Annefinity

What to Prepare of a New Filipina Mum in the UK before Giving Birth

Anne Tuesday, January 14, 2020 33

Giving birth could be exhausting so as the paper works for registration of birth and all. Aside form the essential things that we need to prepare for the newborn, as a new mum in the UK, its better to prepare the necessary documents needed for registration of birth and benefits application even before the big day, and yes sometimes the baby comes early, so better be ready for all the documentation needed as we don't always know if you need to stay a wee bit longer in the hospital. Just like me, at first we thought we are just going to stay a day or two that turns out almost a week stay in the hospital.

I like preparing things ahead of time as I don't want to be caught an aware with the documents and I don't like rushing especially with paper works. As much as possible I want everything in order and I'm glad I did it ahead of time because after giving birth and with all the pain I've experienced it seems I wasn't in the right mind to think over which documents is for this and that, atleast just have a wee check with our papers and they were ready to go.

Three months before my due date, I already listed and prepared the requirements for registration and benefit claims.

For:

1. Registering the birth of the child in the local register office. Since the United Kingdom consist of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each of them has their own rules on registering a birth. I live and gave birth in Edinburgh, Scotland and so I registered the birth of my child in Edinburgh.

The card issued by the hospital where the baby was born, they give this before your release.
Parents' marriage certificate/civil partnership certificate (if applicable)
Parents' birth certificate

I also brought our passport that sometimes would be needed by the registrar to see and check the correct details of parents.

In Scotland, the birth must be registered within 21 days of occurrence. The City of Edinburgh Council utilised an appointment system, that can be found here.

2. Registering of Birth in Philippine Embassy. If you wish to register the birth of your child in the Philippines Embassy, you can do it by post or in the embassy office. Report of Birth is the equivalent of Philippine Birth Certificate. I opted to post my application. Documents needed are:

Four (4) completed Report of Birth forms, can be download here

Original and 4 photocopies of child's British Birth Certificate with both parents name

Four copies each of the data page of parents valid passports

Report of Birth Processing Fee amounting to £23 , in Postal Money Order that can purchased in the Post Office, I paid £25.88 in total for that. Postal money order payable to Philippine Embassy London, UK.

Self-addressed stamped envelope, Special delivery, London to Edinburgh I paid £7.40. For this you can already write the 'To' part with your postal address and they filled up the 'From' part.

Note or letter with applicant's (applicant is the parent) contact details ; eMail & Mobile number, of you want add in the note/letter not to fold the British Birth Certificate if you want it still clean and no marks of fold. I was annoyed when I received the documents and my daughter's British BC has mark of folds. When I submitted my documents, I did not bother to remind them not to fold it thinking that they will take care of it because it's an official document, I'm very OC with documents and regretted that I did not put it in the letter just to avoid not to offend them, turns out they need to be reminded.

Original and copy of Marriage Certificate of parents

Basically that's all for Registering of birth in Philippine Embassy London. They returned our documents three weeks from submission date.

Update: Due to Coronavirus Pandemic, The Philippine Embassy imposed a submission in person by appointment only here.

3. Claiming Social Security System (SSS) Maternity Benefit. If you are still paying your SSS contribution voluntary, you can claim a Maternity Benefit as reimbursement by sending the required documents to Philippine Embassy London and they will do the claim. Requirements are:

Maternity Benefit Application Form
Maternity Notification Submission Confirmation, you can notify SSS about your pregnancy through your SSS online account. They will email you to confirmed that you successfully submitted your Maternity Notification to SSS. Thats what you need to print out.
Child's Birth Certificate, I submitted the Report of Birth obtained from Philippine Embassy.
copy UMID
Philippine Bank Account/photocopy of Ph bank card
Philippine Bank Statement or copy of recent deposit sleep for them to see the correct bank branch (so they say).
Copy of Discharge Summary from the UK hospital.
Scan
Radiology Clinical Report

4. Child Benefit. UK Spouse visa holder has no access to public funds and child benefit is consider public fund, please bear this in mind to avoid problem in the future visa application. The British husband can claim this. If the child is born in the UK, the only documents need to send is the Child Benefit claim form CH2 but you need the 9 digit system number if child was born in England or Wales and district number, year and entry number from their birth certificate if born in Scotland.

When filling up the form, you need to ready the National Insurance Number of you (if you have one) and your partner. Average annual income before tax, and bank account details of the claimant.

You can fill up by hand or computerised and print the form, then send it to the child benefit office, you can see the address at the last page of the form.

5. Best Start Grant in Scotland and Sure Maternity Grant in other part of the UK. We are not qualified for Best Start Grant because we don't get the benefits required to qualify but you can check here if you are.

6. Union Maternity Grant, if you are working and on maternity leave and you are a member of a Union, you can check with your Union of what benefits they have for pregnant employees.