New baby · UK

Registering a birth: how long you have, and what you need

In England and Wales you must register a birth within 42 days, at the register office for the area where your baby was born, or at the hospital before the mother leaves if it offers registration. Take identification and the red book. Northern Ireland also allows 42 days; Scotland allows 21.

Last updated 17 Oct 2026 · Joel Lister, founder of Radar

Who this is for: new parents in England and Wales registering a baby’s birth, and anyone registering for them, with the first weeks’ other dates beside it.

Who it is not for: a birth abroad, which GOV.UK covers separately, or the detail of registering in Scotland or Northern Ireland, which National Records of Scotland and nidirect explain: this page gives only their deadlines.

WhenWhatSource
Within 42 days of the birthRegister the birth in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.GOV.UK, nidirect
Within 21 days of the birthRegister the birth if your baby was born in Scotland.NRS
When you registerA birth certificate, short or full, costs £12.50. You get it straight away if you register in the area where the baby was born, or in a few days if not.GOV.UK
From 48 hours after registeringYou can claim Child Benefit. A claim can be backdated up to 3 months from the date you make it.GOV.UK
Before you travel abroadA first child passport, with the full birth certificate: £66.50 online, £80 on a paper form. It lasts 5 years.GOV.UK, GOV.UK

Where to register

  • The register office for the area where your baby was born (find yours on GOV.UK), or at the hospital before the mother leaves: the hospital will tell you whether it can register the birth there (GOV.UK).
  • Somewhere else? If you cannot get to the office for the area of the birth, you can go to any register office, and it passes your details to the right one. Your certificate then comes in a few days rather than on the day (GOV.UK, GOV.UK).
  • Born in Scotland: register within 21 days, at any registration office in Scotland (National Records of Scotland).
  • Born in Northern Ireland: register within 42 days, at any District Registration office there. They take appointments only, so book first. You get one short birth certificate free, and further short or long copies cost £8 each when bought from the registrar at registration (nidirect).

Who can register, and when both parents’ names go on

  • Married or in a civil partnership when the baby was born or conceived: either parent can register alone, and both parents’ details can go on the certificate (GOV.UK).
  • Not married or in a civil partnership: both names go on if you sign the register together, or if one parent fills in a statutory declaration of parentage form and the other takes it to register, or if one parent brings a court document, such as a court order, giving the father parental responsibility. The mother can register alone, and the father’s details can be added later by re-registering the birth (GOV.UK).
  • Two mothers can both be named. GOV.UK sets out when either can register alone and when a parenthood agreement or a statutory declaration is needed. Two fathers need a parental order from the court before they can be registered as parents (GOV.UK).
  • If the parents cannot register, for example for medical reasons, someone who was present at the birth, someone responsible for the child, or a member of administrative staff at the hospital can do it (GOV.UK).

What you need to register a birth

The registrar asks for the place and date of birth; the baby’s name, surname and sex; the parents’ names, surnames and address, places and dates of birth, and jobs; the date of the parents’ marriage or civil partnership; and the mother’s maiden surname. Depending on who is registering, you may not need all of it (GOV.UK).

  • At least one form of identification: a passport, birth certificate, deed poll, driving licence, proof of address such as a utility bill, a Council Tax bill, or a marriage or civil partnership certificate (GOV.UK).
  • The red book, your baby’s personal child health record, because some registrars ask to see it (GOV.UK).
  • Registering alone and not married? You may need the other parent’s signed statutory declaration, or a court document, for both names to go on (GOV.UK).

The birth certificate

There are two kinds: the short one has only the child’s details, and the full one has the parents’ details too. Both cost £12.50, and you can order more from the register office at any time (GOV.UK). If you will apply for a passport, the passport office asks for the full certificate, the one with the parents’ details on it (GOV.UK).

The other dates in the first weeks

  • Child Benefit. You can claim from 48 hours after registering the birth, online, by post or by phone. A claim can be backdated up to 3 months from the date you make it, so a claim made later than that cannot reach back to the birth. You can claim without the certificate, but it takes longer (GOV.UK).
  • Claim even if you do not want the payments. GOV.UK says to claim anyway for the other advantages: you get National Insurance credits automatically while your child is under 12, and your child usually gets a National Insurance number shortly before turning 16. Only one person can get Child Benefit for a child (GOV.UK).
  • A passport, if you are travelling. A baby who has never had a British passport needs a first child passport, applied for by someone with parental responsibility: £66.50 online or £80 on a paper form, valid for 5 years. GOV.UK advises not to book travel until you have it (GOV.UK).
  • The passport photo. A child under one does not need their eyes open; lie them on a plain, light-coloured sheet and take the photo from above. You can support their head, but your hand must not show, and no toys or dummies (GOV.UK).

What Radar does with this

  • Put the registration deadline on your Radar as an item with its date, 42 days from the birth (21 in Scotland), and the Child Benefit claim beside it: both are dates no system reminds you of in a week with very little sleep in it.

Radar reads the calendars, task lists and CRM you connect, and the dates you give it. It writes back only when you press a button, and it never sends anything by itself.

Limitations and status

  • Radar does not register a birth or claim anything for you. It keeps the dates you give it and reminds you of them.
  • Fees change: the GOV.UK, nidirect or National Records of Scotland page on the day is the one that counts.
  • This page covers registering in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules beyond the deadlines given here: follow the links.
Put the year’s household dates in your calendar — free, no accountLook at a sample radar — no login

Also free: Radar Lite, the habit tracker on its own, for you and anyone 13 or over in the family.

Questions

How long do you have to register a birth?

42 days from the birth in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland it is 21 days. (GOV.UK, National Records of Scotland)

What do you need to register a birth?

At least one form of identification, such as a passport, driving licence, birth certificate or a utility bill, and your baby’s red book, which some registrars ask to see. The registrar also asks for the baby’s and the parents’ details, such as names, dates and places of birth, address and jobs. (GOV.UK)

Can one parent register a birth alone?

If the parents were married or in a civil partnership when the baby was born or conceived, yes, and both names can go on. If not, the father’s details go on only if you register together, bring a statutory declaration of parentage, or bring a court document giving him parental responsibility; they can be added later by re-registering. (GOV.UK)

How much does a birth certificate cost?

In England and Wales a short or full birth certificate costs £12.50, and you can order more from the register office at any time. In Northern Ireland you get one short certificate free and further copies cost £8 each from the registrar at registration. (GOV.UK, nidirect)

When can I claim Child Benefit for a new baby?

From 48 hours after you have registered the birth. A claim can be backdated up to 3 months from the date you make it. (GOV.UK)

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Written by Joel Lister, founder of Radar · first published 17 Oct 2026. Radar is made by Neos Technologies Ltd.