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You must, by law, register a birth within 42 days. The birth must be registered within the district where it took place You may be able to do it in the hospital - staff there can give you details. Otherwise, you'll need to go to a Registration Office. It's best to make an appointment so that you don't have to wait.
If the registrar's busy, leave a message and someone will call you back.
Who can register the baby?
If the baby's parents are married to each other at the time of the birth, either of them can register the birth. If not, the mother can do it, and the father's details can be included if he comes with her. If this isn't possible, the Registration Service can give you advice on what to do.
Do I need to bring anything?
All appointments are asked to bring in the health record book (the red book) for the new-born and I.D. for themselves. In addition to this the registrar will need to know:
The date and place of birth
The sex of the baby
The baby's full name
Mother's details: full name (and maiden surname if applicable); date and place of birth; usual address at the date of birth; occupation (optional); date of marriage (if married to the baby's father at the time of birth); number of previous children.
If the father's details are to be entered in the register, you will need his full name, date and place of birth, and occupation at the time of birth (or last occupation).
If the parents aren't married, the mother doesn't usually have to include his details. It may be possible to add them later.
What will happen?
The registrar will ask for the details listed above. They'll give you a copy of the registration page and ask you to check it. If there's a mistake it can take a long time to put right, so please check very carefully. Registration usually takes around 30 minutes.
Is there a fee?
Registration itself is free. If you want a passport or a bank account for the baby, you'll need a full birth certificate (this will be chargeable). You can order it (or short versions - these are chargeable) when you register or you can get one later - view our fees page.
Babies born outside Powys
If your baby was born outside Powys, you can come to the Registration Office to make a 'birth declaration'. The registrar will send it to the Registering Office for the area where your baby was born and you'll get the birth certificate in the post.
You'll need a cheque or postal order made payable to the appropriate Registration Office - ask about this when you make your appointment.
If you need the certificate urgently, you'll need to go back to where the baby was born and register in person.
Re-registering a birth
There are two reasons why you should re-register a birth that has already been registered:
If the child's parents get married after the child has been born and registered. The re-registration will update the birth certificate.
If the natural father's details are not on the original certificate, perhaps because he was not present at the time, re-registration will update the birth certificate to include his details.
Additional details and re-registration form are available from gov.uk
