Doncaster Council

Information for parents wishing to register a birth

A baby’s birth must be registered within 42 days of the date of birth. If the baby was born in the Doncaster district the birth must be registered at Doncaster Register Office. If it is not convenient for the parents to attend at this office there is provision for them to attend at any other registrar’s office in England or Wales to give the relevant information by "declaration". This means the information will be sent to Doncaster to be entered into the registers here. In that case any birth certificates that may be required and the form needed to register with a doctor will be sent to the parents by post.

Please note that Doncaster Register Office operates an appointment system - please telephone for an appointment before attending at the office. 

Who can register a baby's birth?

If the parents are married to each other at the time of the birth then either parent can attend to register the birth alone.

In all cases the mother can register a birth but, if the parents are not married to each other at the time of the birth, the father’s details may only be entered if:

• Both parents attend together to register the birth, or
• The mother attends and produces a statutory declaration of parentage completed by the father, or
• The father attends and produces a statutory declaration of parentage completed by the mother, or
• Either parent attends and produces a parental responsibility agreement or an appropriate court order.            

Other people who may register births 

Although the majority of births are registered by the parents, sometimes neither the mother or the father are able to do this. In these circumstances, the registrar will arrange for the registration to be completed by whichever of the following people is best able to do so:

• the occupier of the house or hospital where the child was born
• a person who was present at the birth
• a person who is responsible for the child     

Registering the birth of a child conceived after fertility treatment

The woman who gives birth, including a surrogate mother, will be shown as the child's mother in the birth registration. The man who is to be regarded as the father of the child will generally be the husband or partner who received treatment with the mother.

In the case of a surrogacy arrangement, the couple who arranged for the surrogate mother to carry a child for them may apply to the courts for a parental order that will enable the birth to be re-registered to show them as the parents. Legal advice should be obtained if further information about this is required. When a court issues a parental order, a copy is sent to Corrections and Re-registration Section at the General Register Office in Southport who will complete the re-registration of the birth.

Registration where the father dies before a child is conceived

Where a child is conceived as a result of fertility treatment after the death of the man receiving treatment with the mother, the man can be registered as the child's father on production of the following documentary evidence:-

• his written consent to the fertility treatment and to being named as the father in the child's birth registration (not required where the man died before 18 September 2003)
• written confirmation from the clinic that the man's consent had not been withdrawn (not required where the man died before 18 September 2003)
• the woman's written request for the man to be named as the father in the birth registration
• written confirmation of the fertility treatment from a medical source, for example, the treatment clinic, mother's own doctor or hospital doctor
• the man's death certificate (original required - photocopy not acceptable). If he died in England or Wales, details of where and when will be sufficient
• a marriage certificate where applicable (original required - photocopy not acceptable). If the marriage took place in England or Wales, details of where and when will be sufficient.              

Recording the man as a child's father in these circumstances does not mean he will be treated in law as the child's father for any purpose other than registration. Nor does it give the child any legal status or rights concerning, for example, inheritance or nationality. If you would like further information, you should seek legal advice.

Parental responsibility

The mother of a child, and the father if he is married to the mother, automatically have parental responsibility. Where the parents are not married to each other, the father will acquire parental responsibility if he acts with the mother to have his name recorded in the child's birth registration on or after 1 December 2003. An unmarried father can also obtain parental responsibility by later marrying the child's mother, by making a parental responsibility agreement with her or by getting a court order. You may wish to think about this if you have other children. If you need further information or advice, you should call Parentline Plus on 0808 800 2222 or textphone them on 0800 783 6783, or obtain legal advice.

For further information on treatment services and deceased fathers, see www.hfea.gov.uk

What information will you need to supply?

For the baby:

• Date and place of birth - if the birth is one of twins, triplets, etc, then the time of each birth will also be required,
• Whether the baby is a boy or girl,
• The forenames and surname in which it is intended the baby will be brought up.                  

For the father (where these details are to be entered in the register):

• His forenames and surname,
• His date and place of birth,
• His occupation at the time of the child’s birth or, if he was not employed at that time, his last occupation.                  

For the mother:

• Her forenames and surname and, if she is or has been married, her maiden surname,
• Her date and place of birth,
• Her usual address at the date of the child’s birth,
• IHer occupation or previous occupation (optional),
• If she was married to baby’s father at the time of the birth, the date of the marriage,
• If she was married to baby’s father at the time of the birth, the number of her previous children by her present husband or any previous husband                  

The entry in the register

It is most important that the information recorded in the register should be correct. If any mistake is made, for example in the spelling of a name or surname or in the description of the father’s or mother’s occupation, it will give them some trouble to have it put right after they have signed the register. They should therefore check the information very carefully before they sign the register.

If English is not the parents’ first language and they would like someone to help them with the registration, they may feel free to ask a relative or friend to accompany them to the office. But please remember that they must register the birth personally; they cannot ask a relative or friend to attend instead of  them.

What you will receive

After the birth has been registered the parent(s) will be given a form to register their baby with their doctor’s surgery and one "short" birth certificate which is issued free of charge. This short certificate meets most ordinary needs but a full birth certificate which is a complete copy of the entry in the register is also available for a fee of £3.50. Further short certificates and full certificates can be purchased at the time of the registration or at any time afterwards, but if more than a month has passed since the register containing the entry has been filled by the registrar, the price will be £5.50 for the short certificate and £7.00 for the full certificate (prices quoted are valid to 31/3/2009).

Further advice

Should you require clarification of any of the points raised above, or you are uncertain how to proceed with the registration of your baby’s birth, please contact this office, either by phone on (01302) 364922 or by email at registrars@doncaster.gov.uk and we will gladly give you any further advice or information you want.

Alternatively contact:

General Register Office, Room D209, Smedley Hydro, Trafalgar Road, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2HH

Registering a birth after 12 months   

If a birth occurs in England and Wales and has not been registered within 12 months of its occurrence it is possible for the late registration of the birth to be authorised by the Registrar General provided certain requirements can be met.

Before the Registrar General can authorise a late registration of a birth he must be satisfied, by documentary evidence, of the child's exact date and place of birth. There must also be a person available who can attend any Register Office in England and Wales to give the information for the registration. More information about registering a birth and who can do this is available in the section who can register a baby's birth  above.