Parents who are't married, or who got married after having a baby, have been getting in a bit of a muddle this week over a document - the LA1 child re-registration form, which found its way onto social media.

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The deed refers to a law (which doesn't apply in Scotland), dating back to 1976, which states that parents who get married after having a baby need to re-register the birth of any children they had before they tied the knot ?

Apparently the law comes out of the really old days, when 'illegitimate' children wouldn't inherit anything.

Manchester Evening News did a bit of investigating, and confirmed that it would be unlikely a couple would be fined for not sticking to the rules on this occasion.

They spoke to solicitor Katharine Marshall, who advised:

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"When people who already have children together get married, under the Legitimacy Act 1976 parents must re-register the birth of their children, regardless of whether the natural father was included on the child’s birth certificate at the time of original registration.

"You need to do this through a form LA1.The re-registration is not to grant the father parental responsibility - he’d already have this as an unmarried father, provided he was included on the original birth certificate - but for the child to be recognised as a ‘child of the marriage’.

"The Legitimacy Act 1976 stems from days when the legitimacy of a child would impact inheritance, but this no longer applies, provided there’s proof they’re a child of the parent - yet the Legitimacy Act 1976 remains."

So, there it is. While you probs won't get into any trouble for not re-registering your kids, the law still applies.

And if you're a stickler for rules and like your 'i's dotted and your 't's crossed, you might just want to fill it in...

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Authors

Tara BreathnachContent Editor and Social Media Producer

Tara is mum to 1 daughter, Bodhi Rae, and has worked as Content Editor and Social Media Producer at MadeForMums since 2015

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