Where to register a birth

The birth should be registered in the district in which the birth occurred. 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 any Register Office in England and Wales. 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 to you by the registrar for the district where the birth took place.

Registering the birth outside the area where it occurred will result in a short delay in receiving the birth certificate and form for your GP.

Where one or both of the parents are not British you should contact the relevant Embassy or Consul in this country after registering the birth. Any query regarding British Nationality for a child should be directed to the Home Office, Nationality Division, 3rd Floor, Indian Buildings, Water Street, Liverpool, L2 0QN.

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.