05 November 2025
Reforms which mark a major step forward for equality and family rights in Jersey, correcting
long-standing inequalities, will come into force later this month.
The Children and Civil Status legislative package, which includes the abolition of the concept of
illegitimacy, will happen from 24 November 2025, following the signing of a Commencement
Order by the Minister for Children and Families, Connétable Richard Vibert.
These reforms, which mark a major step forward for equality and family rights in Jersey,
recognise and support modern family structures, allowing same-sex parents and parents who
have children using fertility treatment with donor sperm or surrogacy to gain legal parental
status.
Previously, many of these parents faced barriers, such as not being able to be named on their
child’s birth certificate or needing to go through complex legal processes to be recognised as
legal parents.
Key changes include:
- Joint birth registration for same-sex female and mixed-sex parents who have children
through fertility treatment using donor sperm. Previously, these families faced legal barriers
to being recognised as joint parents.
- Free re-registration of births for same-sex female parents whose children were born
before 24 November 2025, allowing both parents to be officially named on the birth
certificate.
- Parental Orders for altruistic surrogacy arrangements for Jersey-born children, giving full
legal parental rights and responsibilities to the intended parents through a court process.
Parental Orders already granted in the UK for Jersey-born children can now also be
recognised locally. Most of these parents will be contacted directly via letter. However,
parents are advised to seek specialist legal advice.
- New surrogacy guidance has been published to help families and professionals
understand the process and what to expect.
- Parental responsibility agreements for stepparents, allowing them to gain legal
responsibility for their stepchildren with the agreement of the child’s other parents.
- Abolition of the concept of illegitimacy, ensuring all children are treated equally from
birth. This also allows corrections to historic birth records where the wrong father was
named due to the mother being married at the time of her child’s birth.
Connétable Vibert said: "The commencement of the Children and Civil Status Law marks a
historic milestone for Jersey. Correcting long-standing inequalities, the law now reflects the
reality of modern families, whether formed through same-sex parenting, fertility treatment, or
surrogacy. This is a major step forward in promoting equality for all children, regardless of how
they were conceived, and ensuring every family is treated with fairness and dignity.
"I would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who contributed to this reform
through consultation, advocacy, and support. I would particularly like to thank Liberate whose
dedication has been vital in bringing this legislation into force."
Families planning fertility treatment or surrogacy should contact the Assisted Reproduction
Unit for guidance.
Parents registering a birth or same-sex female parents wishing to re-register their child’s birth
should contact the Office of the Superintendent Registrar.
gov.je