Births
Births in England or Wales must be registered in the district in
which they take place although this may be arranged through any
register office within these countries.
The registration process is straightforward and only takes
about fifteen to twenty minutes. Before you go the Register Office
please telephone to make an appointment.
You must register the birth in the registration district where
your child was born.
The Register Offices operate an appointment system. Please
telephone the relevant office to arrange a mutually convenient
appointment
North Office
Sefton North Register Office
Corporation Street
Southport
PR8 1DA
Please telephone to make an appointment on 0151 934
2011/2013
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday:
9.15 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Tuesday
9.15 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
2.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Area covered
Crossens, Churchtown, Marshside, Hesketh Park, High Park,
Blowick, Kew, Town Centre, Ainsdale, Birkdale, Hillside, Woodvale,
Freshfield, Formby, Little Altcar - most of Ince Blundell
South Office
Sefton South Register Office
Town Hall
Great Georges Road
Waterloo
L22 1RB
Please telephone to make an appointment on 0151 934 3047
Monday
9.15 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
2.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
9.15 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m.
Wednesday
9.15 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Areas covered
Bootle, Seaforth, Litherland, Crosby, Hightown, Aintree,
Maghull, Melling, Lydiate
The following areas are not in Sefton
Banks, Halsall & Scarsbrick
If you live in outlying areas please ring to check with the
office before making an appointment
If you live outside the registration district where the baby was
born, you can register the birth by making a declaration to any
Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in England or Wales. They
will forward the documentation to the correct registration
district.
Frequently asked questions
Where
and when to register a birth
Every birth in England or Wales 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 may sometimes 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.
Who can register a birth?
This explains who can register a birth, and when information
about the father may be included in the register:
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 particulars may be
entered in the register only 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 - the father may make a
statutory declaration acknowledging his paternity which the
mother must produce to the registrar (this form may be obtained
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 may be obtained from any
registrar in England or Wales), or
- where the
mother and father have made a parental responsibility agreement or
either has obtained 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 may be possible for the
birth to be re-registered to include his details at a later date.
You can obtain further information about how
to apply for the re-registration of a birth from the
registrar.
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 whichever of
the following people is best able to do so:
- 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 birth registration. The man who
is to be regarded as the 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 may
apply to the courts for a parental order that will enable the birth
to be re-registered to show them as the parents. Legal advice
should be obtained if further information about this is required.
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
?
This may be possible on production of certain documentary
evidence . You will need to contact the General Register Office for
advice. Their telephone number is 0151 471 4805
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 acquire
parental responsibility if he acts with the mother to have his name
recorded in the child's birth registration on or after 1 December
2003. An unmarried father can also obtain parental responsibility
by later marrying the child's mother, by making a parental
responsibility agreement with her or by getting a court order. You
may wish 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 obtain
legal advice.
For further information on treatment services and deceased
fathers, see HFEA
website.
Information to be supplied for the
registration of a birth
Child
- date and place of birth; if the birth is one of
twins, triplets, etc the time of each child's birth will also be
needed
- sex of the child
- the forename(s) and surname in which it is intended
that the child will be brought up
Father (where this information is to be entered in the
register)
- forename(s) and surname
- date and place of birth
- occupation at the time of the child's birth or, if
not employed at that time, the last occupation
Mother
- forename(s) and surname
- maiden surname if the mother is, or has been,
married
- date and place of birth
- occupation at the time of the child's birth or, if
not employed at that time, the last occupation
- usual address at the date of the birth
- date of marriage, if married to the child's father at
the time of the birth
- number of previous children by the present husband
and by any former husband
It is most important that the information recorded in the
birth register is correct. If any mistake is made, for example in
the spelling of a name or surname or in the description of the
father's or mother's occupation, it will give the parents or other
person who registered the birth some trouble to have it put right.
The person registering the birth should check the information to be
recorded in the register very carefully before the entry is signed.
If English is not the mother's or father's first language and help
is needed with registering the birth, it would be helpful for a
relative or friend to accompany them to the registrar's office and
act as interpreter. However, the parents must register the birth
personally as a relative or friend cannot register instead of
them.
What certificates will be
issued?
After a birth has been registered, a short birth certificate
showing the name, sex, date and district of birth is issued free of
charge. The short certificate meets most ordinary needs but a full
birth certificate, which is a complete copy of the register entry,
is also available. Further short certificates and full certificates
may be bought at the time of registration or at any time
afterwards. You can obtain further information about obtaining
certificates.
Further advice about registering a birth in England or Wales
may be obtained from your local registrar or
General Register Office, Room D209, Smedley Hydro, Trafalgar
Road, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2HH
Registering a birth after 12 months
If a birth occurs in England and Wales and has not been
registered within 12 months of its occurrence it is possible for
the late registration of the birth to be authorised by the
Registrar General provided certain requirements can be met.
Before the Registrar General can authorise a late registration
of a birth he must be satisfied, by documentary evidence, of the
child's exact date and place of birth. There must also be a person
available who can attend any Register Office in England and Wales
to give the information for the registration. More information
about registering a birth and who can do this is available in Who
can register a birth?
How to apply
To apply for the late registration of an unregistered birth in
England, Application for Late Registration (Form C45) should be
completed. For an unregistered birth in Wales. Application for Late
Registration (C45W) should be completed.
The application form explains in more detail the information
you will need to provide and any documents you may need to send,
with the completed application form, to enable a late registration
of your birth to be considered.
Forms are available from the Corrections & Re-registration
Section at the General Register Office on +44 (0)151 471
4806.
The completed application form and the documents requested
should be sent to Corrections and Re-registration Section.
No fee is charged for authorising a late registration however,
if you want to buy certificates, in addition to the short
certificate issued free on registration, then please contact us for
details of prices. You can also obtain certificates locally from
the Register Office where the birth was registered.
Last Updated on 2/1/2010