Birth re-registrations

You should re-register your child’s birth if you want to add the details of the natural father or second female parent to the birth record. You should also re-register the birth if the parents have married or entered into a civil partnership after the birth of the child.

There is a form to complete to apply for the re-registration of a birth. The form you complete depends on the type of re-registration you need. After the registration service has received your completed form and completed some checks, you will need to attend an appointment at a registration office to complete the re-registration.

In certain cases your application to re-register your child may need to be sent away to be processed by the General Register Office (GRO). If this is necessary, there will be a delay to the appointment booking until the application has been approved by GRO.

If you want a new birth certificate following re-registration it costs £12.50.

Mother and father have married after the birth

If you have a child born in Lancashire that you’d like to re-register following the marriage or civil partnership of the parents, fill in an ‘Application for re-registration following parents’ marriage’ form and return it to one of our registration offices along with your child's birth certificate and your marriage/civil partnership certificate. Only one parent needs to attend the appointment, but both must sign the form. You’ll need one form per child.

If you can't go to a registration office in the area where your child 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 after you have ordered and paid for it.

Mother and father aren’t married or in a civil partnership

If you have a child born in Lancashire and want to add the father’s name to the birth record, fill in an ‘Application for the re-registration of a child’s birth’ form and return it to one of our registration offices along with your child's birth certificate. Both parents must attend the appointment. You’ll need to complete one form per child. If one parent can’t attend the appointment, they must fill in a ‘Statutory declaration of acknowledgement of parentage’ form. The other parent will need to bring that to the registration office with the application form and birth certificate, and your application will be sent to and processed by the General Register Office (GRO). Once it’s approved, we'll then make an appointment for you to complete the re-registration process.

If there’s been a ‘Declaration of Parentage’

A Declaration of Parentage is when the court decides who the father of a baby is. You do not need to do anything to change the birth record in this instance. The court will tell the General Register Office, and the birth will be re-registered. You’ll need to order a new birth certificate if you want one.

Mother and second female parent have married/entered into civil partnership after the birth

If the mother has married or formed a civil partnership with the child's second female parent, after the birth has been registered, the birth should be re-registered.

Contact the General Register Office (GRO) for the relevant forms, which – with any supporting documentation – should be submitted to GRO. Once it has been authorised, the re-registration will be carried out at a registration office.

GRO contact details for re-registration:

0300 123 1837