All births in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must be registered within 42 days of the child being born.

You will need to visit our register office in person to register a birth, call 01978 298997 to make an appointment.

You can register a birth in Welsh or English (you will be asked your preference when you contact us).

Information you will need to provide when registering

  • Place and date of the birth
  • Name, surname and sex of the baby
  • Parents’ names, surnames and address
  • Places and dates of parents’ birth
  • Date of parents’ marriage or civil partnership
  • Parents’ jobs
  • Mother’s maiden surname

Please bring your child’s ‘red book’ (personal child health record) with you for the registrar to see the NHS number.

You may also want to bring identification, which can be useful if you have an unusual spelling of names (but this is not a requirement).

More about birth registrations

Do I have to pay for certificates?

Yes, all certificates cost £12.50. 

Payment by cheque is not accepted, you will need to call 01978 298997 to pay for a certificate.

Do I legally have to register my child’s birth?

Yes. Under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 all births must be registered.

Check the legislation: Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 (external link)

Will my appointment be held in a hygienic environment?

Yes. Your appointment will be held in a safe environment reducing any risks to you or the registrar.  Anti-bacterial hand gel is provided for your use.

If you or any one in your household are showing any symptoms of Covid-19 as outlined in the Public Health Wales advice, you will be unable to register at this time.

Are there toilet and baby changing facilities available?

Yes.

Is my appointment confidential?

Yes. The appointment is held in a private room. Confidential statistical data is gathered as required by law but this is not shared in the public domain.

Do I have to bring my baby to the appointment?

No, you are not required to bring your child to the appointment.

I am not married to the baby’s father, what do I do?

If you wish for the father’s details to be entered onto the child’s registration you will need to have a joint registration where the father must also come to the appointment.

I am in a same sex relationship, but not married or in a civil partnership, can my partner’s details be included on the certificate?

Yes, they can be seen as the child’s second parent if both of you have been treated in the UK by a licensed clinic, and have made a ‘parenthood agreement’.

For both parents details to be recorded you must do one of the following:  

  • register the birth jointly (where both parents attend the appointment)
  • complete a statutory declaration of acknowledgement of parentage form and bring it to the appointment
  • get a document from the court giving the second female parent parental responsibility.

I do not wish to have the father’s details on the birth registration, what do I do?

A single registration will be taken, where the father’s details will remain blank.

If you wish to include the father’s details at a later date then you will need to complete a re-registration form and make another appointment (where both parents will need to be there).

Please note that the father can still seek a court order allowing his details to be entered if you were not to grant permission.

I am married / in a civil partnership, do both of us have to come to the appointment?

No.  As you are married / in a civil partnership only one of you needs to attend.

We are a female same sex married couple / civil partners, how do our details show on our child’s certificate?

If the baby was conceived during the marriage / civil partnership and that agreement was not withdrawn at any time, then the birth mother will show as ‘Mother’ and the second parent will show as ‘parent’ on the certificate.

We are a male same sex married couple / civil partners, how can we be registered as parents?

You will need to get a parental order from the court before you can be registered as parents.

Payment by cheque is not accepted, you will need to call 01978 298997 to pay for a certificate.

Re-registering your child

Find more information about when you can re-register a birth and relevant application forms via the following links:

GOV.UK: re-register a birth following the marriage or civil partnership of natural parents (external link)
GOV.UK: re-register a birth to add the father’s details to a birth certificate (external link)