Good practices in access to universal birth registration for the prevention of childhood statelessness Birth registration to help prevent statelessness The Czech Act on Birth Registry requires that births are registered within three days of a child being born. This is usually done automatically by the health facility where the child is born. If the child is born outside a health facility, the parents are required to register the birth at their local registry office. There is flexibility for mothers who are unable to register the birth immediately to do so later.137 Various documents may be used to register a child’s birth. If the child is born at home and the parents are married, one parent must present an ID document or passport; if they are unmarried, both should present their documents; if the father is unknown, the mother presents her document(s). The obligation to present identity documents for birth registration can be waived in special circumstances, such for refugees and asylumseekers, with the parent(s) providing a sworn statement instead.138 The birth registry office issues birth certificates for all children, regardless of nationality, within 30 days of the birth being registered. The birth registry does not record the child’s nationality, but does record the parents’ nationality(ies). If it is not clear that the child acquired citizenship of Czechia at birth, the parent(s) can apply later for a Certificate of Czech Citizenship. Children born outside Czechia to a Czech parent must be registered with an overseas birth registry (at the appropriate Consulate) to obtain a Czech birth certificate. The legal requirements and deadlines are the same as for children born incountry, and late registration is possible. Only after birth registration can the child be issued an identity document and passport.139 Czech nationality law also has partial safeguards that, combined with birth registration, help prevent childhood statelessness. Children born in Czechia automatically acquire Czech nationality at birth if they do not acquire another nationality through either parent and if at least one of the parents has a residence permit for longer than 90 days. If both parents are not stateless, there may be barriers to acquiring Czech nationality, as an application must be submitted proving that at least one parent has a residence permit for 137 On birth registry, see Act on civil registers, names and surnames and on amendments to certain related acts, Czechia, Act No. 301/2000, adopted 7 September 2000, [in Czech]; see also ENS Statelessness Index Survey 2023: Czechia, PRS Section, pp. 24-32. 138 Act on civil registers, names and surnames and on amendments to certain related acts, Czechia, Act No. 301/2000, adopted 7 September 2000, Section 16. 9, [in Czech]; and ENS and OPU, Toolkit to identify and address statelessness in Czechia, PRS Section, pp. 26-28. 139 See Act on civil registers, names and surnames and on amendments to certain related acts, Czechia, Act No. 301/2000, adopted 7 September 2000, Section 16. 9; and ENS Statelessness Index Survey 2023: Czechia, PRS section, pp. 24-32. 54