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BLS Registration Of Birth

Registration Of Birth

Overview

W.e.f 04 October 2021, Either parent who is an Indian national, is required to come personally and affirm/sworn in front of Consular Officer, Madrid or Hon. CG, Barcelona or Tenerife

A child born in Spain or Andorra to an Indian citizen needs to be registered at the Embassy in Madrid within one year of birth to acquire/retain Indian citizenship. The birth can be registered if either parent is an Indian citizen or the child is not holding foreign passport. The application for registration of birth is to be filed online with the Ministry of Home Affairs New Delhi at http://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in/IC_4_1_page1.aspx. After filing the online form save, print and submit documents required for birth registration given below. If the documents are found in order and the child is eligible for registration of birth, the application will be recommended to the Ministry of Home Affairs for approval for registration of birth. The registration of birth will be done only on receipt of approval from the Ministry. Minimum time taken in the process is two weeks. In case, the child is born to a single parent, an affidavit in this regard is also need to be submitted. The affidavits to be attached with the application are required to be signed in presence of the Consular Officer.

Relevant extract from Section 4 of the Citizenship Act is reproduced below (visit www.mha.gov.in for full text):

Citizenship by descent.-1[(1) A person born outside India shall be a citizen of India by descent,

  1. on or after the 26th day of January, 1950, but before the l0th day of December, 1992, if his father is a citizen of India at the time of his birth; or
  2. on or after the l0th day of December, 1992, if either of his parents is a citizen of India at the time of his birth:

Provided also that on or after the commencement of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003, a person shall not be a citizen of India by virtue of this section, unless his birth is registered at an Indian consulate in such form and in such manner, as may be prescribed,-

  1. within one year of its occurrence or the commencement of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2003, whichever is later; or
  2. with the permission of the Central Government, after the expiry of the said period:

Provided also that no such birth shall be registered unless the parents of such person declare, in such form and in such manner as may be prescribed, that the minor does not hold the passport of another country.

(lA) A minor who is a citizen of India by virtue of this section and is also a citizen of any other country shall cease to be a citizen of India if he does not renounce the citizenship or nationality of another country within six months of attaining full age (18 years).]

1.Subs. by Act 6 of 2004, sec.4 for sub-section(1) (w.e.f. 3.12.2004)"

Accordingly, the Ministry Home Affairs notified the Citizenship Rules, 2009, extract from section 3 thereof is reproduced below (visit www.mha.gov.in for full text):

"3. Application for registration of birth under section 4 (of the Citizenship Act) - A person may submit an application for registration of birth of his minor child born outside India in terms of sub-section (1) of section 4 (of the Citizenship Act) in Form I to the Indian consulate in the country, where such child was born, together with a declaration that the child does not hold the passport of any other country."

The duly filled in Form I for registration of birth shall be affirmed/sworn before the consular officer or the Hon. Consuls General by either parent who is Indian national.

Fees

Please note

The latter can be accepted, refused or modified by the Embassy of India in its full right. Once fees have been paid, they cannot be refunded, even in a case of an application refusal or cancellation.

The price of your application is made up of fixed service charges and variable consular charges. Please consult the fees chart below in order to calculate the total amount to pay.

Fees Brochure: Click here

Documents Required

Kindly print the check list which corresponds with the service you wish to apply for and attach it with your application. It must be filled in and signed. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Print Registration of Birth Checklist

Photo Specifications

In case of passport or OCI card applications applicants must strictly follow the below guidelines. Note that your application may be refused due to incorrect photos.

A photo service is available in our centres however this may not be suitable in the case of new born babies and young children. We therefore advise you to obtain the photos before visiting the centre in these cases.

photo requirement

  • The photograph should be in colour and of the size of 2 inches x 2 inches (51 mm x 51 mm)
  • The photo-print should be clear and with a continuous-tone quality.
  • It should have full face, front view, eyes open.
  • Photo should present full head from top of hair to bottom of chin.
  • Centre head within frame.
  • The background should be a plain white or off-white.
  • There should not be any distracting shadows on the face or on the background.
  • Head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, but the facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown.
  • The expression on the face should look natural.

Do's and Dont's for a Proper photo:

(i)Front View

photo requirement

  • The photo should capture full face, front view, with eyes open. The head should be in the centre of the frame.
  • There should be no distracting shadows on the face or background.
  • Make sure photo presents full head from top of hair to bottom of chin; height of head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches (25 mm to 35 mm).
  • Make sure eye height is between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3.

