Your birth registration appointment
The appointment will take around 30 minutes.
You do not need to bring ID to the appointment, however, if you want to bring ID to confirm spellings and details, you must bring an accepted form of ID.
During the appointment you'll be asked:
- the place and date of the birth
- the name, surname and sex of the child(ren)
- the parents’ names (current and former), surnames and address(es)
- the places and dates of parents’ births
- the date of parents’ marriage or civil partnership (if appropriate)
- parents’ jobs.
The registrar will make the entry which you'll check and sign.
If you're making a birth declaration, this is sent to the register office in the district where the birth took place so it can be registered.
Birth certificates
If you're registering a birth, you'll be able to buy full birth certificates at your appointment.
Birth certificates cost £12.50 each.
If you would like a short version of the birth certificate, these can be ordered later.
Order a birth certificate online
Birth declaration
Once the birth is registered, you can buy certificates from the register office where the birth took place.
Accepted ID for a birth registration appointment
- passport
- birth certificate
- deed poll
- driving licence
- proof of address (for example a utility bill)
- Council Tax bill
- marriage or civil partnership certificate
- your personal child health record, also known as the red book.