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Last updated: 27/03/2024


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Apostille Legalisation


Legalisation (Apostille) is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a UK public document is genuine.

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Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates and Death Certificates are full length copies and can be used for official purposes.

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Birth in the UK

Birth in the UK


This site exists to help you obtain a copy birth certificate as quickly and as easily as possible.


New feature available - Track Your Birth Certificate Order Online

Request copies of birth certificates. We can also help if you want to trace a birth regsitered in England.


By law you must register a baby's birth within 42 days. Registering a birth is free and if born within England can be done at any civic office within the county.

Corrections and changes to a birth certificate in the UK

If you decide to change your child's first name(s) within 12 months of the date of the registration of the birth you are able to do so on the original birth registration.

To do this you will either need to complete a form at a Civic Office or, if your child has been baptised within 12 months of the birth registration, you can obtain a form from the Civic Office to take to the Minister of the Church in which the child was baptised. Once this form has been completed it needs to be returned to the Civic Office for the necessary amendment to be undertaken in the original register.

A birth can also be re-registered at any time to include the father's details and change the surname of the child. A form is available from the Civic Office that has to be completed by both parents to allow the re-registration to be undertaken.

If you need to order a Copy Birth Certificate, suitable for both legal and family history uses. If you have lost your birth certificate UK, or need one for family history purposes, this replacement copy will help you.

UK Birth Certificates are often essential to prove identity when applying for:

Passports
Bank accounts
Pensions
Social Security
Employer ID
Driving licence
Visas and Immigration
Divorce
Adoption

Registering a birth in England

By law you must register a baby's birth within 42 days. Registering a birth is free and if born within the UK can be done at any civic office within the county.

However, actual birth certificates can only be issued via the online birth certificate order form.

Who can register a birth?

If the mother and father are married to each other at the time of the child's birth, either parent may register the birth. If the mother and father are not married to each other at the time of the child's birth, the mother alone may register the birth, however, the father's details can only be entered in the register if he is also present at the time of registration.

Where can I register?

You may register the birth of your child in any Civic Office. Some offices are open full-time whilst other offices are only open part-time. All offices operate an appointment system so it is important that you telephone in advance to make an appointment.

Actual birth certificates can only be issued by a registrar in whose district the birth has occurred. Where the birth has occurred outside the UK, a registrar can take details of the birth, ie a birth declaration, and forward the details to the appropriate office. The certificate will then be sent to you by post.

What will I need to register a birth?

When you attend the Civic Office, the registrar will ask you for the name, date of birth, place of birth and sex of the child. Similar personal details relating to the mother will also be required including occupation.

By law you must register a baby's birth within 42 days. Registering a birth is free. The registrar will give you a short birth certificate showing the baby's name, sex and date of birth. You will also have the opportunity to purchase a full birth certificate (copy of the entry in the register) for a fee.

Charges

Fee for a birth certificate UK

  • After a birth has been registered, a short birth certificate showing the name, sex, date and district of birth is issued free of charge. The short certificate meets most ordinary needs but a full birth certificate, which is a complete copy of the register entry, is also available.
  • From a deposited register start from �13.99 (includes �1.99 handling charge although higher fees are applicable if you require service via priority service).

We can supply birth certificates from the United Kingdom (UK) of Great Britain (GB) England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and many overseas births where the location was once a British territory, or if the event was registered with a British consulate.

UK Official Records provides an apostille service to assist you in acquiring official UK Apostille Certificates for UK documents. The Apostille Certificate is normally requested by foreign authorities and organisations so that the document can be used for official purposes outside of the UK. It is also referred to as legalisation. This means that the documents have to be legalised correctly before you travel and often within a specific time period.

Require an Apostille (Legalised) UK Certificate? An Apostille is a certificate confirming that a signature or a seal on a certificate is genuine. The process of obtaining an Apostille is called Legalisation. Legalisation is usually required by foreign authorities before they will allow a UK document to be used for official purposes in their country. Apostille Certificates issued in the UK will be accepted in the following countries without further legalisation. Order a UAE Legalisation Service,  Qatar Legalisation Service or Kuwait Legalisation Service or Egypt Legalisation Service.
Need a certificate translated then try our Certificate Translation.

Further Information

Registers of births, marriages and deaths

birth in England

Copies of birth certificates

Copies of marriage certificates

Copies of death certificates

Copies of divorce certificates

Apostille Certificate Service

Apply via the Post

To apply via the post write to the following address:

UK Official Services
(Birth in England)
4200 Waterside Centre
B 3 7 7 Y N