Registering a birth - Print version

Where and when to register a birth

Registering the birth

In England or Wales, all births must be registered within 42 days of the baby being born. The birth should be registered in the district where the baby was born. If the baby was born in Coventry then you can make an appointment online to register the birth [/bookbirthregistration].  

If the baby was born in Coventry but you cannot get to Coventry to register the birth then you can see a registrar in another district. The registrar will record the details on a form of declaration and send it to the registrar for the district where the birth took place. They will then enter the details in the birth register.

If you live outside the Coventry area in Warwickshire only but your baby was born in Coventry you will be able to register their birth at your local Warwickshire Register Office. You can find details of your nearest Register Office on the Warwickshire County Council website. [http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/registrationoffices]

You don’t need to bring the baby to the register office to show that the birth has taken place. The local health authority or the hospital where the birth took place will notify the registrar of the birth.

Certificates

Certificates of the birth will be posted by the registrar for the district where the birth took place. If you are planning to apply for a passport for your child, the Passport Agency will need a 'full' birth certificate which includes the parents' names. These certificates are available after registration by ordering online or over the telephone on 024 7683 3141. You can buy as many as you want. The certificate fee is £12.50.  

Coventry Register Office runs an appointment system for registration. You can make an appointment online [/bookbirthregistration] or you can call us to make an appointment.

Who can register a birth?

Parents married to each other

If the parents of the child were married to each other at the time of the birth (or conception), either the mother or the father may register.

Parents not married to each other

If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the child's birth (or conception), the father's details can only be entered in the register in the following circumstances:

• the mother and father go to the register office and sign the birth register together, or where the father is unable to go to the register office with the mother he can make a statutory declaration acknowledging his paternity which the mother must produce to the registrar (this form is available from any registrar in England or Wales); or
• where the mother is unable to go to the register office with the father -
  the mother may make a statutory declaration acknowledging the father's paternity which the father must produce to the registrar (this form is available from any registrar in England or Wales); or
• where the mother and father have made a parental responsibility agreement or either has an appropriate court order - the agreement or order should be produced to the registrar by either parent.

If the father's particulars are not recorded in the birth register, it is possible for the birth to be re-registered to include his details at a later date. You can get further information about how to apply for the re-registration of a birth.

Other people who may register births

Although the majority of births are registered by the parents, sometimes neither the mother or the father are able to do this. In these circumstances, the registrar will arrange for the registration to be completed by:

• the occupier of the house or hospital where the child was born
• a person who was present at the birth
• a person who is responsible for the child

Registering the birth of 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 register. The registered father of the child will generally be the husband or partner who received treatment with the mother.

In the case of a surrogacy arrangement, the couple who arranged for the surrogate mother to carry a child for them can apply to the courts for a parental order that will allow the birth to be re-registered to show them as the parents. You should ask for legal advice if you need more information about this. When a court issues a parental order, a copy is sent to Corrections and Re-registration Section at the General Register Office in Southport who will complete the re-registration of the birth.

Registration where the father dies before a child is conceived

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 evidence:

• his written consent to the fertility treatment and to being named as the father (not needed where the man died before 18 September 2003)
• written confirmation from the clinic that the man's consent had not been withdrawn (not needed 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 only). If he died in England or Wales, details of where and when will be enough.
• a marriage certificate where applicable (original only). If the marriage took place in England or Wales, details of where and when will be enough.

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, you should get legal advice.

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 take on parental responsibility if he acts with the mother to have his name recorded in the child's birth registration. An unmarried father can also get parental responsibility by later marrying the child's mother, by making a parental responsibility agreement with her or by getting a court order.

You might want to think about this if you have other children. If you need further information or advice, you should call Parentline Plus on 0808 800 2222 or textphone them on 0800 783 6783, or get legal advice.

Further information on treatment services and deceased fathers (external website) [http://www.hfea.gov.uk/].

Don’t miss out on Child Benefit

Information about Child Benefit can be found on GOV.UK  including the Child Benefit claim form (CH2 Claim Form ).

For your first child, this must be printed out, filled in, and sent to the Child Benefit office. If you don’t have access to a printer, you can call 0300 200 3100 and HMRC will send you a form in the post.

The form also contains information for the small minority of families who may be eligible for the High-Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC).

If you already have a Child Benefit claim, you can add further children by calling HMRC on 0300 200 3100.