Register a birth
Who can register a birth
Opposite-sex couples
Married or civil-partner parents
Either parent can register the birth on their own. They can include both parents’ details if they were married or in a civil partnership when the baby was born or conceived.
Unmarried parents
The details of both parents can be included on the birth certificate if one of the following happens:
- they sign the birth register together
- one parent completes a statutory declaration of parentage form and the other takes the signed form to register the birth
- one parent goes to register the birth with a document from the court (for example, a court order) giving the father parental responsibility
The mother can choose to register the birth without the child’s father if they’re not married or in a civil partnership. The father’s details will not be included on the birth certificate.
It might be possible to add the father’s details at a later date by completing an application for the re-registration of a child’s birth.
Same-sex female couples
Female couples can include both their names on their child’s birth certificate when registering the birth.
Married or civil-partner parents
Either parent can register the birth on their own if all of the following are true:
- the mother has a child by donor insemination or fertility treatment
- she was married or in a civil partnership at the time of the treatment
Unmarried, non-civil-partner parents
When a mother is not married or in a civil partnership, her partner can be seen as the child’s second parent if both women:
- are treated together in the UK by a licensed clinic
- have made a ‘parenthood agreement’
However, for both parents’ details to be recorded on the birth certificate, they must do one of the following:
- register the birth jointly
- complete a ‘Statutory declaration of acknowledgement of parentage’ form and one parent takes the signed form when she registers the birth
- get a document from the court (for example, a court order) giving the second female parent parental responsibility and one parent shows the document when she registers the birth
Same-sex male couples
Male couples must get a parental order from the court before they can be registered as parents.
Other people who can register a birth
If the parents cannot register the birth (for example, for medical reasons), certain other people can do it:
- someone who was present at the birth
- someone who is responsible for the child
- a member of the administrative staff at the hospital where the child was born