Registration of Births Act, 1996

Particulars required concerning births registered or re-registered after commencement of Act.

1.—(1) The registration of a birth registered, after the commencement of this Act, under—

(a) the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1863 to 1994,

(b) section 6 of the Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 1960 , or

(c) section 4 of the Garda Síochána Act, 1989 ,

shall comprise information of the particulars concerning such birth specified in the Schedule to this Act.

(2) The re-registration of a birth re-registered, after the commencement of this Act, under—

(a) the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1863 to 1994, or

(b) the Legitimacy Act, 1931 ,

shall comprise information of the particulars concerning such birth specified in the Schedule to this Act.

(3) When the birth of any child is being registered, after the commencement of this Act, under any of the enactments mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, the surname of the child to be entered in the register shall be, subject to any necessary linguistic modifications—

(a) that of the mother or father of the child as shown in the register or of both, or

(b) such other surname requested by either the mother or father as an tÁrd Chláraitheoir or a person authorised by him or her may permit if he or she is satisfied that the circumstances so warrant, or

(c) in any case where no information of the particulars of parentage of the child is registered, such surname as the informant may specify.

(4) When the birth of any child is being re-registered, after the commencement of this Act, under any of the enactments mentioned in subsection (2) of this section, being a birth which has been registered after the commencement of this Act, the surname of the child shall be that which has been so registered.

(5) The following provisions do not apply to the particulars specified in the Schedule to this Act—

(a) section 6 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Ireland) Act, 1863,

(b) section 34 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland), 1880, and

(c) section 5 of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1972 .

(6) Section 1 (4) of the Legitimacy Act, 1931 , does not apply where the entry in the register relating to the birth to be re-registered, being either—

(a) a registration under section 7 (inserted by section 49 of the Status of Children Act, 1987 ), or

(b) a re-registration under section 7A (inserted by the said section 49),

of the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland), 1880, is made, after the commencement of this Act, and which contains the name of the father of the child.

(7) This section does not affect the registration or re-registration of any birth which has been registered or re-registered, as the case may be, before the commencement of this Act.