Registering a Birth

Image of a baby How do I register a birth?

An appointment is required to register a birth.

Registering the birth of your new baby must, by law, be done within six weeks of the event. You can do this at the Register Office in the district where the birth occurred, or you can go to any Register Office in England and Wales and make a declaration of the particulars required for registration purposes.

If you opt to make a declaration, the registrar will send the details to the appropriate Register Office. Any birth certificates you require and a doctor's registration form will be sent to you by post.

The registration process is very straightforward, and takes about fifteen minutes.

Who should attend the Register Office?

If the mother and father were married to each other at the time of the birth, either parent may register. If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the birth, the father's details can only be entered in the register in the following circumstances:-

Both father and mother attend the Register Office
If the father is unable to attend, he must make a statutory declaration acknowledging his paternity, which should be given to the Registrar.
If the mother is unable to attend, she must make a statutory declaration acknowledging the father's paternity, which the father should produce.

Please note - if the baby's parents are not married the mother is not obliged to have the father's details included in the entry. If the details are not entered at the time of registration it is possible for this to be done at a later date. If the natural parents of a child later marry each other, the birth should be re-registered.

Please be aware that after December 1st 2003, unmarried couples registering a birth together will be considered to be accepting joint parental responsibility for the child. Parental responsibility for your child gives you important legal rights as well as responsibilities. Without it, you don't have any right to be involved in decisions such as where they live, their education, religion or medical treatment. With parental responsibility, you are treated in law as the child's parent, and you take equal responsibility for bringing them up.

At present, registration law does not permit the names of both same sex parents to be shown. Only the details of the natural mother can be shown, however, it is possible for same sex couples to make an application to adopt the child. If these rules are changed, the website will be immediately updated.

What will the Registrar need to know

The date and place of baby's birth
The full name and surname in which baby will be brought up
The sex of the baby
The full name and surname of the father (if entered)
The place of birth of the father (if entered)
The father's occupation at the time of the birth (if entered)
The father's home address (if entered)
The full name and surname of the mother
Maiden surname, and any other surname used by the mother
The place of birth of the mother
The mother's occupation
The mother's address including postcode

The following information is required by law, but does not appear in the register.

The date of birth for the mother and father (date for father only if his details are shown)
Any other children born to the mother within marriage
If the parents are married, the month and year of their marriage.

To ensure accuracy, it is most important that the details are checked very carefully before signing the register or declaration.

What are short and full birth certificates?

Short certificate - the Registrar will give the parents a short birth certificate, which is free of charge (or it will be sent by post for a declaration). This will show the baby's full names, sex and date of birth. The short certificate does not include parents' details. The National Health Service number is issued on a doctors registration form, which you should deliver to the doctor of your choice as soon as possible.

Full certificate - you may purchase a full birth certificate, which includes the parents' full details. A full certificate is required to obtain a passport for the child.

Registration and the short certificate are free. A full certificate costs £3.50 at the time of registration, or £7.00 if you purchase it after the register is full and in the custody of the Superintendent Registrar.

If you are registering by means of a declaration, any certificates must be paid for by cheque or postal order as cash cannot be posted to another office.

If you discover an error at some time after the registration, however long it may be since Registration, it should be possible to make a formal correction. Please contact the register office with details of the error, and we will give you advice regarding making the correction

What happens if a birth is not registered within 6 weeks?

A birth must still be registered, however long it is since the birth. If more than 6 weeks have passed, but less than one year, the birth must be registered in the presence of the Superintendent Registrar. If it is more than a year since the birth, the Registrar must obtain permission from the Registrar General to register the birth. Parents who have not registered within 6 weeks will be contacted by the registrar in the district of the birth, requesting them to attend the register office.

How do I change my child's name?

It is possible to change the given forenames within 12 months of the date of registration. The name can be amended after baptism, or following common usage, but the change can only be made once, and only to the forenames. Please phone the Register Office for further information and an application form.

Congratulations on the birth of your child from all the staff at Bracknell Register Office.

Listen

Feedback

Bracknell Forest Borough Council

Registering a Birth