A birth certificate is an irreplaceable document for various occasions that must be carefully stored. But, various situations may arise when a child’s birth certificate is lost: it may be stolen along with a bag, accidentally left in a crowded place, torn, destroyed along with other property due to a fire, flood, military action, etc.
In this case, it is possible to issue a duplicate. What should parents do and where should they go if their child’s birth certificate is lost? What procedure should be followed to restore it? We invite you to read the instructions for obtaining a duplicate certificate.
When to apply for a birth certificate renewal
The need to restore a birth certificate may arise if it:
- damaged (torn, part missing, etc.);
- became dilapidated;
- stolen, lost;
- laminated (some parents laminate the entire document in order to prevent deterioration, while this is unacceptable and automatically renders it unusable);
- has become unreadable (text, details, government agency seal or signature are not visible).
If one parent does not give the document to the other
Due to family conflicts and other reasons, one parent hides or simply does not give evidence to the other. The second parent can order a duplicate from the registry office - this is permitted by law, but the reason for the application will need to indicate “other circumstances for which it is impossible to use.” Both original and duplicate will be valid upon presentation.
What to do if the registry office refuses
If the registry office refuses, you must ask for the refusal to be formalized in writing. Based on this document, they go to court at the place of registration of the applicant. The court must establish the identity of the person who needs a duplicate birth certificate. The law does not provide for a specific form for such statements, so it is advisable to ask specialists in the court office to help with the formulation. Any documents that contain a photograph can be used as documents confirming the identity of an adult:
- driver's license;
- military ID;
- educational documents;
- personal file of the student at the educational institution;
- volunteer personal book;
- expired documents;
- accreditation card;
- donor book, etc.
A service pass can become one of the identity documents
It is important that a person can be identified from the photograph: the photo should not be old and clearly visible. One document cannot serve as confirmation; there must be several. In addition, you can apply for a fingerprint examination and requests to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. For example, a man had a criminal record. Through a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was possible to identify the person.
You can also bring a witness (for example, a brother). He will also be able to provide some documents. The state fee for filing such a claim will be 200 rubles. After 30 days, the court will issue a ruling, which must be submitted to the registry office, and a certificate will be issued on its basis.
If we are talking about restoring a child’s birth certificate, the parent only needs to present a mark in the passport, this is confirmation of the child’s identity.
Reasons for refusal
There are two main reasons for refusing to accept an application:
- The applicant does not have the right to receive repeated certificates and other documents from the civil registry office.
- The documents submitted by the applicant do not meet the requirements imposed on them by regulatory legal acts.
Where to contact
- Civil Registry Office - it is better to submit an application for a duplicate to the branch of the Civil Registry Office where the original copy was issued.
- An application for a duplicate can be submitted through the government services website.
- MFCs are multifunctional centers for receiving applications/issuing documents.
What to do if parents have lost their birth certificate in another city?
- Then, if it is not possible to come to your previous place of residence, you can contact the department at your current place of residence - they will make a request to the city where the birth record is stored.
- There is another option: send an application for a duplicate by mail to the department where the original was issued. You will receive a repeated certificate in the registry office department that you indicate in the application, that is, at your new place of residence.
At the moment, a unified civil registry office database is being launched throughout the country, so soon it will be possible to contact any civil registry office branch to obtain a duplicate.
Advantages of contacting the MFC
In terms of procedure, this authority does not differ from the actions of a civil registry office employee. Personal presence, writing an application and providing documents is required. The following features and advantages can be highlighted:
- no queue, as you can sign up in advance;
- quick acceptance of documents, since the employee is almost always on site and works quickly;
- accessibility of location, because you can contact any multifunctional center;
- possibility to pay the state fee on the spot through the terminal.
When submitting documents through the MFC, you will still have to go to the registry office to get a ready-made form. This is convenient if the applicant needs to contact the MFC on other issues, which significantly reduces the time spent on contacting various authorities.
Documents and state fees for obtaining a duplicate certificate
When contacting the Civil Registry Office you will need:
- an application drawn up in the department using special form No. 18 (usually filled out by hand and the forms are available to employees). The application indicates the child's full name, date, place of birth, information on the parents, the reason for requesting a duplicate, the name of the registry office that recorded the birth, the date and number of the record. The latest information may not be known, but if documents are submitted to the registry office, the employee will prompt you with these details;
- passport (you will need a copy, which will be verified with the original);
- marriage certificate (if available);
- receipt of payment of the state fee (350 rubles), details can be found in the registry office.
If a citizen applied by mail or through the government service website, then the originals of these documents are presented to the civil registry office employee on the day the duplicate is received.
How to restore a lost child’s birth certificate if there is no passport?
In this case, in order to avoid refusal, it is better to apply for a certificate to the other parent who has a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. If this is not possible, then you first need to obtain a general passport (through the migration department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs), especially since administrative liability is provided for its absence.
