The birth certificate is one of the most important legal documents required in Kenya. It is the first document that gives you a sense of belonging, existence, and identification. Having a birth certificate is the very first step to exercising citizenship.
It is so important that without it, citizens are deprived of many things they otherwise ought to have access to, like sitting for the national examinations or getting a national identification card.
Ideally, one should get a certificate of birth shortly after they are born. It is easier and faster for parents of a newborn to apply for their child’s birth certificate when they are born, but understandably, due to unavoidable circumstances, one may require to apply for one when they are older.
There are five scenarios of the birth certificate application
- When a baby is born. Before it is six months old.
- Late registration where a child is more than six months old
- When you are an adult. You may have lost it or never had one.
- When you want to apply for one but you live abroad.
- It is lost and you need a new one
Application of birth certificate, regardless of your situation should not be anything so complicated. Here’s what you require to register for one:
When you’re having a new baby
As already mentioned, this is the best time to have your newborn get a certificate of birth as the process can begin immediately the birth notification is made.
The parent will only need to fill a form from the District Birth and Death Registries and later get the document free of charge, apart from a 50 shilling convenience fee.
This is what you need for this kind of application;
- One copy of the child’s father ID
- Your ID
- A copy of the birth notification
- The original birth notification
- Filled out Birth and Deaths Registration form (BDA)
- A fee of between 90-200 shillings. This may vary from time to time.
If your child was born at home, your area sub-chief will authorize the birth
Late registration
When you have to apply for late registration, it would mean that your child’s birth did not get to be registered within the first six months after birth.
Any registration after a child is six months old is termed as late registration.
For this you will need:
- Municipal notification of birth.
- Certificate of doctor or midwife who attended the birth.
- Child immunization card
- Baptismal certificate
- School leaving certificate
- Identity card
- A letter from an employer indicating names and date of birth
- A filled-out form of late registration
Application as an adult
If you need a birth certificate as an adult, you should visit the nearest District Birth and Death Registration office with;
- A copy of your national ID
- In case the applicant does not have a National Identification card, they may use a baptismal certificate.
- You will be required to duly fill a B1 form.
Application for a Kenyan birth certificate when you live abroad
If you are a Kenyan couple whose child was born out of the country, it is still possible for you to apply for a Kenyan Birth certificate, even though it may take longer as documents need to be sent from Kenya, and the country’s authority needs to verify the citizenship of the parents. It may take three months or more to get the certificate.
You will do this from the embassy in the country you live, and the following are the requirements;
- Two filled out BDA forms
- Two photocopies of passports of both parents, which should include pages29-32(for the A-Series Passport), pages45-48(for the B-series Passport), pages61-64(for the C Series Passport), and the photo page
- Two photocopies of your child’s birth certificate or notification from the hospital or civil authority of the country you are in.
- Two copies of the child’s parents marriage certificate
- A fee of ten dollars payable only by bank transfer (Embassy of the Republic of Kenya, IBAN:
DE63100400000266014004) or EC-Debit card at the Embassy. The fee is not refundable and cash payments are not accepted.
Lost certificate replacement
Losing important documents such as the birth certificate takes you a step backward as you need to go through the whole process of acquiring a new one.
In case your birth certificate got lost or marred, worry not. Just visit any Huduma Centre for a replacement. The officials will take you through the process of replacement.
Online application
The processes above are too easy to go through, yet it will not be enough if we did not tell you an easier way of going about this application without having to visit registry offices.
The Kenyan government has embraced technology and made it possible for citizens to apply for birth certificates by just a touch of the button, wherever you are through eCitizen.
To register online, this is what you need to do;
- Create an account on the eCitizen website. To create an account you will need to fill your phone number, National ID Card Number, and an E-mail address.
- Once you have successfully created the account, you will see different options on your screen. Choose the services you want (birth certificate application in this case)
- Follow the procedure, including the mode of payment
- After a successful online application, it is time to pick your document from Bishop’s house at your own convenient time.