Birth Registration

We are responsible for providing a service to the public to carry out their legal duties to register all births occurring within the City of Westminster.

We hold records of all births that took place within the City of Westminster from 1837. We can supply certified copies of these records if you pay the statutory fee. A certified copy is not a photocopy and is the document that can be used for legal purposes.

We also provide advice and help on re-registering births and correcting the legal records which may have to be processed through the General Register Office.

Frequently asked questions

Please select the appropriate commonly asked questions from the list below to view the answer:

How long after the birth of my baby do I need to register it?

What information will the Registrar ask for?

Where do I go to register a baby?

Do I need to bring the baby with me to register its birth?

Who can register a birth?

How much does it cost to register a baby?

What surname can the child be given?

What happens if a birth is not registered within six weeks?

How do I get the father's name onto my baby's birth certificate?

Do I need to know the date of my marriage?

How do I change my child's name?

Will the registrar need to know about our other children?

What documents will I get from the registrar after I register my baby?

Can I change my child's surname on the birth certificate?

What if the parents don't have English as their first language?

How long after the birth of my baby do I need to register it?

You have 42 days (6 weeks) after the birth of your baby to register it. You will receive a letter about 5 weeks after the baby is born reminding you to come to the office to register.

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What information will the Registrar ask for?

You do not need to bring anything when you come to register the baby. As long as the child was born in Westminster, either at home or in St Mary's, The Portland Hospital for Women and Children or Hospital of St. John and St. Elizabeth, we will have a notification from the Health Authority telling us where and when the birth took place.

However, it is useful if the following are available at the time of registration:

• passports or birth certificates of parent/s
• your marriage certificate if the mother & father are married to each other.

If you come to register the baby very soon after the birth it would be helpful to bring the baby's discharge papers with you, as we will have to check the date of birth with the maternity unit.

It is not necessary to bring the baby with you.

The Registrar will ask for information about:

The Baby

1. The date and place of baby's birth. If the birth is one of twins, triplets, etc the time of each baby's birth will also be required;
2. whether the baby is a boy or a girl;
3. the forenames and surname in which it is intended that the baby will be brought up.

The Father  (where these details are to be entered in the register)

1. his forenames and surname;
2. his date of birth;
3. his occupation at the time of the baby's birth or, if he was not working at that time, his previous occupation.

The Mother

1. her forenames and surname. Her maiden surname will also be required if she is or has ever been married;
2. her date and place of birth;
3. her address at the date of birth;
4. her occupation. If she has been employed at any time before the birth this occupation can be entered if she wishes.

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Where do I go to register a baby?

A baby is always registered in the Register Office for the district in which the birth took place. If the baby was born here in Westminster, either at home or St Mary's, The Portland Hospital for Women and Children or Hospital of St. John and St. Elizabeth the baby will be registered at the Westminster Register Office.

If it is difficult for you to attend this office you can attend any Register Office in England and Wales to give a declaration of the birth particulars. You will give the information for the registration to the registrar of the district where you attend and the details will be sent by post to Westminster. You will not receive a birth certificate from the office where you give the declaration. The birth certificate and a document enabling you to register the child with a doctor will be sent out by post from Westminster on receipt of the declaration form.

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Do I need to bring the baby with me to register its birth?

No, you do not need to bring the baby to the Register Office. However if it is difficult for you to leave the baby at home, we do have baby changing facilities within the Westminster Register Office facility.

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Who can register a birth?

If the parents were married to each other at the time of the birth either the mother or the father can register the baby. However, if the parents were not married to each other at the time of the birth the father's details can only be entered in the register in the following circumstances: 

• where the mother and the father attend together before the registrar to register the birth
  
  
• or where the father is unable to attend with the mother it is possible for him to make a statutory declaration, confirming that he is the father, which the mother should produce to the registrar (copies of this form can be obtained from any registrar in England and Wales) 
  
  
• or where the mother in unable to attend the office with the father, it is possible for her to make a statutory declaration, confirming the name of the father, which the father should produce to the registrar 
  
  
• or where either parent has obtained a relevant court order this should be produced to the registrar who will advise you further.

However, if the parents are not married to each other the father cannot register the birth unless the mother attends the office with him and they both sign the register or she makes a legal declaration naming him as the father.

The mother can register the birth on her own but the father's details will not be recorded in the register.

Please remember one of the parents must register the birth in person. They cannot ask a friend or relative to register the birth on their behalf.

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How much does it cost to register a baby?

There is no cost to register a baby and the short copy birth certificate and document to register the baby with a doctor is issued free of charge at the time of registration.

The only charge is if you require a full certified copy of the register entry that includes details of the child's parents. The registrar will advise you of the current fees.

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What surname can the child be given?

The child will normally be given the surname of the mother or father (even if the parents are not married to each other and the father does not attend with the mother). Once the surname has been decided upon it can only be changed if:  

1. The parents apply for re-registration of the birth because they were not married to each other and the father's particulars were not entered in the register.
   
   
2. The parents marry each other after the original registration -in this case the birth must be re-registered by law even if the child was given the father's surname at the original registration.

For both types of re-registration the registrar will be happy to advise you.

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What happens if a birth is not registered within six weeks?

After six weeks you are liable to get a formal legal requisition demanding your attendance. If you do not attend after receiving this formal notice you are liable to prosecution.

If you are likely to have any difficulty attending within the six week period please let us know and we will consider extending the period if there are good reasons for doing so.

