Baby baby baby I need help!

I am due to give birth in about 4 weeks here on the Costa del Sol and obviously want to be as organised as possible.  However, despite all the research / question asking / etc. I have done, I still cannot come up with the answer to this question....

How is the process to register a baby when your partner (we are not married) works away from home and will not be able to be present at the registration after the birth?  Do I just go along on my own with his documents or does he have to be present in order to be on the birth certificate etc.?

I'm also guessing that if he isnt there, then our child will not be able to use his surname?

Also, how long roughly does it take to apply / receive a first passport for a child?  I'm hoping to travel back to the UK around 4-6 wks after the birth.

Despite being in Spain 6 years, I am damned if I can find the answer!!!

Many thanks in advance.

Hi Dream-Louise

Don't know if this helps, but here is a link to a site with certain info re having a baby in Spain.  It does actually have a section about children born outside of marriage.

http://costadelsol.angloinfo.com/countries/spain/birth.asp

Hope it helps!

Hi,

Thank you for the reply, that link is great help!

However, it still says that a declaration is required from both parents, with the father and the mother going to register the birth in person and that isnt going to be possible!  I definitely can't be the first to register a baby in Spain without the father present for whatever reason!!!

Thanks for your help!

Hi Dream-Louise

Can you not just contact the British Embassy?  Surely they must be able to advise you.  I know that here, in the UAE, so long as all the paperwork is in order, you don't have a problem registering the birth and getting a passport (my son was born here).  Obviously here, we had to be married (big problem otherwise!!), but it wasn't a problem just taking the birth certificate to the British Embassy (after getting it stamped by the authorities here), and, so long as we were both UK citizens, the British Embassy will issue the passport in whatever name you want!  Obviously, I'm not sure about the process there, but I would presume it's easier than here!  Phone the British Embassy in Spain and ask them.

I had my daughter here and we were'nt married at the time. I am pretty sure we both had to be there in order for my husbands name to be on the birth certificate. (they also gave my husband a bar code with the baby's DNA so he could have a test!!!) They let me go and sort out most of the paperwork on my own and my husband just had to be there for the actual signing of the family book. Also,make sure you request a copy of the birth certificate or you won't get the paperwork you need for the passport!

We paid someone to get the passport and it only took around 10 days. We had to take her to a photo centre to have the oictures done and then just filled in the paperwork. Think it cost just under 200 euro to get it done.

Hope I helped a little,let me know how you go and if I can help. I still can't recieve PM's so post on here.

Vicci x