A birth must be registered within 42 days of the child being born.
The birth must be registered in the London borough where the baby was born.
If your baby was born in Ealing, please make an appointment with the Ealing Register Office by completing the online form.
What to take to your appointment
You'll need to take the following to your appointment:
- the red book issued to you at the hospital
- your passport, driving licence or birth certificate
- your marriage certificate - if you're married
- deed poll documents - if you've changed your name by deed poll.
You'll need to provide the following details at the appointment:
Details of the baby
- the date, time and place of the birth
- the baby's sex
- the forenames and surname.
Details of the mother
- the mother's full name (and maiden name if married)
- the mother's date and place of birth
- the mother's current occupation
- the mother's address.
Details of the father
- the father's full name
- the father's date and place of birth
- the father's current occupation
- the father's address (if different from the mother's address).
Who can register a birth
If the mother and father are married, either parent can register the birth on their own.
If the mother and the father aren't married and one of the parents can't go to register the birth, the absent parent must complete a statutory declaration of parentage form (GOV.UK).
You must get the form witnessed by a solicitor, a justice of the peace or a magistrate and then present it to the registrar at the registration.
If both parents are female, either parent can register the birth if the partners were in a civil partnership at the time of fertility treatment and both consented to treatment.
If the parents are both female and were not in a civil partnership but have a 'legal parenthood agreement', both parents need to attend the registration.
Full details about registering a birth, including who can register the birth, is available on the GOV.UK website.
If English is not your first language and you need assistance, you can ask a friend or relative to come with you as an interpreter.
Births outside of Ealing
If your baby was born outside the borough but you live in Ealing, you can still book an appointment with us.
We will send the details to the relevant office in the borough where the birth took place, and they will issue a birth certificate by post to your home address.
If your baby was born abroad, you must register the child in the country where the birth took place, find out more on the GOV.UK website.
What happens next
If you want to buy a full birth certificate at the time of registration, it'll cost £11 for each copy.
If you want to buy additional copies of the full birth certificate after the registration, it'll cost £11 for each copy.