What to do if you don’t have a passport
If the child does not have a passport, parents can apply for a second certificate. When it comes to an adult, you can choose one of two ways:
- establish your identity through the court, obtain a birth certificate, and then apply to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for a passport;
- contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs, establish your identity, get a passport, and then go to the registry office for a certificate.
When contacting the Ministry of Internal Affairs, you may need the same documents to establish your identity as when applying to court. In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs can find out citizenship through interdepartmental correspondence with the body that issued Russian citizenship. This is one of the surest ways to establish identity. This procedure can take a whole month.
An interdepartmental request is sent within 1 working day from the date of registration of a citizen’s application for a passport. The preparation and submission of a response to an interdepartmental request is carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation within 5 working days from the date of receipt of the specified request.
Ekaterina Guryanova, lawyer
The same applies to situations where the birth certificate is lost and the passport has not yet been received.
Who has the right to apply for a duplicate?
- If we are talking about a child who is not yet 18 years old, then the registry office is addressed to: his parents (or one of them).
- in the absence of parents - a guardian, trustee or, if they have not yet been appointed, a representative of the guardianship authority.
Read how to get a child’s birth certificate and how to get a duplicate certificate.
Procedure for paying state duty
Payment of state duty is also regulated. To do this you will need to perform several steps:
- Obtain in advance from the registration authorities the details of the payment form with which you will subsequently need to visit the bank. Also check with the organization for all information about the complete composition of the package.
- Pay the fee.
- Take the receipt confirming the transfer of funds to the registry office.
You can pay the state fee in the following ways:
- At the cash desk of any nearest bank. To do this, just contact the department specialist with a receipt.
- Via mail - any post office will accept payment.
- By payment terminal: following the instructions, select the desired section and enter the exact details.
- Online – you can use one of the options: online banking, electronic wallets, government services portal.
Attention: You can pay the state fee at the terminal or the registry office cash desk. Participants of the Great Patriotic War, heroes of Russia and the USSR, and disabled people are exempt from paying it.
Time limits for consideration of an application for extradition
To restore a lost child’s birth certificate, it will take no more than 1 day , provided:
- lack of grounds for refusal;
- storing the birth record in the department of the registry office where the application was made;
- personal appearance.
Resolving the issue of issuing a duplicate will take more time if it is necessary to request a record from another department of the registry office. A duplicate can be issued an unlimited number of times, subject to justification for your request.
Recovery time
During a regular visit to the registry office, a duplicate will be issued on the day of application. If the application and other documents were sent by mail, all deadlines will depend on the speed of the postal service. Let’s say a letter from Saratov to Moscow takes 8 days; the registry office will review the application in 1 day. It will take another 8 days for a response, and it will take a day and a half to deliver the letter to your address. Total, about 20 days. If the letter is sent by courier, this period can be halved.
Delivery of letters takes the longest time in rural areas: sometimes there is only 1 post office for 3-4 villages
Time limits are calculated differently when it was necessary to turn to justices of the peace. Consideration of the claim takes 30 days. The decision made comes into force after 10 days, and 1 day will be spent on applying to the registry office. Thus, a duplicate can be received in approximately 41 days.
When they refuse to issue a new certificate to replace the lost one
The law directly provides for cases when the issuance of a duplicate certificate will be refused:
- If a mother or father who has been deprived of parental rights or has limited rights has applied to receive it. In this case, instead of a duplicate certificate, such parents may be issued a certificate confirming the birth record;
- When the child's birth record is not saved. Then you need to go to the executive authorities of the region in which the birth of the child was registered (the so-called archive). Currently, a bill is being considered to create a unified register of civil status acts in electronic form, to which, as now to city archives, only the executive body of the subject will have access;
- In the absence of identification documents. Moreover, the refusal will be illegal if it is based on the absence of a record of children in the passport;
- Unless a valid reason is provided for requesting a duplicate;
- In the absence of authority to appeal in the event of the death of the person in whose name the certificate was issued.
Rules for drawing up an application in form No. 18
An application for a duplicate in Form No. 18 requires the following data:
- name of the registering authority and its details;
- FULL NAME. applicant, passport data: indication number and series;
- date, place of birth and city of receipt of the original certificate;
- information about next of kin;
- list of submitted documentation and applications;
- date of completion and signature.
Please note: the application form must only be completed by hand in neat, legible handwriting. The ink must be black or blue. When filling out the columns, you should not use abbreviations or make corrections. All information provided must exactly match the information on the identity card.
The role of registration
Where can I restore the documents of deceased relatives? Usually you need to contact passport offices and registry offices. Today, more and more often, applications are accepted at the MFC.
Does registration play any role in the task at hand? Partly yes. The point is that when restoring citizens’ certificates, it is better to contact the institutions at the place of registration of the deceased. This technique will significantly speed up the process of providing services.
However, if necessary, relatives can submit an application of the established form to any registration authority. The registry office will issue a duplicate birth certificate, but this will take a lot of time.
