Thursday 20 October 2016

Baby without papers, because he was born on Friday

The importance of getting things done according to the law has been underlined in the case of a baby born in the Var on a Friday. Parents have three days to register a birth and these parents went to the mairie the following Tuesday - a day too late. So it was not permissible to register the birth. Consequently the baby has no legal identity - so no entitlement to child benefit or birth gratuity designed to help mothers with a new-born.
Eight months of wrangling to be decided in court, with legal representation before baby Nolan can even be enrolled for a crèche. The law, from 1919, is said to be from a time when infant mortality was high and it was important to give a child a legal identity as soon as possible. Probably also a time when the mairie was always open on Saturday. One would have thought Sunday would not count, but apparently not so. Heaven help a baby born just before a bank holiday (with pont).
comments to taglines82@gmail.com