How to register a birth, who can register a birth and what you need to bring.
You must register the birth of your baby within 42 days (six weeks) of the baby being born. All registrations are by appointment only and will take about 20 minutes.
You can register at:
Paignton Library - Monday to Friday (appointments from 9:30am to 3:50pm)
There is no fee to register a birth.
If married or in a civil partnership either parent can register the birth on their own.
If the parents are not married they can both be on the birth certificate if they go to the appointment together. An unmarried father cannot usually register the birth without the mother.
Read more on who can register a birth.
We’ll need your name and address. Please bring some ID with you like:
When registering the birth we’ll need this information:
The registrar will ask you to sign to confirm that the details in the register are correct.
If you notice a mistake after the registration you will need to apply for the entry to be corrected. There is a charge for corrections.
It doesn't cost anything to register a baby’s birth. If you need a full copy of the certificate you can buy these for £11 each at the appointment. You can buy more certificates at any time after the registration.
You will need a full birth certificate to apply for a passport or to open bank accounts for your baby.
If you cannot register the birth in the area where the baby was born we can send your details to the correct office.
The registrar in that area will enter the information in the birth register. They will call you to make a payment for the full birth certificate if you would like one.
If you need more copies of birth certificates you need to pay the district that is issuing them. We will make a note of this and they will contact you to arrange payment.