Adele, who had her baby boy in October, apparently never got around to registering the birth through the proper channels, and now she owes a hefty fine.
In the U.K., births must be registered within 42 days; it has now been 51 days since Adele had her little boy. If the parents are unmarried but the mother wants to include the father’s information on the birth record, both parties have to attend a signing and fill out all necessary information (where and when the baby was born and all relevant names, among other things). From there, a birth certificate is mailed to the new parents.
Apparently, Adele isn’t the first new mum to forget to register; according to The Sun, many parents miss the deadline because they’re getting used to the baby and a new schedule–as well as taking care of all the other responsibilities that come with a child–and are hit with a fine.
“Cops are hardly going to be banging on their door tomorrow and it’s probably just an oversight on their part. Most parents register their baby within a couple of weeks because it’s a nice thing to do – and because there’s a maximum fine of £1,000 if they don’t. There’s loads of reasons why parents are late and millions of couples don’t bother for ages.”
The “Someone Like You” singer and partner Simon Konecki will have to cough up about $1600 for their oversight.