Register your child’s birth

If your child was born in the Northwest Territories, you must register the birth so they have an official NWT record of birth. This page explains how to register a birth that occurred in the Northwest Territories, who can register the birth, and what happens after you submit the Birth Registration Statement.

Make sure you can register the birth

You can register the birth if you are any of the following: 

• The mother
• The father or other parent, if the mother is not able
• A person standing in place of the parents, if both are not able
• The occupier of the place where the child was born, if no parent or caregiver is able to register

Register the birth within 30 days

• All births that occur in the NWT must be registered within 30 days.

Follow the naming rules

• You can choose any given names or surname for your baby, including traditional Indigenous names.
• Names are currently recorded using the Roman alphabet. If your baby’s name uses characters from an Indigenous orthography, you can spell it using the closest Roman‑alphabet version.
• A surname can include one or two names that may be combined or hyphenated.
• Identifiers such as Jr., II or III become part of the legal name if you include them.

If you or your family use traditional naming practices, you can record those names on the birth registration. If you want to reclaim or correct an Indigenous name in the future, you can use the fee waiver process on the Apply to waive name change fees for Indigenous name reclamation page.

There is no fee to register a birth within one year of the birth date.

1. Get the Birth Registration Statement from hospital staff or request it from Vital Statistics if the birth happened outside a hospital.
2. Complete all sections of the form with your baby’s information and parent details.
3. Make sure your baby’s name follows the NWT naming rules and is spelled the way you want on the legal birth record.
4. Sign the form. If both parents are available, both must sign.
5. Review the form for accuracy and completeness.
6. You may submit a copy of the completed form by email or fax to help expedite processing.
7. Mail or deliver the original signed Birth Registration Statement to the Registrar General of Vital Statistics.

There is no fee to register a birth within one year of the birth date.

Vital Statistics does not send a confirmation after you submit the Birth Registration Statement. They will contact you only if information is missing or needs to be corrected.

If your baby was unnamed or if a parent could not sign the form, Vital Statistics will contact you with the steps to update the record.

You will be able to order a birth certificate after the registration is complete. Use the Order a birth certificate page to apply.