Registering a child's birth
You have 21 days from the day the hospital issues the birth card. Registration is free and easiest online: the 'Zgłoś urodzenie dziecka' service on gov.pl with a Trusted Profile. The registrar draws up the birth act and the child automatically receives a PESEL number and residence registration at the mother's or father's address — no extra applications. The registering parent picks the name (up to two given names); one free short-form copy of the act is issued immediately.
Who this applies to
Step by step
Log in to the gov.pl service
Choose 'Zgłoś urodzenie dziecka' and log in with a Trusted Profile. The hospital sends the birth card to the USC electronically — nothing to deliver.
Enter the child's name and details
Up to two given names; they can't be demeaning or diminutive forms. Double-check everything — correcting the act afterwards is a separate, longer administrative procedure.
Receive the copy, PESEL and registration
The short-form copy, PESEL notification and registration confirmation arrive in your ePUAP/e-Doręczenia inbox. From then on you can apply for 800+, the birth grant, and register the child with a GP.
Common mistakes
Frequently asked questions
Do the registration and certificate cost anything?
No — registration is free and the first short-form copy of the birth act is issued free of charge. Only further copies are paid (22 zł short form, 33 zł full form).
The parents aren't married — what about paternity?
Paternity can be acknowledged before the birth or at registration — it requires both parents in person at the USC. The mother can then register online after the acknowledgment, or you complete everything on site.