Register a birth

Documents you must bring to register a birth

You must bring photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence, for each parent attending to register the birth.

• If you are married and only one parent is attending, that parent must bring their photo ID and your marriage certificate.
• If both parents are attending to register the birth, you must each bring your own photo ID.

If you arrive without the required documents, your appointment may not be able to go ahead and you may need to book another appointment.

If you do not have photo ID or are unsure what to bring, please contact us before your appointment for advice.

Details you need to provide at the appointment

• Date, place and time of the birth. The time will only be recorded if the baby is one of twins, triplets etc
• Whether the baby is a boy or girl
• The forenames and surname by which the baby is to be brought up
• Forenames and surname and any other names used by the father or parent (where the details are to be entered in the register)
• Date and place of birth of the father or parent
• Occupation of the father or parent at the time of baby's birth (if not employed, the occupation last followed)
• Forenames and surname and any other names used of the mother, including maiden surname
• Date and place of birth of the mother
• Occupation or previous occupation of the mother
• Date of marriage if applicable
• Number of previous children by the mother.

Certificates you will receive

Birth certificates cost £12.50 each, please take your debit / credit card with you for payment. If you need to apply for certificates at any stage after attending your appointment, please go to our certificates and family history webpage.

A non-refundable statutory fee of £83 or £99 will need to be taken for the correction to be considered. This is dependent on whether the correction can be done locally or has to be referred to General Register Office.

Any correction application must be made in the district where the event occurred with the completed application form and relevant evidence. We therefore request that you check the register page very carefully before signing. Once the page is signed, the entry is a legal record of the registration and cannot be changed without completing the formal correction process.

Parental responsibility

Married parents automatically have joint legal parental responsibility as do unmarried parents where both attend the registration and sign the register.

DNA testing

There are occasions where scientific tests for DNA are required. The Registration Service will only accept DNA tests from government accredited testing companies as listed on GOV.UK.

Further information

Children and families section