Congratulations on the birth of your baby!
Now that your baby has been born, the birth should be registered within 42 days of the date of birth.
See detailed information about the legal requirements for registering a birth on GOV.UK, including who can register a birth, which depends on whether the baby's parents were married or in a civil partnership at the time of the birth.
If English is not your first language and you'd like someone to help you at your appointment to register a birth, contact York Register Office for advice.
See more information about registering a birth, amending details on your birth certificate, and naming your child:
- Attending your appointment at York Register Office
- Registering a birth
- Documents to bring when registering a birth
- Birth declarations and re-registrations
- Birth certificates
- Correct a birth registration
- Remove wrong father's details
- Change the name of your child
- Naming ceremonies
Attending your appointment at York Register Office
We ask that you keep the following arrangements in mind:
- where baby’s natural parents were married/in a civil partnership at the date of baby’s birth, either or both parents may attend
- where baby’s natural parents were not married/in a civil partnership at the date of baby’s birth, the mother must attend and a second parent can only be included on the registration if they also attend
- admittance is strictly by appointment at the allocated time, we will not be able to accommodate people who are late
- birth registration appointments are held at York Register Office, 56 Bootham, York, YO30 7DA
- if you have a pushchair with you, you might like to use the rear entrance to the building, to avoid the steps at the front
Please bring photo ID with you if possible, for all parents to be named on the registration.
If you’re delayed more than 5 minutes you'll not be seen as your appointment slot will have passed and the registrar will move on to the next appointment. You'll have to reschedule your appointment.
See for details of fees relating to birth certificates.
Registering a birth
During your appointment to register a birth you must provide details of:
- place and date of the birth
- sex of the baby
- baby's name and surname, normally the mother or father's surname; but once decided this can only be changed by re-registering a birth
- parents' names, surnames and address
- places and dates of parents' birth
- date of parents' marriage or civil partnership
- parents' jobs
- mother's maiden surname
Documents to bring when registering a birth
Bringing documents with you to your appointment can help to record accurate information.
Proof of parents' names - this should include any change of name, such as:
- current passports or birth certificates
- your marriage and/or civil partnership certificate
- deed poll
- related documents from previous relationships, if available
Proof of address - this could include a driving licence, benefit statement, or council tax bill.
Hospital discharge papers.
Birth declarations and re-registrations
If your child's natural father is not included on the original birth record and you would like the details adding to the record, you must apply to re-register your child's birth.
The process for re-registering your child's birth depends on whether you:
- are not married
- are natural parents and got married or formed a civil partnership
All requests for birth declarations and/or re-registrations must be made by email to: registrar@york.gov.uk. Or you can contact York Register Office and provide the necessary information over the phone.
A registrar will then call you back to arrange your appointment.
Birth certificates
You can order a birth certificate at the time you book your appointment to register a birth, this states the baby's full name and date of birth alongside the parents’ details; you'll need a birth certificate for a passport application, or to open a savings account for your child.
Correct a birth registration
The birth will be recorded in the register, and you'll be asked to carefully check and sign it.
If the incorrect information is recorded, a fee is charged to correct the entry and produce a new certificate. In some cases it won't be possible to change information recorded.
If you notice a mistake in the registration after the appointment, you can apply for a correction. In some cases, the correction will need approval from the General Register Office before the Registrar can change it.
You need to contact York Register Office if you need to amend any information recorded in the register, to discuss the type of correction needed and how to make the application.
Contact us on email: registrar@york.gov.uk stating what the error is and how it was made. Documentary evidence showing the correct information will need to be produced for the correction to be authorised and you will need to return any certificates you previously purchased for destruction.
See details of fees for a correction to a register.
Remove wrong father's details
If you need to apply to remove the wrong father's details recorded on a birth registration, you will need to produce sufficient information to show that the man named on the certificate is not the natural father of the child, such as a DNA test report from an approved tester or a court order.
Contact us on email: registrar@york.gov.uk so we can advise you on how to submit your application and make payment.
The original information will always be shown as it was first given at the time of the registration, but a note will be written in the margin of the register explaining the details of the named man should not have been recorded and the date on which the correction was made.
The correction will not put the true father's details into the birth entry, for this to take place the birth will need to be re-registered.
All certificates issued after the correction will include this note. This is because birth certificates must show the same information as the birth entry.
However, if the birth is re-registered with the true father's details, then this new record will supersede the old record.
See details of fees for a correction to a register.
Change the name of your child
See information on how to change your child's name by deed poll (GOV.UK).
Naming ceremonies
See information on arranging a naming ceremony.
Also see