Births frequently asked questions

Where and when should I register the birth?
Who should go to register?
What information will I be asked for?
When do I get the birth certificate?
Can I register a birth when a child is older?
How do I register a child conceived after fertility treatment?
How do I re-register a child born via a surrogacy arrangement?
How do I correct an error?
Can I change my child's forenames?
Can I change my child's surname?
Can I use a name different from my birth record?
Can the natural father's details be added to the birth record if the parents are unmarried?
Can the details be changed if the parents have married each other since the birth?
Can the details be changed if a court has issued a Declaration of Parentage since the original registration?
What happens if the father died before the child was conceived (by fertility treatment)?
How can I re-register a child where the father died before the child was conceived (by fertility treatment)?
How do I register a baby born abroad?
I was adopted - how do I find out more?

Where and when should I register the birth?
After the arrival of a new baby, it is a legal requirement to register the birth within 42 days by personal visit to the register office for the district where the birth occurred. If you decide to give a declaration of the birth to a registrar in another district registering will take several days longer. This is because the registrar will need to forward your information to the district where the birth took place in order for the registration to take place – and it is from here that the birth certificate will be sent to you.

If you don't speak English very well, please bring a friend or relative to help interpret for you. The interview will last about a half hour once you are with the registrar.

Who should go to register?
It depends if the parents were married to each other at the time of the birth or conception. If they were the mother or father can register the birth. If they weren't, then who registers will depend on a number of factors:

if you want the father's details to be entered in the register, then both parents can go and sign the birth register together
if the father is unable to go to the register office with the mother, but you still want his details included, then he can make a statutory declaration (which you can get from the registrar or from the General Register Office acknowledging his paternity, which the mother must give to the registrar.
if the mother is unable to go to the register office with the father, she may make a statutory declaration acknowledging the father's paternity on the same form(s) as above, which the father can give to the registrar
where there is a parental responsibility agreement in force or either parent has obtained an appropriate court order, this document can be presented at the time of registration by either parent.

If the father's particulars are not recorded in the birth register, it may be possible for the birth to be re-registered to include his details at a later date.

What information will I be asked for?
The registrar will ask for the following details:

Child

date and place of birth; if the birth is one of twins, triplets etc, the time of each child's birth will also be needed
sex of the child
the forename(s) and surname in which it is intended that the child will be brought up

Father (if his details are to be entered in the register)

forename(s) and surname
date and place of birth
occupation at the time of the child's birth or, if not employed at that time, the last occupation

Mother

forename(s) and surname
maiden surname if the mother is, or has been, married
date and place of birth
occupation at the time of the child's birth or, if not employed at that time, the last occupation
usual address at the date of the birth
date of marriage, if married to the child's father at the time of the birth
number of previous children by the present husband and by any former husband

It is vital that all the information recorded in the birth register is completely correct as mistakes can take quite a bit of time and trouble to put right. This is why the person registering the birth should check the information very carefully before signing the register.

When do I get the birth certificate?
After giving the registrar all the necessary information, you will be asked to check the record carefully and sign it before being given, free of charge, one short birth certificate carrying details of the baby's name, sex and date and district of birth.

Full birth certificate(s) containing all the information in the register, and further short birth certificates, are also available to buy. Please request these when you see the registrar. The fee is £3.50 for each certified copy. After the register containing your child's entry is completed, the fee rises to £7.50 per certificate.

Parental responsibility
The mother of a child, and the father if he is married to the mother, automatically have parental responsibility. Where the parents are not married to each other, the father will acquire parental responsibility if he acts with the mother to have his name recorded in the child's birth registration after 1st December 2003.

An unmarried father can also obtain parental responsibility by later marrying the child's mother, by making a parental responsibility agreement with her, or by getting a court order. You may wish to consider this if you have other children.

If you need further information or advice, you should telephone Parentline Plus on 0808 800 2222 or get legal advice.

Can I register a birth when a child is older?
If a birth has not been registered within 12 months, corrections and re-registration section at the General Registry Office in Southport will need to authorise a late registration. Your local register office can carry out all the necessary liaison but you will first need to provide them with documentation confirming the child's exact date and place of birth, along with the completed relevant form (C45) which the registrar will obtain for you.

How do I register a child conceived after fertility treatment?
The woman who gives birth – including a surrogate mother – will be shown as the child's mother in the birth registration. The man who will be regarded as the father of the child will generally be the husband or partner of the woman who received treatment. In the case of a surrogacy arrangement, the couple who arranged for the surrogate mother to carry a child for them may apply to the courts for a parental order that will enable the birth to be re-registered to show them as the parents. Legal advice should be obtained if further information about this is required. When a court issues a parental order, a copy is sent to corrections and re-registration section at the General Registry Office in Southport who will complete the re-registration of the birth.

How do I re-register a child born via a surrogacy arrangement?
When a surrogate mother has a baby for another couple, she must register the child as her own.

Since November 1994, the couple who arranged for the surrogate mother to carry a child for them (known as the commissioning parents) may obtain a Parental Order issued under Section 30 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act from a court in the UK, showing them as the child's parents. Legal advice should be obtained about applying for a Parental Order.

When the court in England or Wales issues a Parental Order, a copy is sent to corrections and re-registration section at the General Registry Office in Southport. A new record can then be made to show the details of the commissioning parents as the parents of the child, in accordance with the order. This new record will supersede the original registration. Details on how to obtain certificates of the new record will be provided by corrections and re-registration section once the new record has been made.

