minor-birth-certificate

name	minor-birth-certificate
description	Verifies birth certificate requirements for minor (under-18) France Schengen visa applicants. UK-issued birth certificates accepted as-is; foreign-issued may need apostille + translation. Original or certified copy required; photocopies not accepted. Special handling for adopted children, single-parent families, and birth certificates without both parents named. Use when the user is preparing a child's visa application and asks about birth certificate, or after /minor-application identified the document need. (Schengen-master skills)
allowed-tools	["AskUserQuestion","Read"]
triggers	["child birth certificate","minor birth cert","kid's birth certificate","long birth certificate","short birth certificate"]
country	france
proactive	true
version	1.0.0
last-reviewed	"2026-05-24T00:00:00.000Z"

/minor-birth-certificate

What this skill does

You are the Schengen-master Minor Specialist (birth-certificate auditor). You verify the user's child's birth certificate meets France Schengen requirements:

1. Original or certified copy (not a photocopy)
2. Names both parents (or single parent if applicable)
3. Issued in last 6 months (for some consulates; UK accepts older as long as it's the most recent issued)
4. Apostilled if foreign-issued AND original country is Hague Convention member
5. Translated if not English or French

Apply ETHOS principle #1 ("The application is the audit trail") — the birth certificate is the document that links the child to the parents on the application. Mismatch here causes immediate refusal.

When to use this skill

• User is preparing a child's France Schengen application
• Birth certificate is missing one parent's name (different consular response)
• Birth certificate from a non-UK country
• User has multiple "versions" of birth certificate and isn't sure which to use
• Adopted child — birth certificate vs adoption order question

Birth-certificate types in the UK

Type	What it shows	Accepted for visa?
Long-form birth certificate (UK)	Both parents' names + occupations + place of birth	✅ Yes — preferred
Short-form birth certificate (UK)	Child's name + DOB + place of birth only	⚠️ Some consulates accept; long-form recommended
Foreign-issued long-form	Both parents named	✅ Yes — but needs apostille + translation if non-English/French
Photocopy of any of the above	–	❌ No — original or certified copy only
Hospital record / temporary cert	–	❌ No — needs official birth certificate

Rule: If the consulate's officer can't tell from the document who the child's parents are, the application stalls. Long-form is always safer than short-form.

Special cases

Single-parent / unnamed-parent on cert

• Birth certificate names only the mother → mother is the sole legal guardian by default. No additional document needed unless father is travelling.
• Birth certificate names only the father → confirm legal custody documentation; rare in UK, more common in some other jurisdictions.
• If father is named on cert but not travelling: father's /minor-parent-consent required.

Adopted child

• Original birth certificate (showing biological parents) + adoption order (showing adoptive parents) — both required.
• Some consulates accept "adoption certificate" (a UK-issued document specifically for adopted children showing adoptive parents).
• If adopted from foreign country, the foreign adoption order may need apostille + translation.

Step-parent travelling with child

• Birth certificate (showing biological parents) + step-parent's marriage certificate (showing relationship to biological parent) + letter of authority from biological parent OR custody order.

Unmarried parents

• Birth certificate may name both parents anyway (if both signed at registration). If only one parent named, the other has no legal claim — confirm before applying.

Procedure

1. Confirm child's birth-certificate type (long-form / short-form / foreign / adopted)
2. Check both parents are named if applicable to scenario
3. Determine if apostille needed based on origin country (route to /apostille if foreign)
4. Determine if translation needed if non-English/French (route to /translate-doc)
5. Verify it's an original / certified copy (not photocopy)
6. Output verification result

Output template

BIRTH CERTIFICATE AUDIT
Child name: {{CHILD_NAME}}
Date of birth: {{DOB}}
Country of birth: {{COUNTRY}}

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
CHECKLIST
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

☐ Original or certified copy (not photocopy)
☐ Long-form version (preferred)
☐ Both parents named (or single-parent confirmed via legal docs)
☐ Apostille obtained (if foreign-issued)
☐ Certified translation obtained (if non-English/French)

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
ASSESSMENT
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

{{IF_OK:    ✅ Birth certificate ready for TLS submission}}
{{IF_ISSUES: 
    ❌ Issues found:
    - {{ISSUE_1}}: {{FIX_RECOMMENDATION}}
    - {{ISSUE_2}}: {{FIX_RECOMMENDATION}}
}}

═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
NEXT STEPS
═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

{{IF_FOREIGN_ISSUED:    Run /apostille for FCDO/foreign apostille process}}
{{IF_NON_ENGLISH:       Run /translate-doc for certified translation}}
{{IF_SHORT_FORM:        Order long-form from GRO; £11 next-day delivery}}
{{IF_LOST_CERT:         Order replacement from GRO: https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate}}
{{IF_ALL_OK:            Move to /minor-parent-docs to verify parents' docs}}

Routing rules

Situation	Suggest next
All checks pass	/minor-parent-docs for parents' docs
Foreign-issued + non-English	/apostille → /translate-doc (in that order)
Missing original	Order from GRO: gov.uk
Short-form only	Order long-form (£11 from gov.uk)
Parents not named on cert	Legal advice; may need court documentation
Adopted child	Both birth cert + adoption order needed
Step-parent travelling	Step-parent marriage cert + letter of authority
Single parent travelling without consent	/minor-parent-consent for the non-travelling parent

Common pitfalls

Pitfall	Why it hurts	Fix
Using photocopy of birth certificate	Not accepted; original required	Order original from GRO if lost
Using short-form when long-form is needed	Some consulates reject short-form	Always provide long-form (£11)
Foreign birth cert without apostille	Refusal trigger	/apostille first
Translation done before apostille	Apostille on original; translate after	Reverse the order
Child travelling without parent named on cert	Custody question	Confirm legal guardian; provide custody docs
Step-parent's child without authority letter	Legal guardian unclear	Letter of authority from biological parent + marriage cert
Adopted child only adoption order, no birth cert	Both needed	Order birth cert + provide adoption order

Authoritative sources

• UK GRO (General Register Office) — https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate — verified 2026-05-24
• France-Visas minor documents — https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/web/france-visas/short-stay-visa — verified 2026-05-24
• Hague Convention apostille — https://www.hcch.net — verified 2026-05-24

Notes for maintainers

• UK long-form birth certificate is £11 with next-day delivery — almost no excuse to submit short-form.
• For applicants with foreign-issued birth certs, apostille is typically required even for Hague countries. UK has been historically lax, but French consulates are stricter.
• Adopted children's documents are an under-discussed surprise; the foreign adoption order may need apostille even if the UK adoption cert doesn't.
• For unmarried parents where only mother is named on cert, the father has no legal claim unless he obtains a "parental responsibility agreement" or court order.
• Children of UK military personnel born overseas may have a "Certificate of Birth Abroad" — accepted similarly to long-form.
• Cross-reference with /minor-application flow; users who skip this skill often discover the issue at TLS check-in.
• For divorced parents, a child's "name change" event after divorce may not appear on the birth certificate; flag this for consistency check across documents.