REGISTRATION OF BABY'S BIRTH

This page explains when you can register your
baby's birth and what information the registrar
will require from you

1. Where and When Can I Register Baby's Birth?

Your baby's birth must be registered within 42
days of the date of birth.

2. Registration at the registrar's office


3. Can Baby's Father Register the Birth?

If you were married to baby's father at the time of the birth it is possible for him to register baby's birth, However, if you and baby's father were not married to each other at the time of baby's birth the father's details can only be entered into the register in the following circumstances:

  where you and the father attend together to register the birth.

or

where the father is unable to attend with you, it is possible for him to make a statutary declaration acknowledging his paternity which you should produce to the registrar (copies of this form can be obtained from any registrar in England and Wales). You will also have to make a declaration but this is done at the time of registration.

or

where you are unable to attend the register office with the father, it is possible for you to make a statutory declaration acknowledging the father's paternity, which the father should produce to the registrar . He will also have to make a declaration at the time of the registration:

or

where you and the father have made a parental responsibility agreement or either of you have obtained an appropriate court order - this should be produced to the registrar and the birth registered by either of you to include the father's details.

Please Note:
If you are not married to baby's father you are not normally obliged to have the father's details included in the entry. If the father's details are not entered at the time of registration it may be possible for this to be done at a later date. Please see below for details of the information that you will be required to give at the registration of baby's birth.

It is not always possible to register the birth
while you are in hospital, or you may not feel well
enough to register the birth while you are there.
You may. perhaps, wish to discuss the matter
with the baby's father or, of course. you may
have had your baby at home.

If any of these are the case you can register the
birth at the local registrar's office. Details of its
address can be found on the Baby Services Page
for your town or city (use the map on the home page
to find it).

Or if you prefer you can go to any other registrar's
office in England and Wales and have the birth
registered by declaration, In that case any birth
certificates you may want and the card issued to
enable you to have your baby registered with a
doctor would be sent to you by post. However,
please remember that you have a legal duty to
register the birth within 6 weeks (42 days).
What Information Will I Have to Supply
for the Registration of Baby's Birth?
The registrar will interview you in private and will ask you for the child's full name and surname and how you spell those names and the parents' details.

Baby
a) the date and place of baby's birth. If the birth is one of
twins, triplets etc then the time of each baby's birth will
also be required;
b) whether the baby is a boy or a girl;
c) the forenames and surname in which it is intended
that the baby will be brought up.

Father (where these details are to be entered in the register)
a) his forenames and surname;
b) his date and place of birth;
c) his occupation at the time of baby's birth or, if he was
not employed at that time, the occupation he last followed.

Mother
a) your forenames and surname. Your maiden surname will also be required if you are, or have been, married;
b) your date and place of birth;
c) your usual address at the date of the birth;
d) your occupation (optional). If you have been employed
at any time before the birth this occupation can be entered
in the register if you so wish;
e) if you were married to baby's father at the time of the
birth you will be asked for the date of marriage
f) the number of your previous children by your present
husband and by any former husband.		 It is most important that the information recorded in the register should be correct. If any mistake is made, for example in the spelling of a name or surname or in the description of the father's or mother's occupation, it will give you some trouble to have it put right after you have signed the
register. You should therefore check the particulars you have given the registrar for entry into the register very carefully before you sign.

If English is not your firstlanguage and you would ,like someone to help, you with the registration,please feel free to ask a relative or friend to accompany you to the registrar's office. But please remember that you must register the birth personally: you cannot ask a relative or friend to attend instead of you.

What Certificates Will I Be Issued With?

After the birth has been registered you will be given a short birth certificate which is issued free of charge. The short birth certificate meets most ordinary needs but a full birth certificate which is a complete copy of the entry in the register is also available.

Further short birth certificates and full birth certificates can be purchased at the time of registration or at any time afterwards.

Where Can I Get Further Advice on Registering my Baby's Birth?

Should you require clarification of any of the points raised here or if you are uncertain of how to proceed with the registration of your baby's birth, please telephone your local registrar who will gladly give you any further advice you may want. Or you may telephone the General
Register Office on 0870 243 7788