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A father/co-parent may be added to a birth record at the time of a child’s birth or later.
All births that occur in Alberta must be registered with the Alberta government. The recording of a father/co-parent is a permanent part of a child’s birth record.
In Alberta, only 2 parents can be recorded on a birth record. This is usually the mother/person who gave birth and the father/co-parent.
A co-parent is not a person who may be helping raise the baby, a relative or a guardian of the baby.
A co-parent can be:
When a baby is conceived by assisted reproduction, the spouse/partner of the mother/person who gave birth is a father/co-parent when:
For the full definition of who can be legally recorded as a father/co-parent, see sections 8 and 8.1 in the Family Law Act.
A Registration of Birth form must be completed to register a birth. A father/co-parent can be added to the baby’s birth record when the form is completed. Both the mother/person who gave birth and the father/co-parent must sign the Registration of Birth form. Some exceptions may apply. Contact us for full details.
There are 2 ways to add a father/co-parent to a child’s birth record:
The age of the child does not matter.
There cannot be a father/co-parent already recorded on the birth record. If there is a father/co-parent already on the birth record, that person must first be deleted.
There is a $20 government fee to amend a birth record when 90 days have passed from a child’s date of birth.
To add a father/co-parent using the joint application process, both the mother/person who gave birth and the father/co-parent must jointly apply to have the father/co-parent added to the birth record.
PDF form issues
Fillable PDF forms do not open properly on some mobile devices and web browsers. To fill in and save the form:
Request to Amend a Vital Statistics Registration (PDF, 169 KB)
The request form must be signed by either the mother/person who gave birth to the child or the father/co-parent being added.
Email, fax or mail the completed request form to Vital Statistics at:
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 780-422-4225
Vital Statistics
Box 2023
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4W7
When Vital Statistics receives your request, they will write back to you with the requirements and necessary forms to complete. If all the requirements are met, the parentage on the Alberta birth record will be amended.
To add a father/co-parent using a court order in accordance with Section 11 of the Vital Statistics Act, the following requirements apply:
If the father/co-parent is deceased, contact us as a court order may not be required.
The same court order (if it includes necessary information) may also be used to:
Contact us for details.
Persons who become a parent as a result of a surrogacy order or an adoption order are recorded using a different process, as there is a court order involved. Contact us for details if this applies to you.
Once a father/co-parent has been added to a birth record, they can only be changed or removed with a court order in accordance with Section 11 of the Vital Statistics Act.
The court order must be issued by the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench under Section 9 of the Family Law Act or be an order issued in Canada that is substantially similar to Alberta's court order.
Contact us for details.
Connect with the Alberta Government Contact Centre:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-7013 (Edmonton and area)
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Fax: 780-422-4225
For the deaf or hard-of-hearing: TTY: 780-427-9999 (Edmonton and area)
Toll free TTY: 1-800-232-7215 (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]
Mail:
Vital Statistics
PO Box 2023
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4W7
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