Register a birth

Registering a birth

All births in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must be registered within 42 days of the child being born and should be registered in the district in which the birth took place.

All babies born at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital (MMUH) must be registered with Sandwell Register Office, regardless of where the parents live.

Appointments are available at the following locations:

Sandwell Register Office
Highfields House, High Street, West Bromwich, B70 8RJ

Appointments available every working day Monday to Friday

Rowley Family Hub
Dudley Road, Rowley Regis, B65 8JY

Appointments available every Tuesday.

Birth certificates can be ordered and paid for when booking your registration appointment.

You can also purchase certificates after the registration using our online certificate process.

We have certificate presentation boxes available to buy which make a lovely gift or keepsake for your baby’s birth certificate.  The cost is £10 or £20 to include the certificate if purchased together.

Who should attend the appointment to register the child:

  • If parents were married at the time of the child’s birth, then only one parent need attend the appointment.
  • If at the time of the child’s birth parents were not married and you wish to have the fathers name added to the birth entry both parents will need to attend the appointment.
  • The child does not need to attend the appointment but of course is very welcome if you choose to bring them.

On the day of your appointment, you will need to provide the following information:

  • The full name that you are giving to your baby
  • Mothers full name at the time of the child’s birth
  • Where and when the child was born
  • Child’s “red book” or hospital discharge letter
  • If possible one form of identification for each parent attending the appointment.

Same-Sex Parents

Female Same-Sex Couples

Both parents can usually be recorded on the birth certificate if:

  • you were married or in a civil partnership at the time of conception or fertility treatment; or
  • the appropriate parenthood consent forms were completed through a licensed fertility clinic in the UK

Male Same-Sex Couples and Surrogacy

If your child was born through a surrogacy arrangement, different legal requirements apply. In most cases, a parental order is required before both intended parents can be recorded as the child's legal parents.

Who Should Attend the Appointment?

  • If you are married or in a civil partnership, either parent can usually register the birth.
  • If you are not married or in a civil partnership, both parents may need to attend the appointment in order for both parents to be recorded on the birth certificate.
  • The requirements will depend on your individual circumstances and how parenthood was established.

Need Advice?

If you are unsure who should attend the appointment or what documents you need to bring, please contact Sandwell Register Office before booking. Our staff will be happy to advise you.

Please note: Every family's circumstances are different. The registrar will advise on the information and documentation required at the time of registration.

Book an appointment to register a birth

Stillbirths

A still born child is legally defined as a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy who did not, at any time after being born, breathe or show any other signs of life.

When a child is still born, the doctor or midwife who was present at the birth or examined the body will issue a medical certificate of stillbirth and will send this directly to the Register Office. When this form is received we will contact you directly to book an appointment to register your child's death.

Neonatal deaths

Neonatal death is where a baby dies within 28 days after they were born. These deaths will need to be reviewed by a Medical Examiner and may be referred to the Coroner who will keep you informed of what will happen next. When the Register Office receives paperwork to confirm that registration can be completed we will contact the family directly to make an appointment.

Re-registration where a child is already registered

If your child was not born in Sandwell, you should contact the area in which the child was born.    

Unsure where the birth took place? Use the online postcode checker on the GOV.UK website.

If your child’s birth is already registered and the place of birth was Sandwell you can re-register your child for the following reasons:

  • To add a natural father’s details to the birth entry
  • Re-registration of a child after marriage

To re-register a birth, you must complete the appropriate form below:

When the form is completed, please return this to the Sandwell Register Office, with original copies of the following information:

  • All birth certificates held for your child.
  • Your marriage certificate should you wish to re-register your child as a child of the marriage.
  • If the surname of your child is being changed and the child is 16 years old or over, you must supply written permission from the child that they are agreeable to the change.

The relevant checks will be completed within two working days. We will then contact you to confirm whether any additional information is required and to arrange an appointment to complete the re‑registration.

Please note:  It will not be possible to deal with a re-registration unless the appropriate forms have been completed and relevant documents as stated above are available.

Birth declarations

Registration can only take place at the register office in the district where the child was born.  If your child was not born in Sandwell, we can complete a declaration form and forward this to the district of birth who will the register the child.  The district of birth will register your child and you will need to contact them separately to order and pay for certificates if required once they have completed the registration.

Alternatively, an appointment can be booked directly in the district where the child was born, and they will complete the registration and issue certificates on the same day.

Unsure where the birth took place? Use the online postcode checker on the GOV.UK website.

If you would like to book a declaration appointment, book an appointment to register a birth.

Changing a child's forename(s)

The Births and Deaths Registration Act allows changes to forename(s) to be recorded in the register. You can apply for this to be done at any time after the birth, as long as the new forename(s) were given to the child within 12 months of the birth being registered. You can only record a change to your child's forename(s) once. There is a statutory fee of £44 for any application.

Who can register a birth?

Information about who can register a birth is available on the Gov.uk website.

Birth certificates

There are two types of birth certificate:   

The short version which contains only the baby's details or the full version, which also contains the parents' details.

There is no fee to register a birth. Charges for birth certificates are as follows:

  • Full birth certificate issued at the time of registration                               £12.50
  • Short birth certificate issued at the time of registration                            £12.50

Certificates are always available from the district where you were born. Unsure where the birth took place? Use the online postcode checker on the GOV.UK website.
Payment can be made either in cash, credit/debit card, cheque or Postal Order.

Need more information or advice?

If you need further information or advice about registering a birth in Sandwell please call us on 0121 368 1188 or use our online enquiry form.