. There is no fee for the application.
To use this service to apply for your child’s SIN, you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. If you do not meet these eligibility requirements, you may still be eligible to apply for your child’s SIN, but will need to apply directly to Service Canada.
Further information about the Newborn Registration Service can be obtained at the Service Canada website (external site).
Automated Benefits Application: applying for Canada child benefits for your child
Canada child benefits include federal and provincial child tax benefit programs for your newborn. Specifically, Canada child tax benefit (CCTB), the universal child care benefit (UCCB), the GST/HST credit and the Alberta family employment tax credit (AFETC) are part of CCB. To apply for CCB for your child, the mother can record her SIN number and signature in the “Request for Canada Child Benefits for my Child” section found at the bottom of the Registration of Birth form. When completed, this is considered the CCB application for your child.
The information for the CCB application will be sent to the Canada Revenue Agency over a secure network after the birth has been registered. There is no fee for the application.
To use this service to apply for CCB, you must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Only the birth mother may apply for CCB. If you do not meet these eligibility requirements, you may still be eligible to apply for CCB, but you will need to apply directly to Canada Revenue Agency.
Further information about the Automated Benefits Application can be obtained at the Canada Revenue Agency (external site).
Note: both the NRS and ABA services are only available when registering a child's birth under the age of one.
