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UK Birth certificates

This information applies to England and Wales and Northern Ireland.

Registering a birth

Births must usually be registered within 42 days. 'Stillbirths' should also normally be registered within 42 days and no later than three months after the birth.

If the parents were married at the time of the birth, either the mother or father of the child can register the birth on their own. If the father is not married to the mother but registers the birth jointly with her, he will ensure that he has parental responsibility.

If neither the mother nor the father is able to register the birth, this can be done by one of the following people:

•   someone living in the house where the child was born

•   any person present at the birth

•   Any person responsible for the child.

Notice of every birth in the UK must be given to the district medical officer of health, in writing, within 36 hours of the birth. This is usually done by the medical practitioner or the hospital where the birth happened.

How to register a birth

A birth must be registered with the Registrar of Births and Deaths in the district in which the birth occurred. There is no fee for registering a birth but there is a fee for an extra copy of the certificate.

Naming the child on a birth certificate

The mother of the child can give the child any first and surname she chooses. She may give the child the father’s surname if she wants and she does not need the father’s consent to do this. In Northern Ireland details about a father who is not married to the mother may only be entered in certain circumstances.

A man registered on the birth certificate as the father of the child has no right to insist that the child is given a particular name, for example, his surname.

A married couple can also choose any surname for their child. It does not have to be the name of either of the parents.

What to do if a birth has not been registered

It is possible to apply to register a birth years after it occurred. You will need to give as many details as possible, such as the exact date and place of birth including your or the child’s full name and address.

In Northern Ireland, the Registrar General may be able to authorise the registration of the birth provided satisfactory evidence is supplied to support all the particulars shown in the entry. If you are registering the birth, complete form GRO 205 available from the General Register Office and submit at least two pieces of documentary evidence of the date and place of birth.

Transsexual people

A transsexual person whose birth was registered in the UK, and who is granted a full gender recognition certificate by the Gender Recognition Panel, can get a new birth certificate reflecting their acquired gender. This will include the details of the date, place of birth and parentage on your original birth certificate, together with your acquired gender and new name. Someone looking at this certificate will not be able to tell that you have legally acquired a different gender.

There is also the option for the new birth certificate to show your birth surname, if this is different from the surname on your gender recognition certificate.

Your original birth certificate will remain in existence, but will not be available for the public to see.

Certificates after adoption

If you are aged 18 or over and have been adopted in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you can apply for a copy of your original birth certificate if all the birth details are known.

If adopted before 12 November 1975, you will have to see an experienced counsellor before you can get information from the original birth certificate.

If adopted on or after 12 November 1975, you can choose whether or not you would like to see a counsellor before getting information about your birth certificate.

You can also obtain a copy of the adoption certificate issued after the adoption order was granted.

Certificates from abroad

If you were born abroad, the birth may also have been registered in the UK. If so, a copy of the certificate can be obtained in the usual way.

If the birth has not been registered in the UK, you may be able to get a copy of the birth certificate from the country where you were born. This can be done by contacting the relevant embassy in the UK. Alternatively, the Overseas Registration Department at the General Register Office can contact the embassy on your behalf.

If you are unable to obtain a copy of your birth certificate from abroad, the Consular Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office may be able to help. A fee is charged.

If you were baptised in the Indian sub-continent before 1947 you should check with the India Office Library.