Registering the birth: who goes and with what

The birth certificate is the key to almost everything else: the CURP, adding the baby to your coverage, day care. Registration is free and no deadline takes rights away from you, but every week that passes delays what depends on it.

What to bring

• The certificate of birth the hospital issues
• The mother's official ID
• The father's ID, if he attends
• CURP for both parents
• Proof of address

The certificate of birth is not the birth record: it is the document the hospital gives you, and without it the Civil Registry cannot start. Keep it from the moment they hand it over, together with the discharge papers.

Planning this before the birth — who goes, with which IDs — turns an errand done on no sleep into a short trip. Requirements vary by state: confirm the ones at your Civil Registry before you go.