Non-Hospital Birth
If your child is born in a hospital the birth will be registered automatically. When your child is born outside of a hospital the birth may be registered by the local registrar before the child’s first birthday.
Health and Safety Code (H&SC) 102400 states that each live birth shall be registered with the local registrar of births for the district in which the birth occurred within 10 days following the date of the event. In order for your child to be registered by the Office of Vital Records, the birth must have occurred in Riverside County.
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If your baby was born in the County of Riverside and there was not a physician or licensed midwife in attendance, you can contact our office to request a non-hospital birth packet. Please call (951) 358-5068 or email us at nonhospitalbirth@ruhealth.org to begin the process.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Staff will ask a series of questions in order to determine which documents you will be required to submit as proof of this event.
- As you begin gathering the documents, you can submit documents to this office via email at nonhospitalbirth@ruhealth.org or by mail.
- After all required documents are submitted, our staff will conduct a phone interview with the birth parent.
- An appointment will be schedule for you to come in and complete the registration process.
- Purchase the birth certificate after registration.
Health and Safety Code (H&SC) 102415 states that live births that occur outside of a hospital or state-licensed alternative birth center, the physician, licensed midwife or parent(s) are responsible registering the birth certificate with the local registrar.
Submit the following documents to nonhospitalbirth@ruhealth.org within 5 days of the child’s birth:
- Birth certificate worksheet (6 pages)
- Signed affidavit
- Proof of pregnancy/live birth letter
- Completed newborn screening questionnaire
- Copy of valid government issued I.D. for both parents
- Provide contact information (phone number and email) for birth parent
Once all documents are received in this office, staff will be in contact with the birth parent to conduct a phone interview. An appointment may/may not be scheduled on a case-by-case basis. The parent can then purchase the birth certificate after the record is registered.
If the birth parents are married to each other or are in a State Registered Domestic Partnership (SRDP), both parents will be listed on the child’s birth certificate as long as this information is provided to this office prior to registration. If the birth parents are not married to each other or in an SRDP, the parents may wish to establish parentage in order to add the father’s name to the birth certificate.
In order to establish parentage, the parents may have an opportunity to complete a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (V-DOP) in this office. Please inquire about this option if you believe that you are eligible to complete a V-DOP.
If your child is born in a hospital, the social security number will be automatically sent to you with a few weeks of your child’s birth. When your child is born outside of a hospital, you will have to apply for the social security number. This can be done after your child’s birth is registered in this office. More information on this process will be provided to parents after registration has occurred.
This may occur when statements or verification documents are incomplete, inconsistent, or questionable. In the event that the birth registration is denied in this office, the parent(s) will be referred to the court or we will provide information for a delayed birth registration through the State Office of Vital Records.
Any birth registered on or after the child's first birthday must be processed by the State Office of Vital Records as a Delayed Registration of Birth. This process requires a fee of $23.00 (this fee is subject to change). If you cannot meet the requirements for a Delayed Registration of Birth, you will have to apply to your local superior court for a Court Order Delayed Registration of Birth. Out of hospital births are harder to register the longer you wait after the date of birth. Therefore, we encourage you to register your child’s birth with this office as soon as possible.
If you need to speak with a Vital Records staff member, please call (951) 358-5068 or email us.