If you are married, either you or your partner can register the birth of your baby. You’ll automatically have the same parental rights and responsibilities. You’ll need to take a copy of your marriage certificate and the card you were given at the hospital with you.
Registering the birth of your baby
You must register the birth of your baby within 42 days of your baby being born.
Parental rights and responsibilities
As parents you will need to make decisions about your child’s care, welfare, education and development. If you register the birth together, or if you are married, you share equal parental responsibilities and rights under the law. If you do not register the birth together, or if you are not married, only the mother assumes these rights and responsibilities.
Further information visit https://www.gov.uk/register-birth
If your baby was born in any one of the five Gwent Districts of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport or Torfean council areas, you can attend your local Register office within Gwent to complete the registration and purchase your baby’s birth certificate at the appointment.
Please contact your local registry office for an appointment or more information.
Please visit https://www.gov.uk/register-offices for the contact details of your local register office.
If you are unable to attend one of these offices, you can go to any other register office in England or Wales and register the baby by completing a Birth declaration.
When you attend your appointment
When you attend your appointment, the registrar will record the full name and surname of your child, the full names of the parent/parents, their place of birth, occupation, and address or addresses. Births in Wales can be registered bilingually in both Welsh and English.
Once this information has been added to the register, you will be asked to sign the legal record which will be held in the birth register. You must check the information recorded extremely carefully before signing.
Information you need when registering a birth
When registering the birth, you should 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
You might not need to give all of this information, depending on who is registering the birth.
What you should take
You should take at least one form of identification when you go to the register office. You can use:
- passport
- birth certificate
- deed poll
- driving licence
- proof of address (for example, a utility bill)
- Council Tax bill
- marriage or civil partnership certificate
Birth certificates cost £11 each.
Frequently asked questions
If you are not married, then mum will take on all parental rights and responsibilities unless dad is named on the birth register. To register dad, there are three options for you:
- Dad will need to sign the register jointly with mum. You will both need to go to the Registrar’s office
- Dad will need to sign a declaration, which can be picked up in advance from the Registrar’s office. Mum will need to sign a declaration too. The declarations say that you both agree who the father of your baby is. This means that mum can register both of you as parents without dad needing to be there
- Dad can get a court decree declaring that he is the father. The mother can then register the birth, without dad needing to be there
If you’re in a same–sex relationship, registering the birth and assigning legal parenthood can sometimes be a bit more complicated.
Civil Partners
If you were civil partners when you conceived your baby you will both have parental responsibility.
Non-civil partners
For same-sex partners who aren’t civil partners, the second parent can get parental responsibility by either:
- Applying for parental responsibility if a parental agreement is made
- Becoming a civil partner of the other parent and making a parental responsibility agreement or jointly registering the birth
Further information Contact Stonewall call 08000 502020 or visit www.stonewallcymru.org.uk