Births

If your baby was born in Herefordshire, you can attend Hereford Register Office to register the birth.

When to register

You must register a birth within 42 days of the child being born. This is a legal requirement.

Who can register

If you're married or in a legal civil partnership:

• Either parent can register the birth
• Both parents will be named on the birth certificate

If you're not married or in a legal civil partnership:

• The biological father cannot register the birth on his own, but can attend with the mother
• Only the biological parents who go to the register office will be named on the birth certificate, a statutory declaration of parentage can also be arranged

For full guidance, see who can register a birth on GOV.UK.

Where to register

You should register the birth at the local register office for the area where the baby was born. For babies born in Herefordshire the register office is at Hereford Town Hall.

You must make an appointment to register a birth. To register at Herefordshire Registration Office please see our contact details at the bottom of this page.

If the baby was born outside of Herefordshire you will need to contact the register office where the baby was born or register the birth by declaration. You can check which council covers the area where the baby was born on GOV.UK

Information you need to register a birth

You will need the following to register the birth. If you are emailing to request an appointment, please include this information.

• Place and date of birth of baby
• Baby's first name, last name and sex
• Parents' full name and address
• Parents' place and date of birth
• Parents' jobs
• Mother's address
• Mother's maiden name (if relevant)
• Date of the baby's parents' marriage or civil partnership (if relevant)

Fees

It is free to register a birth. A birth certificate costs £11 and can be purchased when you register the birth.

Babies born outside of Herefordshire

Register a birth by declaration

If the baby was born in England or Wales, but outside Herefordshire and you can't get to the nearest register office to register the birth, you can usually book an appointment at our register office. We'll take all the details of the birth and pass them onto the right office. This is called 'making a declaration'. Check below to see where you can register:

If you live outside Herefordshire

• If your baby was born outside Herefordshire and you live outside Herefordshire then you will need to contact the register office in the district where you live

If you live in Herefordshire but your baby was born outside Herefordshire you have two options:

Either

• Attend the Hereford Register Office and give the details for the registration. We will then forward these details to the office of the district where the baby was born. There will be a delay in you receiving the birth certificate as this will be sent by post

or

• Attend the relevant register office in person and receive your certificate immediately. If you choose this option you will need to contact the relevant register office directly. We cannot make this appointment for you.

Find alternative register offices on GOV.UK

Correcting a mistake on a birth certificate

At the appointment to register the birth the registrar will give you the registration page to check. It's very important that you make sure all the details are correct to the best of your knowledge. Check you have spelt everything correctly.

You are signing to say that the information is correct and true.

Once signed, the responsibility for the entry being correct lies with the person who registered.

If you notice a mistake after your appointment, we might not be able to correct it. If we can correct it, you'll be charged a fee of £75 or £90, depending on what needs to be changed. These fees are set by central government and are subject to change.

If you need to make a correction please email us at registrars@herefordshire.gov.uk

For further guidance on the correction process see register a birth on GOV.UK.