Registering The Birth of a Child

In England and Wales, a new baby must be registered within 42 days of its birth. This is usually carried out at your local registry office, although in some cases a mother may be able to register her baby before she leaves hospital if a registrar is present.

Why is it Important to Register The Birth of a Child?

Your child's birth needs to be registered so that they are legally recognised. After the registration, you will receive your baby's birth certificate as proof of registration, and this document will be required if you are claiming any benefits and to prove their identification. Both parents should be named on the birth certificate, if they are known.

Who Can Register The Birth?

The birth can be registered by:

• Either the mother or father if they are married
• The child's mother if she is not married

If one of the parents cannot attend the registration, they need to fill in a statutory declaration form and this should be handed in to the registrar.

If a Parental Responsibility agreement in place or either parent has an appropriate court order, this can be presented at the time of registration.

If the father's details are not recorded, it may be possible for these details to be registered at a later date.

What if the Parents Cannot Attend?

If neither the mother or father can attend the registration, then the following may register the birth in their place:

• The Occupier of the house or hospital where the child was born
• The person who was present at the birth
• The person who is responsible for the child

What Information Do We Have To Provide?

You must provide the registrar with the following information for your baby's birth certificate:

• The date of your child's birth
• The place of your child's birth
• Your baby's full name and gender
• Name, date and place of birth and occupation of the father
• Name, date and place of birth and occupation of the mother

Make Sure You Get it Right

Registering the birth of your child is a happy experience but, as a birth certificate is a legal document, every attempt should be made to ensure that all information and details relating to both the birth and to the birth parents is accurate at the time of registration. Make sure that all spellings, especially your child's name, are correct as these cannot be corrected.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Parental Rights Checker lets you check your legal rights as a parent on education, health and welfare decisions. Try it now →