A newborn in Shanghai, China, has reportedly yet to be issued a birth certificate nor scheduled vaccinations a year following birth, as the parents were unable to amicably settle on a name for the child, resulting in an irreconcilable fracture in the relationship.

According to reports, a Pudong New Area People’s Court in Shanghai recently heard a divorce case involving a couple with a registered marriage in 2023, who have been bitterly at odds over the naming of their child, which was born a year later.

It’s understood that each party insisted on naming the child according to their own wishes and demanded that the other provide the original documents and a power of attorney, which neither produced.

According to reports of court proceedings, the presented evidence showed that each party went to the hospital separately in an attempt to have their preferred name registered for the child. Both attempts were, however, rejected due to non-compliance with regulations.

“The child is over one year old, but he doesn’t even have a birth certificate. He can’t register his household registration, and even getting vaccinations is difficult,” the judge presiding over the case observed.

The court emphasised the significance of the birth medical certificate for a newborn to obtain legal identity. It also noted that delays in the processing due to personal conflicts constitutes an infringement on the personal rights of the minor, and both parents should be held accountable.

It’s understood that, following a court-issued “Notice of Care for Minor Children,” requiring both parents to cooperate in obtaining a birth certificate within a specified timeframe, it was decided that the original birth certificate be temporarily kept by the court, before being transferred to the mother, so she could handle the mandatory household registration process.