ENGLAND & WALES

When a child is born in England or Wales, the hospital or health authority in which the child is born will notify the district medical officer of the birth, in writing, within 36 hours of the birth. All births must then be registered within 42 days in the district in which it took place.

If the parents are married either the mother or father can register the birth. If they are not married and wish to enter the father’s details in the register they can only do so if the father accompanies the mother to the registrar’s office; the mother or father make a statutory declaration acknowledging the father’s paternity; the parents have a parental responsibility agreement; or either parent has obtained a court order. It may also be possible to add a father’s particulars later. New legislation in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 grants fathers full parental rights and responsibilities if they sign the register with the mother, whether the two are married or not, but this will only apply to fathers who registered births after this new section of the act came into force on 1 December 2003..

If neither parent is able to register the birth, other people can: a person who is responsible for the child (this could be someone with parental responsibility or social services), was present at the birth, or is the occupier of the house in which the child was born. The General Register Office for England and Wales can tell you more about who is able to register a child’s birth – you can call the general enquiry line on or e-mail registering.births.

You can get the address for the local Registrar of Births and Deaths from the hospital, doctor, local phone directory (look under “Registration of Births, Deaths & Marriages”) or on your local authority’s website (see our local information search). In some cases, hospitals have registrar services which allow mothers to register before they leave.

There are two kinds of certificate, short and full. The short certificate records name, sex, date of birth and registration district and serves most official purposes; it is free but you will be charged for extra copies. Full certificates are copies of all the information entered in the register, including parental details, and are available for a fee.

A government white paper published on 22 January 2002 promised changes to birth registration which would allow parents and relatives to provide information online or by telephone without the need to visit a register office but the reforms are not expected to come into force until 2004. You can read the press release from National Statistics for more information on the changes (you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader to do this but it is free to download).

For more detailed information on birth registration, including the fees involved, visit the General Register Office for England and Wales pages on the National Statistics website. The site also covers the procedure for amending birth records.

Any birth in Scotland must be registered within 21 days in either the district in which the birth took place or the district in which the mother ordinarily lives. 

Either the mother or father can register the birth, as long as they’re married to each other. If they are not married, the father’s details can be registered only if the mother and father jointly sign the register, the mother and father sign declarations of the father’s paternity, or a court declares the father’s paternity and the mother signs the register. 

If neither parent is able to register the birth, a person who is responsible for the child (this could be someone with parental responsibility or Social Services), was present at the birth, or is the occupier of the house in which the child was born, can register the birth. The General Register Office for Scotland can tell you more about who is able to register a child’s birth and can be reached on .

You can get the address of the local registrar from the hospital, doctor, telephone book (see 'Registration of Births, Death and Marriages'), through the Directory of Registrars in Scotland (tothe list of Scottish registrars you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free) or on your local authority’s website (see our local information search).

According to the General Register Office for Scotland, you should bring the card issued by the hospital and the parents’ marriage certificate but the registration can proceed without these.

There are two kinds of certificate, short and full. The short certificate records name, sex, date of birth and registration district and serves most official purposes; it is free but you will be charged for extra copies. Full certificates have all the information entered in the register including parental details and are available for a fee.

The General Register Office for Scotland website has further details, including advice on registering births which occur abroad, and lists contact information. 

NORTHERN IRELAND

In Northern Ireland, a birth must be registered within 42 days in the district in which it took place. If the parents are married, the mother can sign alone but if they are unmarried both parents have to sign the register. Since April 2002, unmarried fathers who register the birth of their child jointly with their unmarried partner are automatically given parental responsibility.

You can get the address of the local registrar from the hospital or doctor, by phoning the General Register Office or on your local authority’s website (see our local information search).

There are two kinds of certificate, short and full. The short certificate records name, sex, date of birth and registration district and serves most official purposes; it is free but you will be charged for extra copies. Full certificates have all the information entered in the register including parental details and are available for a fee.

If you would like to order copies of birth certificates, you can now do so online.

Please contact the General Register Office for further information.