Your life

Who can register a birth

The birth of a child is a big event in all families. The need to register the birth is also very important.

If the parents of the child are married to each other, the Mother or Father can register the birth. If the parents are not married to each other, the primary informant of a birth is the Mother of the child. In either case, only if there are strong reasons for their inability to attend can the registration be performed by someone other than the parents of the child.

Where the parents are not married to each other and the Father is acknowledging paternity, he should attend the registration office, together with the Mother to register the birth.

If the Father wishes to acknowledge paternity but is unable to attend the registration office along with the Mother to register the birth, the Father’s details can still be entered in the birth entry if he completes and signs a statutory declaration in the presence of a local councillor who will countersign the declaration. The Mother then produces this to the Registrar, who in turn will ask the Mother to complete a declaration acknowledging the Father, enabling the registration to proceed.

If the Mother is unable to attend the registration office to register the birth and the parents are not married to each other, if the Father produces a statutory declaration which has been signed by the Mother, in the presence of a local councillor who will countersign the declaration, then registration can proceed once the Father has signed a declaration in the presence of the Registrar.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Registrar if you need to obtain statutory declaration forms or if you need any advice at all regarding this process.

Registration is free and one Abbreviated birth certificate, which shows name, date and place of birth will be issued automatically free of charge at the time of registration. A full extract of birth, which shows name, date, place of birth and parentage may be obtained on payment of the statutory fee, which is currently £8.50. A letter will also be issued for production to the medical practitioner you wish to register the child with under the National Health Service.

If you wish, additional abbreviated or full extracts can be obtained at the time of registration or at a later date. The fee for any additional certificate would be £8.50 if obtained at the same time, during the same year the birth is registered in, or at a later date if you can produce an original abbreviated or full certificate, otherwise, an additional search fee of £5.00 is also payable.

Registration Offices in the Stirling Council Area

Please contact the appropriate office in advance to make an appointment.