Registering a Home Birth

Evidence Required to Record a Home Birth

In order to record a Home Birth, you must provide these original documents within one year (365 days) of the birth to the Town Clerk's office:

• Photo Identification for both parents
• Social Security Number for each parent
• Proof of residency in Belmont for the year of the birth (Belmont census, available in the Town Clerk's office)
• Midwife Worksheet, signed, notarized and fully completed by midwife and parents
• If parents were married at the time of the home birth, a certified copy of the marriage certificate. 
  Please note: if the parents were not married at the time of the child's birth, additional forms will be required

Evidence will only be accepted if it is in English. If you do not have the evidence in English, you must get a notarized English translation of the documents.

If the evidence is provided after the 365-day window, additional evidence will be required.

Creating the Record of a Home Birth

The Town Clerk must attest to having seen the originals, must photocopy them, and must forward them with the appropriate registration paperwork to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Vital Records Office. The Commonwealth will return all of the originals.

Once the Birth Certificate is created, one of the parents must come to the Town Clerk's office to sign as the deponent to the facts. The birth will then be submitted electronically to the State for review and acceptance. Once approved, the Birth Certificate will be available for release as a vital record and certified copies may be issued.

Fee

The recording fee for filing the Home Birth is $50 which includes one certified copy of the Birth Certificate. Additional copies of the Birth Certificate can be obtained for $20 each.