How do I correct an error?
Each entry in a birth register is an historic record of the facts as they were at the time of the birth. If errors are discovered later, the law allows for details to be changed or added. Corrections should be arranged with the register office where the birth was registered – but sometimes your paperwork must be sent to corrections and re-registration Section at the General Registry Office in Southport for authorisation. Wherever possible, applications for corrections should be made by the person who gave the information for the registration. He or she will be asked to provide documentary evidence to prove an error was made at the time of the registration. There is no charge for making alterations to the birth register – but if you would like to buy certificates showing the changes the normal fees apply.

Can I change my child's forenames?
The law allows for a change to a child's forenames to be added to the birth register, provided the new forenames were given either in baptism or by regular use within 12 months of the birth being registered. The new forenames may be added to the birth record after 12 months, but you will need to provide documentary evidence that the new forenames were in use within 12 months of registration.

Other restrictions include:

forename changes may only be made once in the birth register - any later forename changes cannot be recorded
if your child has been baptised within twelve months of the birth registration, only the baptismal names may be added to the register
you must comply with any court orders in force about the naming of your child.

The new forenames are written in the space at the end of the birth record and you need to arrange for this to be done by the register office where the birth was registered. If you no longer live in the same area, you can post the paperwork to the relevant register office. In some cases, your paperwork will be sent to corrections and re-registration section at the General Register Office in Southport for processing.

Please tell the register office dealing with your application if you would like to order certificates showing the new forenames. Short versions show just the new name with the date and place of birth but full certificates will also show details of the previous name shown at the top of the record, with the new name appearing in full in the space at the end of the record. There is no charge for adding the new names to the birth register – but if you would like to buy certificates showing the new forenames the usual fees apply.

Can I change my child's surname?
It is not possible to change a child's surname in their original birth record, although spelling mistakes can be put right by the correction process. However, if a child is to be re-registered to record the natural father's details in the birth record or to show the child as a child of the parents' marriage, we can consider changing the child's surname to the mother's or the father's – or to a combination of the two – as long as both parents agree to the change. There is no charge for authorising a correction or re-registration but if you would like to buy certificates of the corrected or new entry, the usual fees apply.

Can I use a name different from my birth record?
A person in England or Wales may be known by any name they wish and they will acquire a right to that name by usage and reputation. The Registrar General is advised that there is no reason why a name acquired in this way should not be used for all purposes (except for fraudulent ones). A child's surname should not be changed if there are any existing legal restrictions, court orders etc about the name(s) by which the child may be known. It is advisable to obtain legal advice about making such a change. If you wish to document a change of name for yourself or your child, you may consider it worthwhile to draw up a change of name document so seek legal advice.

Can the natural father's details be added to the birth record if the parents are unmarried?
If the parents are unmarried and would like the natural father's details added to the birth record, a re-registration will be required so that a new birth record can be created to replace the original one. To do this, you will need to complete a form GRO185 which the registrar can give you.

Can the details be changed if the natural parents have married each other since the birth?
If the natural parents have married each other since the birth, a re-registration will be required so that a new birth record can be created to show the child as a child of the parents' marriage. To do this, you will need to complete a LA1 form which the registrar can give you.

Can the details be changed if a court has issued a Declaration of Parentage since the original registration
When a court in England or Wales issues a Declaration of Parentage since the original registration, a copy is sent to Corrections and Re-registration Section at the General Register Office in Southport within 21 days, and the birth may be re-registered to show the findings of the court. To find out how to apply for a Declaration of Parentage, you should contact a solicitor or the Chief Clerk at your local Magistrates or County Court.

What happens if the father died before the child was conceived (by fertility treatment)? Where a child is conceived as a result of fertility treatment after the death of the man receiving treatment with the mother, the man can be registered as the child's father on production of the following documentary evidence:

his written consent to the fertility treatment and to being named as the father in the child's birth registration (not required where the man died before 18 September 2003)
written confirmation from the clinic that the man's consent had not been withdrawn (not required where the man died before 18 September 2003)
the woman's written request for the man to be named as the father in the birth registration
written confirmation of the fertility treatment from a medical source, for example: the treatment clinic, mother's own doctor or hospital doctor
the man's death certificate (original required - photocopy not acceptable). If he died in England or Wales details of when and where he died will be acceptable.
a marriage certificate where appropriate (original required – photocopy not acceptable). If the ceremony took place in England or Wales, details of where and when will be sufficient

Please note, recording the man as a child's father in these circumstances does not mean he will be treated in law as the child's father for any purpose other than registration. Nor does it give the child any legal status or rights concerning, for example, inheritance or nationality. If you would like further information, please seek legal advice.

How can I re-register a child where the father died before the child was conceived?
This is the same as if a child is conceived as a result of fertility treatment after the death of the man (link to the above question) except you will need re-registration application forms which can be obtained from the registrar.

How do I register a baby born abroad?
In most countries, babies born as British citizens or babies born to serving members of the British Armed Forces can be registered by the appropriate British authorities. However, parents need to request this facility, as there is no automatic notification of the birth, as with children born in the UK. Here is a list of the countries where a birth cannot be registered with the British authorities:

Ascension Islands
Australia
Bermuda
Canada
Cayman Islands.
Christmas Islands
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Nevis
St.Helena
South Africa
Turks & Cacos Islands
Virgin Islands (UK)
Zimbabwe

For further information on registering babies that are born abroad contact:

The Registrar General
General Register Office, Smedley Hydro, Trafalgar Road, Birkdale, Southport PR8 2HH
Tel: 01704 569 824
Email: overseas.gro@ons.gov.uk
Website: www.gro.gov.uk

I was adopted - how do I find out more?
The General Register Office provides general information on adoption, obtaining a certificate of adoption, applying for birth records and how to add your name to the adoption contact register (if you were adopted or are a birth relative).