Who can register a birth
From 9 November 2026 anyone attending to register the birth must provide evidence of their identity.
Accepted forms of identification include:
- Passport (issued in the UK or overseas)
- UK or EU driving licence (full or provisional). Paper counterpart driving licences are not accepted.
- UK birth or adoption certificate
- PASS card (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
If you do not have any of the documents listed above, please see the full list of accepted documents.
Opposite-sex parents
Married or civil partner parents
Either parent can register the birth on their own. The parent attending the appointment must bring evidence of their identity.
Both parents’ details must be included if they were married or in a civil partnership when the baby was born or conceived.
Unmarried, non-civil partner parents
The details of both parents can be included on the birth certificate if they both attend the birth registration appointment and bring evidence of their identity.
If the unmarried mother attends alone, the father will not be named on the birth certificate. But he can be added at a later time by Re-registering the birth.
Same-sex female parents
Married or civil partner parents
Either parent can register the birth on their own if both of these statements are true:
- the mother has a child by donor insemination or fertility treatment
- she was married or in a civil partnership at the time of the treatment
The parent attending the appointment must bring evidence of their identity.
Unmarried, non-civil partner parents
When a mother is not married or in a civil partnership, her partner can be registered as the child’s second parent if both women:
- are treated together in the UK by a licensed clinic
- have made a ‘parenthood agreement’
For both parents’ details to be recorded on the birth certificate, they must both attend the appointment and bring evidence of their identity.
Same-sex male parents
Male couples must get a parental order (gov.uk) from the court before they can be registered as parents. The person attending the appointment must bring evidence of their identity.
Please call us on 0345 60 80 198 to book an appointment in these circumstances.
Other people who can register
In exceptional circumstances, if the parents cannot register the birth (for example, for medical reasons) certain other people can do it:
- Someone who was present at the birth
- Someone who is legally responsible for the child
- A member of the administrative staff at the hospital where the child was born
The person attending the appointment must bring evidence of their identity.
Please call us on 0345 60 80 198 to arrange to register in these circumstances.
