Births, deaths, marriages and citizenship
When to register
You must register a birth within 42 days of the baby being born. This is a legal requirement. We understand that many parents have been unable to register their baby's birth within 42 days because of the coronavirus rules. You won't be penalised for this.
Who can register the birth
See who can register a birth on GOV.UK.
Where to register
You should register the birth at the local register office for the area where the baby was born. You can check which council covers the area where the baby was born on GOV.UK.
How to register
Baby born in Place
You can normally register a birth in Place at Place Register Office.
You must make an appointment to register a birth. Don't visit the Register Office unless you have an appointment.
Baby born outside Place
In England or Wales
If the baby was born in England or Wales, but outside Place and you can’t get to the nearest register office to register the birth, you can usually book an appointment at one of our register offices. We’ll take all the details of the birth and pass them onto the right office. This is called ‘making a declaration’.
You can't make a declaration at Place Register Office at the moment. For more information, see register a birth on gov.uk.
Outside England or Wales
If the baby was born:
- in Scotland, see register a birth on mygov.scot
- in Northern Ireland, see registering and naming your baby on nidirect.gov.uk
- abroad, see registering a birth abroad on gov.uk
What to bring to the appointment
It helps us if you bring something to the appointment that shows your full name, such as:
- your passport or driving licence
- a bank statement
- a gas, water or electric bill
- your marriage or civil partnership certificate
You don’t need to bring the baby to your appointment.
Try not to bring other children or babies to your appointment. We understand that this won't be possible for everyone, so if you come to your appointment with babies or children, you'll still be able to attend.
Try to bring a credit or debit card with you for contactless payment for the birth certificate. We don't accept Amex cards. If you can't bring a credit or debit card, we'll accept cash.
What information we need to know
When registering the birth, we’ll ask you for the:
- baby’s place and date of birth
- time of birth, where more than one baby was born
- baby’s names and sex
- parents’ names and any previous names
- parents’ addresses
- parents’ places and dates of birth
- parents’ jobs
- date of parents’ marriage or civil partnership, if any