Petition · past parliament · Home Office

Change the law so unmarried, deceased father's name can go on birth certificate

Closed 1,721 signatures

What the petition asks

Change the law to make the process easier so that the father's name, who has died before the child's registration of birth, can be recorded on the child's birth certificate. This could be done by the deceased's legal next of kin representing the deceased with legal documentation at the registration.
The law does not allow an unmarried mother to place the father's name on the child's birth certificate without them being present. When the father is deceased it is impossible to register them on the birth certificate without having to go through financial burdens, legal processes and added heartache. This could be seen as discrimination. I want my child to have his father's name on his birth certificate as it is bad enough he has lost his father already and I am not alone in this situation.

Timeline

4 Sep 2020 Petition opened for signatures
4 Mar 2021 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 1,721
Status Closed
Department Home Office
Opened 4 Sep 2020
Closed 4 Mar 2021

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.