Chapter 3 Birth registration 1. Immediate and free of charge birth registration, including of the children of refugees or migrants, even if the period within which the birth should have been declared has already expired 26. Any birth must be registered at the registry office or other institution responsible for birth registration. In most countries, the register office for the place of birth is responsible for registering births. The time limit within which the birth must be registered varies from three days to three months. In practice, however, the birth is often recorded by the health facility where the birth takes place or by the doctor/midwife attending the birth within a few hours. The actual birth registration is carried out by the civil registrar within a few working days after the birth. 27. If a midwife or doctor was not present at the birth, the parents or the person in whose house the birth took place, or any other person with knowledge of the birth, must report the birth to the civil registrar. Moreover, state institutions for the protection of the rights of the child have an obligation to do so if they discover a case of a birth that has not yet been reported. 28. In many countries, birth can be reported electronically to the civil registry office21 or even directly to a central electronic population register.22 In several countries, birth is recorded by the registry office in a central register.23 29. The birth of all children born on the territory of a state, including the children of refugees or migrants, even if they do not meet the legal residency requirements, should be registered. In many countries, parental documentation is not a requirement for birth registration. Incomplete records are checked and completed at a later date. The right of the child to be registered is considered a human right, regardless of the residence status of the child and the parent(s). 21. For example, Georgia and Ireland. 22. For example, Estonia. 23. Austria, Azerbaijan and France. ► Page 17