(ii)Lighting on face and background

photo requirement

  • The light should be even and balanced to avoid shadows on the face.
  • Background behind the face should be properly illuminated to avoid shadows in the background.

(iii) Photograph Print Properties

photo requirement

  • The photograph should be in size 2 inch x 2 inch (51 mm x 51 mm) and in colour.
  • Print photo on thin photo paper or stock.
  • Ensure the print is clear and has a continuous-tone quality.
  • Do not retouch or otherwise enhance or soften the photo.

(iv) Resolution and Printing Quality

photo requirement

  • High-resolution photography and printing are strongly recommended.
  • Both conventional and digital photography are acceptable, and conventional or digital printing methods may be used.
  • Resulting print should exhibit a continuous - tone quality regardless of the print method used (dye sublimation, ink jet, laser, etc.)
  • Digitally printed photos should be produced without visible pixels or dot patterns and should be of high quality colour.
  • Fine facial features should be discernible.

(v) Contrast and Colour

photo requirement

  • Brightness and contrast should be adjusted to present the subject and background accurately.
  • Photos without proper contrast or colour may obscure unique facial features. Colour should reproduce natural skin tones.
  • Fluorescent or other lighting with unbalanced colour may cause unwanted colour cast in the photo. Appropriate filters can eliminate improper colour balance.

(vi) Head & Eyes- Position and Background

photo requirement

  • Head should face the camera directly and should not tilt or turned(portrait style).
  • Photo must show both edges of the face clearly.
  • The eyes must be open, level and clearly visible and must not be covered by hairs or eye-glass frames.

(vii) Eyeglasses

photo requirement

  • Glare on eyeglasses should be avoided with a slight upward or downward tilt of the head. No tinted or dark glasses.

(viii) Head coverings

photo requirement

  • Glare on eyeglasses should be avoided with a slight upward or downward tilt of the head. No tinted or dark glasses.It is not permitted except for religious reasons, but the facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of the face must be clearly shown.

(ix) Exposure and Lighting

photo requirement

  • There should not be any over-exposure or under-exposure which results in an unusable photo.
  • There should be a three-point balanced lighting. Facial features
  • should be clearly evident in the photo.
  • Lighting should be adjusted to avoid shadows on the face or background. Diffuse sources of light, such as umbrella lights, are preferable to point sources.

(x) Flexibility in Children's photographs

photo requirement

  • Babies under one year do not have to have their eyes open.
  • As regards the photograph of the children under ten years of age, requirements can be somewhat relaxed in respect of height of the face, and the position of the eyes in the photographs; and in case of babies and infants also, the position of the face, the facial expression, the eyes and the line of sight can have some relaxation. However, a frontal photograph with clarity is required for children. It should show the child alone (no chair backs, toys or other people visible), looking at the camera with a neutral expression and the mouth closed.

Processing Time

Kindly note that obtaining consular service documents is not automatic; your application may be accepted, modified or refused by the Embassy of India in its full right.

Applications processed individually

Each application is processed individually by the Embassy of India: as a result processing times may vary between applications that appear to be similar.

Minimum processing times

The company BLS has no influence over the processing times of a consular services application: these depend essentially on the Embassy of India and to a lesser extent on the postal services (in case you have opted for a return courier service). We are therefore not in a position to guarantee maximum processing times. We are only able to communicate minimum processing times, provided for information purposes only.

Minimum processing times for a Consular Services application
Mode of Submission Minimum Processing Time
In Madrid Minimum 1 working day but may take longer
In Barcelona Minimum 7 working days but may take longer
In Tenerife Minimum 7 working days but may take longer
By Post Minimum 7 working days but may take longer
The Embassy of India reserves the right to withhold any application submitted for an in-depth examination

Download Form

As a private outsourcing partner of the Embassy of India, Madrid, BLS has no influence over the content of the application forms and are not in a position to modify their content or structure.

Instructions to fill in the application form

  • Applicants must fill the form in block capitals
  • The form should be signed and dated accordingly

Please note that if the supporting documents provided are not satisfactory, the applicant will be asked to provide more documentary evidence.

Form (click on the title to print) Description
Declaration Form Declaration Form to be filled by all applicants when submitting any application
BLS International ICAC Spain