Births
Registering a Birth
Why Register a Birth?
By law all births occurring in Northern Ireland must be registered. You will require proof of the birth for various purposes including claiming child benefit and registering your baby with a doctor.
When must a Birth be registered?
A birth must be registered within 42 days of the date of birth.
What do you need in order to register a Birth?
A Birth Registration form filled in by the person registering the birth (usually the mother).
Where can a Birth be registered?
With the District Registrar:-
- in the district where the birth took place or
- in the district in which the mother normally lives.
Who can register a Birth?
The principal informant would be the mother or father of the baby - if they are a married couple. However, in the case of a child born to an unmarried couple, the name of the father may only be recorded in the entry of birth if both parents attend and sign the registration together or a declaration of paternity is produced.
An unmarried father who registers the birth of his child jointly with the child's natural mother, and has his name recorded on the birth registration form, will for children born on or after 15th April 2002, acquire parental responsibilities.
The following people may also register the birth:
- The Grandmother, Grandfather, Uncle or Aunt of the baby who has knowledge of the birth,
- Any person present at the birth,
- Any person having charge of the child,
- The occupier of the premises where the baby was born.
Find my local District Registrar Office
What details are required to register a Birth?
- Full name of the baby. You can register your child's name in any language providing you use any unicode character.
- Sex and date of birth of the baby.
- District and place of birth of the baby.
- Full names and dates of birth of the parents, and full addresses and occupations of the parents.
What will the Registrar give you?
Once the registration is completed, the Registrar will issue the following forms:-
One free short birth certificate and an Infant Registration Card HS123 to register with the family doctor and obtain a medical card.
PLEASE NOTE THAT A BIRTH REGISTRATION CANNOT EASILY BE CHANGED ONCE COMPLETED. To find out more about re-registering a birth, please view the re-registration section.
Certified copies of Birth Certificate?
Further certified copies - either Short of Full - may be purchased from the Registrar at the time of registration for £ 6.00 per copy.
Cost of Birth Certificate after Registration
Full certified copy £ 12.00, or where two or more copies of the same entry are applied for at the same time the first copy will be charged at £ 12.00 and any additional copies at £ 6.00 each. Where an applicant can supply full particulars including the register entry number and date of registration the cost will be £ 6.00 per copy. There is an additional priority fee of £ 17.00 for birth certificates produced within one hour of application for personal applications or same day for postal, telephone or Internet applications provided the application is received by 14:30 hours.
Statutory Certificates for Education & Social Security Purposes can be produced at a reduced fee of £6.00. Proof from the Department of Education or Department of Health and Social Services must be included with your application. These certificates may only be used for the purposes provided.
To perform a 'search only' the fee is £ 6.00 for each five year period or part of it.
Where to obtain certified copies of Birth Certificates?
Certified copies of all births registered in Northern Ireland may be ordered online or obtained from:-
General Register Office
Oxford House
49/55 Chichester Street
Belfast
BT1 4HL
Telephone:- 028 90 252000
Certified copies of births registered from 1997 can be obtained from any of the NI District Registrars Offices.
Download birth certificate application
Order birth certificate online District or full address of birth must be supplied when making an application.