Civil status documents pertaining to birth serve as proof of a person’s birth. Among other things, they are necessary to obtain a health insurance card or to register a child in a day care centre. It is important to check with the organization concerned as to what type of document it accepts as proof of birth.
The Directeur de l'état civil issues the following civil status documents related to the birth of an individual:
- Birth certificate
- Copy of an act of birth
- Attestation of birth
The only documents that prove an individual’s birth are a birth certificate or a copy of the act of birth. Purposes for which they are used include:
- applying for a passport
- obtaining a health insurance card or your first driver’s licence
- registering a child for elementary or secondary school
- applying for benefits from the Québec Pension Plan or for pension benefits from the Government of Canada
Some organizations accept an attestation as proof of birth. Others require a birth certificate or a copy of the act of birth. Therefore, when proof of birth is required, you should check with the organization concerned as to what type of document it accepts.
The Directeur de l'état civil can only issue a birth certificate or a copy of an act of birth if the birth is recorded in the Québec register of civil status. The certificate or copy of the act will be issued in the same language as that in which the birth was recorded in the register. A birth certificate can be issued in either long form or short form.
Long-Form Birth Certificate
A long-form birth certificate contains the following information about the individual in question:
- Family name, given names, gender
- Date, time and place of birth
- Family and given names of the individual’s mother and father
Other information on the certificate includes the registration number of the birth in the Québec register of civil status and the number and date of issue of the certificate.
Short-Form Birth Certificate
A short-form birth certificate contains the same information as the long-form certificate, with the exception of the family and given names of the mother and father.
Copy of an Act of Birth
A copy of an act of birth reproduces all the information on the act of birth. However, certain information may be absent if the birth took place before 1994. The number and date of issue of the copy are also on the copy of the act.
Note that following an adoption, the Directeur de l’état civil issues a new act of birth after it receives the adoption judgment from the court or the Aboriginal customary adoption certificate from a competent Aboriginal authority. If either the adoption judgment or the Aboriginal customary adoption certificate recognizes a pre-existing filial bond between the adoptee and a birth parent or the Aboriginal customary adoption certificate states that certain rights and obligations are to remain with the parent of origin, the new act will include this information. Anyone who wants to obtain a document indicating the existence of such a bond or rights and obligations between the adoptee and the birth parent must apply for a copy of the act of birth from the Directeur de l’état civil (the birth certificate does not contain these mentions). The copy of the act will include a second page containing these mentions. However, the second page cannot be used alone; it must always be presented with the first page of the act (page 1, however, may still be used alone).
Attestation of Birth
An attestation of birth is a letter bearing the seal of the Directeur de l'état civil. It certifies the presence or absence of:
- an act of birth for an individual in the Québec register of civil status
- any information that, by law, must appear on that act
Act of Birth Issued outside Québec
The Directeur de l'état civil can insert an act of birth issued outside Québec by a competent authority in the Québec register of civil status, provided the act concerns an individual domiciled in Québec. After inserting such an act, the Directeur can issue either a long-form birth certificate or an attestation of birth. A copy of the act cannot be issued.
Despite its insertion in the register, an act of birth issued outside Québec is a semi-authentic document (see Definitions), unless its validity has been recognized by a Québec court. A certificate or attestation issued by the Directeur de l'état civil in connection with such an act of birth will bear a statement as to the semi-authentic nature of the act.
Copy of an Aboriginal Customary Adoption Certificate, an Aboriginal Suppletive Tutorship Certificate or an Act of Recognition of an Aboriginal Customary Adoption outside Québec
A copy of any of the above documents shows all the information that appears on the original version issued by a competent Aboriginal authority. The competent authority in question must be listed in the Register of competent authorities in matters of Aboriginal customary adoption, Aboriginal suppletive tutorship and recognition of Aboriginal customary adoption outside Québec.
Semi-Authentic Document
Document issued by the Directeur de l'état civil certifying that a civil status event took place outside Québec and that the act concerning that event was originally drawn up by a public officer in another province or territory, or outside Canada.
