The Webpage of the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council

Registering Children

Marg Casey m.casey@nstq.org

Welcome to the Indian Registry Program!

Registering children on the Indian Register is entirely voluntary. Children are not automatically registered just because their parents are registered. What is required for registration is a copy of the child's large birth certificate (a wallet sized birth certificate is not acceptable as it does not show paternity which is necessary for registration with Indian Affairs). Along with the birth certificate, the child's parents must sign a consent form (available at Northern Shuswap Tribal Council) to indicate which parent the child will be registered with (a child cannot be registered with both parents). If one parent is non-native, they must still sign the consent form. If the father is not named on the birth certificate, he cannot sign the consent form, and he cannot have the child registered with him. *Note to moms: Please consider the consequences of not including baby's father on the birth certificate; this could affect the child's future ability to pass on status to his/her children. If you wish to add the father to a birth certificate at a later date, this can be done at the provincial government building in Williams Lake at the Government Access Center. Children not registered with the Indian Registry are not covered under the non-insured health benefits which include medical services, dental care, prescription drugs, optometrist visits and vision care. If you have not registered your child, you will have to pay for these services. After all the necessary papers have been received at the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council, it takes approximately one month for the child to be officially registered on the Indian Affairs registry.