Births

All births in England or Wales must be registered in the area where the baby was born within 42 days of the date of birth. You can claim Child Benefit as soon as you’ve registered the birth of your child.

Information about registering a stillbirth.

You can register a birth that took place in Lancashire at any of our registration offices. Please note that you will need to book an appointment.

If English is not your first language you may ask a friend or relative to go with you to act as an interpreter. If you need us to provide an interpreter there will be a non-refundable charge of £86. We do not charge a fee for British Sign Language interpreters or similar communication support because of disabilities.

Who can register a birth

If the parents of the child were married to each other, or in a legal Civil Partnership, when the baby was born, either parent may register the birth on their own and will include both parents' names in the register. 

Please note that only one parent needs to attend to register the baby.

If the parents are not married, the father's details can only be entered in the register in the following circumstances:

  • The mother and father go to the registration office and sign the birth register together

  • Where either the mother or father is unable to go to the registration office - they may make a statutory declaration acknowledging the father's paternity which the other parent must take to the registration office. You can get the statutory declaration of parentage form in pdf format from gov.uk

  • Where the mother and father have made a parental responsibility agreement or either has obtained an appropriate court order - the agreement or order should be taken to the registration office by either parent

You do not need to bring baby to the appointment.

When you attend the office, your appointment will take approximately 30 minutes unless you are registering multiple births or attending with an interpreter. Once the registration is complete, you can purchase a copy certificate. Certificates are £12.50 each. Please note that Lancaster Registration Office is currently not able to issue certificates during the appointment. Certificates can be ordered online once the birth has been registered.

Other people who may register births

If the mother or father are not able to register the birth 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

Information you need to register a birth

  • Date and place of birth. If the birth is one of twins, triplets, etc. The time of each child's birth will also be needed
  • Sex of the child
  • Name and surname of the child

It would be useful if you could bring one of the following documents for both mother and father to the appointment, Passport/Utility Bill/Driving Licence/Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate. You can however still register the birth without any of these.

Father

Where this information is to be entered in the register.

  • First name(s) and surname
  • Date and place of birth
  • Occupation

Mother

  • First name(s) and surname
  • Maiden surname
  • Date and place of birth
  • Occupation
  • Address at the date of the birth
  • Date of marriage, if married to the child's father at the time of the birth
  • Number of previous children

Book an appointment

If you can't go to a registration office in the area where the baby was born, you can go to another registration office and make a declaration. They will send your details to the correct office and the birth certificate will be posted to you.

Certificates issued

After a birth has been registered, you can purchase either a short birth certificate showing the name, sex, date and district of birth or a standard birth certificate. The standard birth certificate shows the parents' details and are required when applying for a passport.

The cost of either certificate at the time of registration is £12.50.

You can buy extra copies of short and standard certificates at the time of registration or any time afterwards.