Birth Registration

Please remember that you can only register those births which took place within the City of Southampton boundaries with us, at the Southampton Register Office. Please contact our office to make an appointment.

If your baby was born at the Princess Anne Hospital, and you are still at the hospital, please ask the ward clerk to see if there is a registration officer available, so you can arrange for the registration to take place there. If you were not able to register the birth at the hospital, you will need to contact our office to make an appointment.

If for some reason, you are not able to register the birth in Southampton you can make a declaration of the facts at any Registration district in England or Wales (please telephone them first for an appointment). The information will then posted to the district where the birth occurred, the registration will then take place and relevant documents posted to you. The Register Office you attend will be able to advise you on the timescales involved with your particular registration.

The people qualified to register the birth of a baby are:

• The Mother - Whether you are married to the father or not you can register on your own. If you are not married to the father and wish to have his name included on the registration, he must attend with you. However, if you are not able to attend the register office together (ie if the father is working abroad), there are ways which may allow you to register. Please contact this office for further advice.

• Married Father - If you are married to the mother, you can register on your own and there is no need for your wife to attend the registration.

• Unmarried Mother and/or Father - If you are not married to each other you and you want to include the father’s details on the birth registration, both of you will need to attend together. Please contact this office for further advice if you are not able to attend the registration together.

• Civil Partner - If you were the civil partner of the mother at the time the baby was conceived, or are registering under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFE), you can both attend, but only one of you is required to sign the registration.

You do not need to bring anything to the registration of the birth but you will need to know the following information:

Please note that if the father's/civil partner's details are not to be entered in the register, any information below that relates to the father/civil partner is not required.

• The date and place of birth (and time if you are registering more than one child)

• The first, any middle names and last names (surname/family name) in which you wish the child to be brought up as (including spellings and accents)

• Mothers, fathers/civil partner’s full name by which they are known, including any former names, including spellings and accents. (A passport or id card may be useful to bring)

• Date and place of birth of both the mother and father/civil partner

• Occupation of the mother and father/civil partner

• Mother and father’s/civil partner’s home address (including postcode) when the baby was born

• If married to the baby’s father/in a civil partnership with the parent, the date on which the marriage/civil partnership took place

It does not cost anything to register a baby’s birth. At the registration you will be given a short birth certificate free of charge.

If you wish to have further copies of the short birth certificate or any copies of the full certificate you are able to purchase these at a cost of £3.50 each at the time of registration.

A full birth certificate contains the full information contained in the entry of the register and is the certificate you will require to obtain a passport or to open any bank accounts for your child.

You are able to purchase more certificates any time after the registration but the cost will be more.