Registering a birth

Congratulations on the birth of your baby. If your baby was born in Oxfordshire, you can register the birth at any of the Oxfordshire Registration Offices located in:

• Abingdon
• Banbury
• Bicester
• Didcot
• Henley
• Oxford
• Witney

Babies born outside of Oxfordshire

If you are an Oxfordshire resident and your baby was born in England or Wales, but outside Oxfordshire, you may be able to use one of our offices. You can complete a 'declaration of the particulars'. We'll send the declaration to the registration office in the area where the birth took place. Note that there will be a delay in completing the birth registration and receiving copies of your child's birth certificate.

Who can register the birth? 

If, at the time of the birth:

• the parents were married or in a registered civil partnership together. The mother, father, or second female parent can register the birth
• the parents were not married or in a registered civil partnership together. The father or second female parent must attend the appointment with the mother if their details are to be included on the registration.
  No father or second female parent's details will be recorded if the mother attends alone
• the two female parents are not married or in a registered civil partnership together. Both must attend the appointment and meet the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act requirements if the second female parent's details are to be included on the registration. No second female parent details will be recorded if the mother attends alone

Details the registrar will need to know

At the appointment the registrar will ask you to confirm:

• place and date of the birth
• forenames and surname you have chosen for the child
• sex of the child
• parents' names, surnames and address (including any former names)
• places and dates of parents' birth
• date of parents' marriage or civil partnership (if applicable)
• parents' occupations
• mother's maiden surname (if applicable)

Gender recognition

If a person has obtained a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) it does not affect their status as the legal mother, father or second female parent* of a child.  This means that when registering the birth, the person with the GRC must be recorded in the birth register entry in line with their sex assigned at birth.

*Please note that for birth registration, only two parents can be recorded. One of these must be the birth mother (the person who carried and gave birth to the child).

Assisted conception

The laws around assisted conception are extremely complex.  The registration laws are dependent on several things, including whether you were married or in a civil partnership at the time of the treatment, where the treatment took place, and if you had a Parenthood Agreement in place at the time of the treatment.

If you or your spouse or partner is considering assisted conception, we would urge you to contact us for information. 

Intersex

If a parent is intersex and has played a role in the conception of the child, the parent can only be recorded in the register in line with their sex recorded at birth. If this is different from the role they have played in the conception of the child (e.g. they are the biological father but were recorded as female at birth), we would need to seek advice from the General Register Office, which is the Head Office for Registration in England and Wales.  If this applies to you or your spouse/partner, please contact us, and we will seek advice immediately.

If a baby is born with intersex characteristics, and the registrar is advised of this at the time of the registration appointment, the registrar will contact the General Register office for advice and will not proceed with the registration appointment.  It is likely that the parents will be advised that registration should be deferred until medical investigations have been completed.

Questions?

If your circumstances are not covered above, or you would like more information, please contact us and we will be happy to help. 

Documents to bring to the registration appointment

Bring either your baby’s red book or your hospital discharge notes to the appointment. The registrar will need to know your baby’s NHS number.

It is useful to bring your personal ID documents, such as your passport and birth and marriage/civil partnership certificates. These documents can be used to confirm details for the birth entry, such as:

• parents’ place of birth
• exact spelling of names
• whether a name has an accented character

Ensuring the accuracy of the information recorded

A birth registration is a legal record of the details of the child and parent(s). It is vitally important that the information contained in it is accurate. We'll provide you with a hard copy of the register page at the appointment. You'll have the opportunity to check it before signing. It may be possible to apply to the Registrar General later for a birth registration correction, but it is costly. The application will be either £83 or £99, and you'll have to provide evidence of the correct information.

For parents who hold a nationality other than British

Before registering your child, it's worth checking with the relevant embassy to establish if there are naming conventions or other requirements that you should follow. 

Birth certificates

We do not issue birth certificates free of charge. Each birth certificate costs £12.50. 

If you want a birth certificate issued at the appointment, you must pay in advance. You can pay by debit or credit card when you book the registration appointment.

Alternatively, you can order certificates after the appointment. We will usually post them to you within 15 days of ordering.

Support with registering a birth

If English is not your first language, a friend or relative can come with you to the appointment as an interpreter. They should be fluent in both English and your own language. The interpreter cannot register the birth on your behalf. You must attend together.

If you have additional needs or special circumstances and need support to register your baby, contact the Customer Service Team:

• 0345 241 2489
• contact form

Book an appointment to register a birth

You can book an appointment online to register the birth at any of the Oxfordshire registration offices. You'll need to answer a few questions to book your appointment. 

If you want birth certificates issued at the appointment, you must pay for them in advance. You can pay by debit or credit card when you book the appointment.

Alternatively, you can contact us on 01865 519800 option 2 for assistance to book an appointment.

Child benefit

You can claim Child Benefit 48 hours after you register your child's birth. Child Benefit can be backdated for up to three months. Visit GOV.UK to learn more.

Registering your child with a doctor

New parents can register their baby with a doctor's practice without a birth certificate.