Announcing details of the new facility, Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty said: “As many parents have consciously decided not to register the birth of their new arrival during the pandemic because of the social distancing requirements, we estimate that there may be up to 4,000 births not yet registered.
"This also means that payment of Child Benefit will not commence until the birth is registered," she added.
Families can now send in their birth registration forms by email or post. All the details, and the required form, can be found online. Click screenshot image to find out more.
While receipt of the requisite form and papers will action registration of the birth and trigger notification for Child Benefit, the issuing of an official birth certificate may take some time.
Patience will also be required from genealogists ordering research copies of entries in civil birth, marriage and death registers. All local civil registration offices are closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and those staff still working have been redeployed to more urgent duties within the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
Whether we will return to the 'in person' only registration system (originally set up in 1864) when the pandemic is exhausted remains to be seen.