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How do I get the father's name onto my baby's birth certificate?

If you are married to the father of the child, the father's name will be recorded. However, if you are not married to the father of the child the simplest way is for the father of the child to attend the Register Office with you and for you both to sign the birth register.

If the father is not available it is possible for him to make a legal declaration, before a solicitor or other person able to witness an oath, acknowledging his paternity. A statutory declaration form is available from your local Register Office. If you attend the Register Office with this form properly completed the father's details can be inserted into the register.

If the father is not prepared to attend the Register Office or make a statutory declaration of parentage the mother can make application for a court order naming the father. This court order will enable the father's name to be recorded in the birth registration without his agreement.  To attend the Register Office to undertake this process you will need to make an appointment with us.

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Do I need to know the date of my marriage?

Yes. If the parents were married to each other at the time of the birth the registrar will ask for the date of the marriage.

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How do I change my child's name?

Please select the question below which is most applicable to your situation:

A. Do you want to change the first name of your child?

B. Do you want to change the surname name of your child?

C. Did you make a mistake in the naming of your child at the time of registration?

A. Yes, I want to change the first name of my child

If you decide to change your child's first name(s) within 12 months of the date of the registration of the birth you are able to do so on the original birth registration.

If the child has been baptised in the Christian faith within the 12 month period after birth 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 it needs to be returned to the Register Office and the amended names can be inserted into space 17 of the original birth register. 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. The full copy certificate will contain both the original name and the new name given in baptism.

If the child has not been baptised the parents can complete a form at the Register Office. Once again this process can be done at any time after the birth as long as it can be proved that the change of name took place within 12 months of the birth registration. Once the form has been completed the amended name(s) will be inserted into space 17 of the original birth registration. Certified copies of the amended registration can then be purchased. The full copy certificate will contain both the original name and the new name in space 17.

The short version of these certificates will only record the child's amended forename (s)

B. Yes, I want to change the surname of my child

If the parents have married each other since the birth was registered the birth should be re-registered to accurately record the current legal status of the child. A form is available from the Register Office that must be signed by both parents.

Either parent can then attend the Register Office, with the completed form and a copy of the marriage certificate. The birth will then be re-registered and the child's surname can be changed as part of this process. Certified copies of the re-registered birth can be purchased from the registrar.

If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the birth and the father did not attend with the mother to register the baby it is possible to re-register the birth at any time in the future to include the father's details in the registration and change the surname of the child. A form is available from the Register Office that has to be completed by both parents.

The easiest way for the birth to be re-registered is for both parents to attend the Register Office together. However, it is possible for either parent to make a statutory declaration, before a solicitor or other person able legally to witness an oath, acknowledging parentage of the child. It is also possible for either parent to seek a Court Order naming the father. In any of these cases the birth will be registered again and certified copies of the re-registered birth can be purchased from the registrar.

However, if the parents were not married to each other at the time of the birth and it was decided to give the child the father's surname, whether or not he attended with the mother, it is not possible to change the surname in the registration back to that of the mother. The only alternative will be to consult a solicitor and make a statutory declaration or deed poll changing the surname of the child. This will not change the original birth registration. The statutory declaration or deed poll document should be attached to the birth certificate and this will provide evidence that the child is being brought up in a surname different to that recorded in the birth registration.

C. Yes, I made a mistake in the naming of my child at the time of registration

If you made a mistake in the original birth registration it will be necessary for the person who registered the birth to prove that an error exists.

A registration is an historic record that records the details as they were intended to be on the day that the registration was completed. What information you will need to provide will depend on how soon after the birth was registered you realise a mistake has been made.

If you realise you made an error within a couple of weeks of registration you should write a letter setting out what the error is and how it came to be made. This letter should be sent to the Register Office who will pass it on to the Registrar General's Office who have to authorise all corrections to names.

If there has been a longer time gap between registration and realising that an error exists, in addition to writing the letter setting out how the error came to be made, you will need to provide documentary proof, dated from the earliest infancy of the child, that you are bringing up the child in a name different to that recorded in the registration. This evidence could be in the form of a Clinic Card, NHS medical card or bank book.

The letter along with the documentary evidence will then be submitted to the Registrar General's office for consideration.

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Will the registrar need to know about our other children?

Yes. The number of children the mother has had previously by her present husband or any former husband.

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What documents will I get from the registrar after I register my baby?

After the birth has been registered the registrar will issue a short copy birth certificate which is free of charge. This certificate shows the baby's forename(s) and surname, sex, date of birth and district of birth only.

A full copy certificate, that records details of the parents and is an exact copy of the birth register entry, is available from the registrar. There is a charge for this type of certificate and the registrar will advise on the current fee. Many parents purchase a full copy of the birth certificate at the time of the registration, as copies requested after the birth registration has been completed cost more.

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Can I change my child's surname on the birth certificate?

YES - But only if EITHER:

The parents apply for re-registration of the birth because they were not married to each other and the father's particulars were not entered in the register.

OR….

The parents marry each other after the original registration - in this case the birth must be re-registered by law even if the child was given the father's surname at the original registration.

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What if the parents don't have English as their first language?

If English is not the first language of the parents and they would like someone to help with the registration, they should ask a friend or relative to come with them to the Register Office.

But please remember one of the parents must register the birth personally - they cannot ask a friend or relative to come in instead.

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