Register a birth

Congratulations on the birth of your baby!

You only have 42 days to register your baby’s birth. Once you have an appointment booked, we urge you to avoid having to change it which may lead to an unavoidable delay in accessing services and payments for your baby.

Registering a birth

You must make an appointment at the register office for the district where your baby was born, and register your new baby within 42 days of their arrival.

You will need to know:

• place and date of the birth
• name, surname and sex of the baby
• parents’ names, surnames and address
• places and dates of parents’ birth
• date of parents’ marriage or civil partnership
• parents’ jobs
• mother’s maiden surname

Make an appointment

Use our online booking portal to make your appointment to register a birth.

Who can register a birth

If the natural mother and natural father of the child were married to each other at the time of the birth, either parent may attend to register.

If the natural mother and natural father are not married to each other at the time of the baby’s birth but wish to record both parent’s details then both parents must attend.

Baby’s natural mother, if not married to the father, may register the birth alone but she will not be able to record the father’s details unless a statutory declaration of parentage or relevant court order is produced – telephone or email the registrar for further advice.

If the parents are civil partners and had formed their legal civil partnership prior to the assisted conception of the child, then either parent may attend to register.

For same sex couples who are not civil partners but had entered into a parenthood agreement prior to assisted conception at an approved fertility clinic within the United Kingdom, if the second parents details are to be recorded on the birth certificate, both parents must attend.

Same sex parents birth registration

Female couples – Married or Civil Partners:

Either parents may register the birth on her own if all the following are accurate

• The conception was assisted through fertility treatment on or after April 2009
• The birth mother was married or in a civil partnership at time of treatment

Female couples – Unmarried or not in a Civil Partnership:

The birth mother’s partner can be the child’s second parent if both women

• Are treated together in the United Kingdom by a licensed clinic
• Have made a ‘Parenthood’ agreement

Female couples – Both details to be recorded on the birth certificate:

• Register the birth jointly by attending the office together
• Complete a ‘Statutory Declaration of Acknowledgement of Parentage’ form an one parent takes the form signed by the other parent when she attends the registration appointment.
• Obtain a document from the court giving the second female parent parental responsibility.

Male couples:

Male couples must get a parental order from the court before they can be registered as parents.

At your appointment

You must take your baby’s personal child health record or ‘red book’, and at least one of the follow forms on ID:

• passport
• birth certificate
• deed poll
• driving licence
• proof of address (for example, a utility bill)
• Council Tax bill
• marriage or civil partnership certificate

Contact details

North East Lincolnshire Register Office, Cleethorpes Town Hall, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, DN35 8LN

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 01472 326295

Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9am to Midday and 1pm to 4pm, except bank holidays