When a child is born, their birth needs to be registered within 5 working days, according to Maltese Laws. In the eventuality that both parents are to be listed on the birth certificate, one or both parents would need to physically go to the Public Registry Office - located on the 1st floor at Evans Building, Merchants Street Valletta - with BOTH parents' Photo ID (National ID Card or Passport).
If the child's parents are married, and the marriage occurred abroad, the original marriage certificate needs to be taken along - and this needs to be in either Maltese or English.
Should there be a legal separation or annulment, the original contact/court sentence documents need to also be taken along.
If the child is born out of wedlock, you're better off making a phone call before you go to the Public Registry Office. Their contact numbers are 22209100 and 22220920.
The opening hours are Mon-Fri 07:30 - 14:00. On Wednesdays, they are also open between 15:00 and 18:00 and on Saturday between 07:30 and 11:00.
At hospital, you're given a form on which the midwife assisting your birth giving process writes down the time and date of your baby's birth, along with your name and ID Card number and some other details, and ultimately signs it. On that same form, you then get to write down your baby's name(s) separated by commas ( , ) unless you want all names written down to appear on your child's ID Card when they grow up (e.g. If your child is to be called Mark Anthony Charles Philip Elton, but you only want Mark Anthony to be on their ID Card when he grows up, you'd need to write Mark Anthony, Charles, Philip, Elton) as well as some of your own personal details (and the father's, if his name is to appear).
Now, this is where the fun part (i.e. Confusion) begins. If the child's father is to be left out, in spite of knowing who he is, he is very tastelessly listed as "Unknown Father" - however this _can_ be changed at a later date. How? That is what I'm trying to find out.
When I called the Registry people, I spoke to a manager who told me the Father would have to speak to a lawyer and get an Act issued from Court that would then enable the Birth Certificate to be changed.
On the other hand, when I physically went to register Morgan's birth, I asked about this again and got told a different story. _This time_, I was told that both parents would need to physically go to a _Notary_ along with the child's birth certificate and get the Notary to draw up some legal document that will allow the Birth Certificate to be changed.
Since I have no intention of wasting money talking to lawyers and/or Notaries needlessly, I'm going to ask about this another 3 times. The first option to be mentioned to me three times in total will be what I consider to be correct information until proven otherwise.
Oh, and you have to pay €2.33 as a registration fee. The reasoning behind this is a mystery to me. I wonder how impossible life would be for someone whose parent[s] opt not to register their birth because they don't agree with said charge. I know it is a highly unlikely scenario, but can you imagine never having existed to the world? Location would probably be key to how easy/difficult life can be for you.
The birth certificate can then be picked up within 10 working days from the Public Registry Office, or requested online via www.certifikati.gov.mt. There seems to be yet another charge to obtain the actual birth certificate via the website. If you request just an extract, the charge is €2.33, but if you request the full birth certificate, the charge is € 9.32.
Since there are a few details I still need to obtain confirmation about, as mentioned earlier, I will write up Part 2 of this blog once the certificate itself is ready for collection.
In the meanwhile, enjoy this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KANI2dpXLw - whilst I snuggle up to Morgan once more.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from GO Mobile
Showing posts with label unknown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unknown. Show all posts
Monday, 20 February 2012
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Single Motherhood: A Plethora of misconceptions.
Single Parenthood is something there is very little knowledge about unless it affects you. At least that seems to be the case in Malta. A lot of people are under the impression that by not listing the child's father on the birth certificate, this will automatically entitle you to shitloads of benefits. The reality of it all is far from this being the case.
First of all, I find it pretty demeaning that the only way to not list the father on the birth certificate is "Father Unknown". It very rarely is the case that the father is truly not known. Most of the time, it is purely a case of the Sperm Donor not shouldering his responsibilities. To me, the whole "Father Unknown" thing is offensive not only to the mother, but to the child as well. It automatically sheds a bad light on them both. In truth, this should be amended to say something along the lines of "Deadbeat Dad" which would reflect the reality of the situation more accurately.
I have been doing some research out of necessity and so I'll be sharing the information I have obtained so far with you lot in an attempt to clarify some common misconceptions.
The only benefit you get is Children's Allowance, if you're employed.
Children's Allowance is a Government Aid given to all parents - be they married, cohabiting or single. For more in depth information, you can either clicky here if your annual income is less than €23,983.00, or here if it exceeds the aforementioned amount. Should you receive Child Support from the Sperm Donor, this must be declared as it will affect the amount you receive.
If your child happens to be affected by a mental or physical disability, you may be eligible for the Disabled Child Allowance, which is over and above the Children's Allowance.
If you happen to be a Foster Parent, there is an allowance for you too that you can apply for.
Here you will find listed the Maximum amounts that are possible to be obtained weekly and annually, as well as some additional information regarding the different benefits mentioned so far..
If you have clicked the above link, you will notice something called Maternity Allowance. I will clarify this as it might be a bit confusing. Maternity Allowance is paid to you only if you're either a) unemployed or b) will not be availing herself from Maternity Leave which would usually be paid for by the employer. The application must be submitted either once yo reach your eighth month of pregnancy or within six months from the birth date.
Maternity Leave in Malta is in the process of changing. Up until last year, we were entitled to 14 weeks of paid Maternity Leave - 4 weeks of which must be taken before Baby is due. As of this year, an extra 2 weeks were added on which would be paid for by the Government at the rate of €160 weekly. To apply for these extra 2 weeks, one must collect a form from their local Social Security Office. Next year [2013], there should be another extra 2 weeks added on to bring the total amount of weeks up to 18.
So, what happens if you decide to quit your job and become a full time single parent? Well, for starters, you'll be looking at Energy Benefits whereby you can apply to receive a subsidy to help you cover the costs of Water & Electricity bills.
