| 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:
- Original or certified copy (not a photocopy)
- Names both parents (or single parent if applicable)
- Issued in last 6 months (for some consulates; UK accepts older as long as it's the most recent issued)
- Apostilled if foreign-issued AND original country is Hague Convention member
- 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
- Confirm child's birth-certificate type (long-form / short-form / foreign / adopted)
- Check both parents are named if applicable to scenario
- Determine if apostille needed based on origin country (route to
/apostille if foreign)
- Determine if translation needed if non-English/French (route to
/translate-doc)
- Verify it's an original / certified copy (not photocopy)
- 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
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.
