How to Register a Birth

When a baby is born, their birth must be registered with the local registrar.

When should you register your baby's birth?

You must register a birth within 42 days.

Who can register the birth?

The following people can register a birth.

The baby's mother.
The baby's father who was married to the baby's mother at the time of the birth.
Both parents together, if they are not married to each other and they want the father's details to be recorded in the register.

Please remember that the birth has to be registered by one or both of the parents in person. You cannot ask a friend or a relative to register the birth on your behalf.

Where should you register?

You should register a birth with the registrar of Births and Deaths for the district where the baby was born.
If the baby was born in Kingston Hospital or anywhere else in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, the birth must be registered at :

Kingston Register Office
35 Coombe Road
Kingston upon Thames
KT2 7BA

The Register Office is situated beside Kingston Hospital on the corner of Coombe Road and Wolverton Avenue.

If it is not convenient for you to come to this office, you can go to any other register office and give them the details of the birth. They will then send the information to us on your behalf. We call this registering a birth by declaration. Please remember that if you register this way, the birth certificate will be posted to you a few days later.

Do you have to make an appointment?

You are strongly advised to make an appointment to register the birth as the office can be very busy at times. If you arrive without an appointment you may have a long wait before you can be seen.

We operate an appointment system between 9.00am and 4.00pm Monday to Friday.

You can make an appointment to register a birth by using our online booking system

or by telephone on 020 8547 4600.

We are now offering a limited number of birth registration appointments on Saturdays. These appointments will be offered on a 'first come, first served' basis and can only be made by speaking to a member of the Registration Team on 020 8547 4600 during normal office hours.

What information will the registrar need?

The registrar will see you in private and record details about the baby and both parents. You will be asked for the following information:

The date of the birth.
Where the baby was born.
The baby's full name.
The mother's full name.
The mother's name before she was married.
The mother's date and place of birth.
The mother's occupation.
The mother's address.

If the father's details are to be included, the registrar will also need to know:

The father's full name.
The father's date and place of birth.
The father's occupation.
The father's address.

If the parents are married to each other, the registrar will also ask for the date of their marriage and the number of any other children that they might have.

You will be asked to check the information recorded very carefully and then sign to say that it is correct. It is important that the registration is accurate as any correction of errors discovered after the register has been signed may cause you a lot of inconvenience to put right.

Do also take care on deciding your child's name. This is particularly important if the mother and father have different surnames as the surname given at this time cannot be changed at a later date other than by re-registration or adoption

What documents will the registrar give you?

The registrar will give you a short birth certificate free of charge.

Is there a charge for registering a birth?

There is no charge for registering a birth. However, you may want a full birth certificate, which shows the parents' names. Many organisations, including the UK Passport Agency now require this type of certificate. We would recommend that you purchase a full certificate at the time of registering the birth as the fees increase after the registration.

From the 6th April 2010 the fees for birth certificates are as follows:

Fee for a birth certificate at the time of registration

£3.50

Fee for a certificate after registration

£7.00

What to do if you wish to add the father's details to the birth certificate?

If your baby's birth was registered without including the natural father's details in the register, you can apply for the birth to be re-registered at a later date. You have two options:

If you and your partner have married each other since the baby’s birth, you can re-register the birth so that a new birth record can be made to show your son or daughter as a child of your marriage. To do this, you will need to complete a form LA1 which can be obtained from the register office or can be downloaded below (see Related Documents). Once completed, you can make an appointment for either parent to visit the register office to sign the new birth registration. You will need to bring a copy of your marriage certificate along with you when you attend.
If you are unmarried and would like the natural father’s details added to the birth record you can apply for a re-registration to be made by completing a form GRO185 which is available from the registrar or can be downloaded below (see Related Documents). Both parents must sign this form and attend together to sign the new birth registration.

After the birth has been re-registered you can obtain birth certificates from the new registration.

If you are unsure of the procedure and would like some advice, please contact a member of the Registration Team on:

Tel 020 8547 4600

Married or Not

One Plus One's website "Married or Not" provides at-a-glance information on the legal differences between married and unmarried couples, along with direct links to additional sources of information and help to download, and a directory of organisations providing expert advice. It was created as part of the Government-backed campaign, Living Together, to dispel the common law marriage myth and to better inform cohabiting couples in England and Wales of their legal rights.

Can the names on my child’s birth certificate be changed?

You can change your child's first name(s) on the birth certificate within 12 months of the date of the original registration. You will need to complete a simple form which is available from the registrar. The new forename(s) will appear in space 17 of the Birth Certificate.

Alternatively, if the child has been baptised in the Christian faith within 12 months of the date of the original registration you can obtain a form from the Register Office to take to the Minister of the Church in which the child was baptised. Once this form has been completed the registrar will add the new name(s) to space 17. This process can be done at any time after the birth as long as the baptism took place within 12 months of the registration. You can then purchase certified copies from this amended registration.

Please remember that surnames (Family Name) cannot be changed except through re-registration and adoption.