Registering a birth

Births can be registered at the Council
Offices by appointment fortnightly on Tuesdays between
9.30am and 12pm.
Please telephone
01902 696000 for an
appointment or call into the
Customer
Services reception during opening hours.
Every birth in England must be registered in the district in
which it takes place within 42 days of the date of birth.
Information for the registration is given to the registrar by the
person registering the birth. The information, which is usually
recorded on computer, is also recorded in the birth register and
the person registering the birth signs the record.
If it is inconvenient to go to the district where the birth
took place, the information for the registration may be given to a
registrar in another district. The registrar will record the
registration particulars on a form of declaration and send it to
the registrar for the district where the birth occurred. The
registrar who receives the declaration will enter the information
in the birth register. Certificates of the birth, which may be
ordered and paid for at the time of making the declaration, will be
posted by the registrar for the district where the birth took
place.
The baby does not need to be taken to the registrar's office
to show that the birth has taken place. The local health authority
or the hospital where the birth occurred will notify the registrar
of the birth.
Registration can often be carried out at the hospital before
the mother leaves, as well as at registrars' offices. The opening
hours when a registrar will be available vary from one district to
another and most of them operate an appointments system. You should
contact the relevant district by telephone to obtain further
information or to arrange an appointment.
Contact
Customer
Services
Telephone: (01902) 696000