5 October 2018
Two Hong Kong residents who failed to register the births of their children within the prescribed period were convicted at Shatin Magistrates' Courts yesterday (October 4) and today (October 5) respectively.
The Immigration Department (ImmD) investigated the two cases of failure to register birth within the prescribed period, which involved two males who failed to register the births of their new born babies who were both born in October 2017. The two were charged with failure to perform the birth registration of a baby within 42 days after birth. They both pleaded guilty to the charge and were sentenced to fines of $1,200 and $1,000 respectively. The birth registration of the two babies was finally completed in July 2018.
The ImmD spokesman reminded the public that parents must fulfil their obligations under the law to register the birth of a child within 42 days of birth, so that the rights to medical treatment, education and welfare benefits, to which their children are entitled, are not affected due to the delay in following the relevant procedures. Failure to do so is an offence for which the maximum sentence upon summary conviction is a fine of $2,000 or six months' imprisonment.