Birth certificates and registering a birth

How to register a birth

In Scotland, every birth must be registered within 21 days of the birth. Registering a birth is free. When you register a birth, you'll get a free short version of the birth certificate. You can order a copy of the full birth certificate for a fee.

Where to register a birth

You must register the birth with the registrar of births and deaths anywhere in Scotland. Check your local council's website for the address of the local registrars' offices. You might need to make an appointment.

Find a registrar on the National Registers of Scotland website.

Registering a stillbirth

Stillbirths in Scotland should be registered within 21 days. The doctor or midwife will send a medical certificate of stillbirth directly to the registration office you choose.

Find more information about registering a stillbirth on the National Records of Scotland website.

Registering a birth if you’re a mixed-sex couple

If the parents of the child are married or in a civil partnership, either the mother or the father can register the birth.

If the parents are not married or in a civil partnership the mother can register the birth. The father’s details can be recorded on the birth entry at the time of registration if they jointly register the birth with the mother.

The father can register the birth, but only if he has the agreement of the mother. She must give this agreement by signing a declaration. You can get the declaration forms at the registrars office.

Registering a birth if you’re a same-sex female couple 

If a female couple are married or in a civil partnership, they can both be named on the birth certificate when registering the birth. Either woman can register the birth if all the following apply:

• one of the women had the child by donor insemination or fertility treatment

• her spouse or civil partner is the child’s legal parent

• they were in a same-sex marriage or civil partnership at the time of fertility treatment.

If the child’s mother and her female partner are not civil partners or married, they can register the birth together to include the partner's name. They can also re-register to include the partner's name if it wasn't originally entered on the register. They can do this if all the following apply:

• the mother conceived the child by donor insemination or fertility treatment on or after 6 April 2009

• the partner is the child’s legal parent.

Registering the birth together will mean that both partners have full parental responsibilities and rights towards the child.

If you're not married or in a civil partnership the fertility clinic should help you fill in the forms you need for the mother's partner to be the second female parent.

Registering the birth if you’re not the parents 

If neither parent can provide information to the registrar, you can register the birth if you: 

• live in the house where the child was born 

• were at the birth 

• are a relative of either parent and have knowledge of the birth 

• are responsible for the child. 

Information you need to register a birth

You need to give the registrar: 

• the date, time and place of the birth 

• the child’s name and sex 

• the mother’s full name, address and job  

• the father’s full name and job- if their name will be on the birth certificate  

• the second mother’s full name and job- if the parents are a same-sex couple and the mother’s partner’s name will be on the birth certificate. 

The registrar will also ask for other information which does not appear on the register entry but is gathered for statistical reasons. 

If you can, you should take the: 

• birth notification card or letter from the hospital 

• parent’s marriage or civil partnership certificate, if the ceremony took place outside Scotland 

• parent's birth certificate, if the parent was born outside Scotland. 

You can still register if you don't have these documents, but it will be easier if you do. 

Who can choose a child’s name

A couple who are married or in a civil partnership have to agree on the child’s full name. They each have an equal right to choose the name. The child of a mixed sex couple who are married or in a civil partnership does not have to have the father’s surname. 

If only the mother has parental responsibilities and rights towards the child, she has the right to choose the child’s name. The mother can give the child the father’s surname if she chooses, even if they're not married.

Choosing the father's name for the child isn't the same as registering him as the father of the child. 

Registering the father on a birth certificate 

If the mother and father are married or in a civil partnership, both must have their names registered. 

If the mother and father are not married or in a civil partnership the natural mother does not have to give details of the father on the birth certificate. The father cannot register his name unless the mother agrees.

When both the mother and father agree to the father’s name being registered, they can go to the registrar’s office together. If only one of the parents goes to the registrar’s office they must have a document called a declaration, signed by the other parent. The declaration proves that they both agree to the father’s name being added. You can get the declaration forms at the registrar’s office. An unmarried father who jointly registers the birth of his child with the child’s mother will automatically have full parental responsibilities and rights towards the child. He will share these with the child’s mother.

The mother can also register the father if she has a court order declaring that he is the father. The father does not have to agree to this. In these circumstances, the father would not get automatic parental responsibilities towards the child.

Registering the father on a child’s birth certificate gives strong evidence that he is the father. This is because his name can only be added if both the mother and father agree that he is the father or a court order states that he is. 

Registering a father on a child's birth certificate can also be used by: 

• the Child Maintenance Service or the courts as evidence of paternity for maintenance proceedings 

• the courts as evidence of adultery 

• the child as information about who both parents are. 

Adding the father’s name after registration 

The father’s name can be added to the birth certificate after the original registration. This is called re-registration. The registrar will help you do this. There must be evidence that the father is the father, for example, a signed declaration by the mother. An unmarried father who re-registers the birth of his child, will automatically acquire full parental responsibilities and rights.

Find out how to re-register a birth on the National Records of Scotland website.

Removing the father's name 

The father's name cannot be removed from a child's birth entry if he's the biological father of the child. A father's name can only be removed from a child's birth entry if it has been established in court that he's not the biological father of the child. 

Changing the child’s name on the birth certificate

You can change your child’s forename and surname before they're 2 years old. Changing your child's forename can include a change to their middle name. The original name will be removed from the certificate. You can change your child’s name by applying to the registrar general. 

If your child is over 2 years old, you can change their forename and surname but the original name will also stay on the birth certificate.  

A child’s surname can also be re-registered before they are 2 years old if the father’s name is added to the birth certificate after the original registration. 

You can get more information about changing a child's name on the National Records for Scotland website.

Changing your birth certificate if you're transgender

You can get a new birth certificate if you have a gender recognition certificate and your birth was registered in the UK.

The new birth certificate will be the same as the original birth certificate but will show:

• your affirmed or acquired gender

• your new name, if you have one

It won't show that you have changed gender. You'll still be able to get copies of your original birth certificate.

Find more information about gender recognition on the National Records of Scotland website. If a trans man gives birth, they will be shown on the birth certificate as the mother.

Correcting mistakes on a birth certificate

If a mistake has been made on the original birth certificate, the parents can apply to have it corrected by contacting the registrar general. The registrar general will need evidence that a mistake has been made and proof of the corrected information. It's an offence to give false information when registering a birth. However, the registrar general would not normally take action against someone who made a genuine mistake when registering a birth.

What to do if a birth hasn't been registered

A birth that hasn't been registered within 21 days needs to be approved by the registrar general before it can be registered. The registrar general will investigate the matter. If the birth took place years before, they might need to confirm information with a witness. 

If a birth certificate is needed urgently, for example to apply for a passport or as proof for a claim for a social security benefit, it might be possible to use other sources of evidence, for example a school record or a baptismal certificate. 

Getting copies of a birth certificate 

How you get copies of a birth certificate depends on where in the UK the birth was registered. If it was registered in:

• Scotland - order a copy of a birth certificate from the Scotland's People website

• England or Wales - order a copy of a birth certificate on GOV.UK

• Northern Ireland - order a copy of a birth certificate on nidirect

• Republic of Ireland- order a copy of a birth certificate on gov.ie

Birth certificates from abroad

If you were born abroad, the birth might also have been registered in the UK. If it was, you can get a copy in the usual way. If the birth has not been registered in the UK, you might be able to get a copy of the birth certificate from the country where you were born. This can be done by contacting the relevant embassy in the UK. You can find embassy details on GOV.UK.