Register Birth and Download Digital Birth Certificate
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All births in Singapore must be registered within 42 days from the date of birth. All parents are required to register their child’s birth via LifeSG.
It will be an offence under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act if you fail to provide your child’s birth particulars to the Registrar-General for the birth registration within 42 days after your child’s birth. You could face a fine and/or imprisonment.
Singapore does not register births that occurred overseas. If a child is born overseas, the parents should register the child’s birth and obtain the birth certificate from the foreign authorities in the country/place where the child is born.
You will need to minimally provide the following birth particulars for the birth registration:
Particulars of child:
- Name
- Sex*
- Date of birth*
- Time of birth*
- Place of birth*
*Parents need not enter these details if their newborn was delivered at the hospital
Particulars of parent(s):
- Name
- Identity document number
- Date of birth
- Country/Place of birth
- Nationality/Citizenship
- Race
- Dialect group
Parents may be prompted to provide the following documents for the online birth registration:
- Local or overseas marriage certificate of parents (if the marriage information is unavailable from the parents’ Singpass/MyInfo profile)
- Passport biodata page (only applicable if the parent is an immigration/work pass holder with no Singpass account)
Note: Official translation will be required if any document is not in the English language. You may be required to submit other supporting documents, where necessary.
All parents of newborns, regardless of their immigration or marital status, are required to register their child’s birth online via LifeSG (through the mobile app or www.life.gov.sg). Parents who are Singapore citizens, permanent residents or long-term pass (FIN) holders will need to log in using your Singpass.
You may download the LifeSG app for free at iOS App Store or Android Google Play Store. Watch this video to find out more about the app. You can visit Singpass website to register for a Singpass account if you do not have one.
Note: The maternity hospitals no longer provide birth registration service from 29 May 2022.
A fee of S$18 is payable for the birth registration and issuance of a digital birth certificate.
Payment by credit/debit card or PayNow is required at the point of registration via LifeSG.
For online submission of birth registration, you will receive a digital notification shortly upon successful registration of the birth. For cases where further verification is required, you will be notified of the successful registration within three (3) working days. Please note that some cases may take longer to process.
Once notified, you will have to download the digital birth certificate of your child at ICA's e-Service within 90 days.
If your child is not a Singapore citizen, you are required to apply a passport for your child from the Embassy or High Commission of your nationality/citizenship within 42 days from the child’s birth, after receiving the birth certificate. You are also required to apply for an appropriate immigration pass at ICA Visitor Services Centre or Ministry of Manpower (MOM) (for work pass holders) for your child’s stay in Singapore. More details are found under the “Important Information” section below.
You may contact ICA at ICA_Birth_RBD@ica.gov.sg if you have any query relating to the birth registration process and digital birth certificate.
Note: ICA no longer issues physical birth certificates from 29 May 2022. Digital birth certificates will be issued only for births that are registered from 29 May 2022. You are advised to save your child’s digital birth certificate in your personal device for future retrieval.
Ethnic name for child
The inclusion of ethnic name is optional. Parents can choose to include an ethnic name in Chinese (中文名), Jawi (ﻨﺎﻢ ﺠﺎﻮﻱ) or Tamil (தமிழ் பெயர்) in the child’s birth certificate. The ethnic characters provided must be found in a recognised dictionary. Parents must ensure the accuracy of the ethnic characters.
Hanyu Pinyin name
The inclusion of hanyu pinyin name is optional. If the parents choose to include a hanyu pinyin name in the child’s birth certificate, it must be accompanied by a corresponding Chinese ethnic character name.
If included, the child’s hanyu pinyin name will be in brackets. Appended is an example of how the child’s name, with Chinese character and hanyu pinyin name, will be displayed in the child’s digital birth certificate:
Name: Isaac Tan (Chen Xiao Ming) 陈小明 |
If the hanyu pinyin name is included in the child’s birth certificate, it will also be reflected in the child’s passport.
Race of the child
The race of a child can follow that of either parent, or an acceptable mixed race if the child's parents are of different races. A child who is a Singapore citizen is also eligible to have a double-barrelled race comprising both parents’ races. All siblings of the child who are below 21 years old from the same set of parents should have the same race.
Alteration of child’s name
Should parents wish to alter their child’s name after the birth has been registered, they may apply online before the child turns one year old with a prescribed fee.
Regularisation of stay for a child who is not a Singapore citizen
A child who is not a Singapore citizen at the time of birth shall be deemed to be issued with a special pass valid for 42 days from the date of birth for the child to remain in Singapore. You can check the expiry of the Special Pass in the Advisory Note issued together with your child’s digital birth certificate.
If your child is not a Singapore citizen, you must ensure that your child has a valid immigration pass for the child to remain in Singapore beyond the 42nd day from the child’s birth:
Visit ICA Visitor Services Centre at ICA Building (Level 4) to renew the child's special pass or apply for a visit pass.
For work pass holders with dependant privileges, visit MOM website for more details.