Registering a birth

What are the key birth registration facts at a glance?

• Babies are legally required to be registered within 42 days (6 weeks) of being born.
• An appointment to register the baby in the district in which they were born is a Birth Registration.
• An appointment to send the child’s details to the district of birth is a Birth Declaration.
• The East Riding of Yorkshire district does not include births which occurred in Hull, York, Scunthorpe, Scarborough, and Doncaster.
• If parents are married or in a civil partnership, then one parent is required to attend the appointment.
• If parents are not married you will both need to attend the appointment to register the birth or attest the declaration.
• Please be aware that you do not need to attend with the baby. Appointments are now available, under social distancing guidelines. 

Who can register a birth?

If the parents were legally married or in a civil partnership to each other at the time of the birth, either parent can register the baby.

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 the appointment together to register the birth.
• 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, the mother should give this to the registrar. Statutory Declaration on Parentage (pdf 28.5kb)
• where the mother cannot 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 give to the registrar.
• where either parent has obtained a relevant court order, this should be given to the registrar who will advise further.
• the mother can register the birth on her own without any of the above but, the father's details will not be recorded in the register. 

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

How do I register a birth?

Your baby’s birth must be registered in the registration district in which it occurred within 42 days. If your baby was born within the boundaries of the East Riding of Yorkshire, you will need to make an appointment at any one of our registration offices.

Find your nearest registration office

It would be most helpful if you could bring the following documents with you to the appointment for your own reference to help us record accurate information: 

• passports, driving licences or proof of parents' names
• marriage or civil partnership certificate (if applicable)
• proof of your address.

How much does it cost to register a birth?

There is no cost to register a birth. 

There is a charge of £11 per certificate. The birth certificate will include the parent’s details at the time of the registration.

Full Birth Certificates are required for applying for a passport and to open a bank account for the child.

Copies may be requested at any time after the birth registration at £11 per certificate. We suggest that you order these online after the appointment

What happens during a registration and how long will it take?

The registration will take between 15 to 30 minutes. The registrar will record details onto the national database for birth registrations and print the birth register page or the declaration form when the birth has occurred in another district. Based on the information given by a legally qualified informant(s). Where a declaration is made, the register entry must accord precisely with the declaration when completed in the registering district.

It is very important that the information is accurate as the register is a historical legal record. If any corrections are required, there is a formal procedure to follow which is time consuming and currently costs up to £100. The onus is on the informant (parent) to provide evidence in the case of a correction being made.

To avoid this, informants will be asked to:

• BRING documents to the appointment which confirm important details for their own reference
• CHECK the draft and register entry very carefully before signing the register/declaration
• TELL the registrar before signing the register/declaration if something is incorrect.

If you discover an error after the register/declaration has been signed, you should refer to:

GOV.UK - Correct birth registration (external website)

This provides information on to how to correct an error and for confirmation of the fee which will apply.

Can I register a birth that has taken place outside of the East Riding?

If your baby was born outside the boundaries of the East Riding of Yorkshire we cannot register the birth but, we can record the details and forward those onto the appropriate register office this is called a Birth Declaration.

Please be aware that the quickest way to register the birth is to do so in the Registration District in which the baby was born. If you chose to make a Declaration at one of our East Riding Registration offices, we will advise you on how to contact the registering district either by telephone or online to purchase any certificates you may require.

What happens if I cannot register the birth within 42 days?

After 6 weeks you will receive a formal letter demanding that the birth is registered. If you do not attend after receiving this formal notice you may be liable to prosecution. If you are likely to have any difficulty attending within the 42 day period please inform the registering birth district. They may be able to extend the period if there are good reasons for doing so.

Email: registration.service@eastriding.gov.uk

Alternatively you can contact us on (01482) 393600.

What information will the registrar want at the time of registration?

For the baby:

• the date and place of the baby’s birth (time if there was more than one baby born).
• the sex of the baby(ies).
• The first name(s) and surname (please be clear on spellings).

For the mother:

• your first name(s) and surname, maiden name if you are or have been married.
• any other names that you are using now or have used in the past.
• your date and place of the birth.
• your address at the time of the birth.
• your occupation at the time of birth, or any time before.
• if you are married the date of your marriage.
• the number of children that you have given birth to before. 

For the father (if his details are to be entered in the register):

• first name(s) and surname.
• any other names that you are using now or have used in the past.
• date and place of the birth.
• occupation at the time of the birth, or any time before
• if married, date of the marriage.

What if English is not my first language?

If English is not your first language and you would like someone to help with the registration, you should ask a friend or relative, who can translate for you, to come with you to the register office. 

Please note: you must register the birth personally, so you cannot ask a friend or relative to come in instead.

What if I am in a same-sex relationship?

If you were in a same-sex relationship with a female partner at the time the baby was conceived your partner's details may be entered into the register as 'parent' of the child.

Can my baby’s father’s details be added at a later date?

If the father’s details were not included in the original registration it is possible to re-register the birth to include these details in the future.

The Directgov website can provide you with an application form to re-register a child’s birth record:

Directgov - changing a birth record (external website)

What is the tree dedication scheme?

A form can be filled in at the time of the birth registration for babies born within the boundaries of the East Riding of Yorkshire, requesting that a tree planted within the East Riding of Yorkshire is dedicated to the child.  

The tree remains the property of and will be maintained by East Riding of Yorkshire Council. 

A dedication certificate will be posted out to the child to notify the parents of the species and location of the tree.

Can I order a copy birth certificate online?

You can order a copy birth certificate online.