If you happen to be unable to breastfeed for medical reasons, you can also apply for a Milk Grant which will require an official document to be issued by your doctor, and once it is approved, it would be issued to be from Baby's birth up until s/he is 40 weeks of age.
There is also another benefit, which is the equivalent of the dole, called the Single Unmarried Parents' Allowance which is applicable only if you're unemployed or work up to a maximum of 8 hours per week and earn no more than €50 as a gross amount.
If you live in a rental property, you can also look at claiming Housing Benefits whereby you'd be given a subsidy by the government that will help you cover your monthly rent. Further information can be obtained by clicking here.
Last but not least, you can also apply for the EU Food Vouchers however I was not able to find much information about them. They normally are applied for when you've got a case of a low-income family, and are limited to items such as Pasta, Rice and some other basic foods.
You do not start receiving all these benefits immediately. The first thing that is processed is the Children's Allowance, followed by the Single Unmarried Parents' Allowance, and then followed by everything else.
To place any claims, you will need your National ID Card as well as a Copy of your Bank Statements, since any savings you have sitting in your bank account will be taken into consideration. Any other paperwork required will be asked for depending on your particular case.
If you need further information for yourself or someone you know, feel free to call on 159 Monday - Saturday from 8a.m. til 2p.m. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the lines stay open til 6p.m. Alternatively, visit http://www.socialsecurity.gov.mt. Please rest assured that any information discussed is covered by the Data Protection Act, therefore you're safe to discuss things in detail as they will remain confidential.
it is better financially to be employed. It is a matter of weighing your options - you can either provide your child a more comfortable life financially, but miss out on a heck of a lot, or be around for all the important events in your child's life but live on an extremely restricted budget. Should you have to face that decision, good luck- it'll be tough either way.
First of all, I find it pretty demeaning that the only way to not list the father on the birth certificate is "Father Unknown". It very rarely is the case that the father is truly not known. Most of the time, it is purely a case of the Sperm Donor not shouldering his responsibilities. To me, the whole "Father Unknown" thing is offensive not only to the mother, but to the child as well. It automatically sheds a bad light on them both. In truth, this should be amended to say something along the lines of "Deadbeat Dad" which would reflect the reality of the situation more accurately.
I have been doing some research out of necessity and so I'll be sharing the information I have obtained so far with you lot in an attempt to clarify some common misconceptions.
The only benefit you get is Children's Allowance, if you're employed.
Children's Allowance is a Government Aid given to all parents - be they married, cohabiting or single. For more in depth information, you can either clicky here if your annual income is less than €23,983.00, or here if it exceeds the aforementioned amount. Should you receive Child Support from the Sperm Donor, this must be declared as it will affect the amount you receive.
If your child happens to be affected by a mental or physical disability, you may be eligible for the Disabled Child Allowance, which is over and above the Children's Allowance.
If you happen to be a Foster Parent, there is an allowance for you too that you can apply for.
Here you will find listed the Maximum amounts that are possible to be obtained weekly and annually, as well as some additional information regarding the different benefits mentioned so far..
If you have clicked the above link, you will notice something called Maternity Allowance. I will clarify this as it might be a bit confusing. Maternity Allowance is paid to you only if you're either a) unemployed or b) will not be availing herself from Maternity Leave which would usually be paid for by the employer. The application must be submitted either once yo reach your eighth month of pregnancy or within six months from the birth date.
Maternity Leave in Malta is in the process of changing. Up until last year, we were entitled to 14 weeks of paid Maternity Leave - 4 weeks of which must be taken before Baby is due. As of this year, an extra 2 weeks were added on which would be paid for by the Government at the rate of €160 weekly. To apply for these extra 2 weeks, one must collect a form from their local Social Security Office. Next year [2013], there should be another extra 2 weeks added on to bring the total amount of weeks up to 18.
So, what happens if you decide to quit your job and become a full time single parent? Well, for starters, you'll be looking at Energy Benefits whereby you can apply to receive a subsidy to help you cover the costs of Water & Electricity bills.
If you happen to be unable to breastfeed for medical reasons, you can also apply for a Milk Grant which will require an official document to be issued by your doctor, and once it is approved, it would be issued to be from Baby's birth up until s/he is 40 weeks of age.
There is also another benefit, which is the equivalent of the dole, called the Single Unmarried Parents' Allowance which is applicable only if you're unemployed or work up to a maximum of 8 hours per week and earn no more than €50 as a gross amount.
If you live in a rental property, you can also look at claiming Housing Benefits whereby you'd be given a subsidy by the government that will help you cover your monthly rent. Further information can be obtained by clicking here.
Last but not least, you can also apply for the EU Food Vouchers however I was not able to find much information about them. They normally are applied for when you've got a case of a low-income family, and are limited to items such as Pasta, Rice and some other basic foods.
You do not start receiving all these benefits immediately. The first thing that is processed is the Children's Allowance, followed by the Single Unmarried Parents' Allowance, and then followed by everything else.
To place any claims, you will need your National ID Card as well as a Copy of your Bank Statements, since any savings you have sitting in your bank account will be taken into consideration. Any other paperwork required will be asked for depending on your particular case.
If you need further information for yourself or someone you know, feel free to call on 159 Monday - Saturday from 8a.m. til 2p.m. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the lines stay open til 6p.m. Alternatively, visit http://www.socialsecurity.gov.mt. Please rest assured that any information discussed is covered by the Data Protection Act, therefore you're safe to discuss things in detail as they will remain confidential.
it is better financially to be employed. It is a matter of weighing your options - you can either provide your child a more comfortable life financially, but miss out on a heck of a lot, or be around for all the important events in your child's life but live on an extremely restricted budget. Should you have to face that decision, good luck- it'll be tough either way.
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