Register a stillbirth

You must register a stillbirth within 42 days (six weeks) of the birth. All registrations are by appointment only and will take about 40 minutes.

You can register at:

Paignton Library - Monday to Friday (appointments from 9:30am to 3:30pm)

There is no fee to register a stillbirth.

Please call 01803 207130 to make an appointment.

Who can register a stillbirth

If married or in a civil partnership either parent can register the stillbirth on their own.

The mother can register if:

the baby’s parents are not married or in a civil partnership
the father cannot be traced or is unknown

If the father registers the stillbirth and the parents are not married or in a civil partnership, the mother will need to make a ‘signed declaration’.

Read the information on who can register a stillbirth.

What to bring to the appointment

You must bring the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) issued by a doctor/midwife.

We’ll also need your name and address. Please bring some ID with you like:

your passport
council tax bill
driving licence
birth certificate
a utility bill

What information we need to know

When registering the stillbirth we’ll need this information:

place and date of the stillbirth
baby’s names, if you want to name the child
sex of the baby
parents’ names, surnames and address
places and dates of parents’ birth
date of parents’ marriage or civil partnership
parents’ jobs

You don’t have to enter a name for your baby in the register but if you choose not to add a name at your appointment, you won’t be able to add it later.

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.

What we will give you

The registrar will keep the medical certificate of stillbirth and give you a:

a white form which will allow you to arrange the burial or cremation
a short certificate to say that the stillbirth has been registered

You can buy a full stillbirth certificate for £11.

Stillbirths outside Torbay

You must register a stillbirth in the area where it happened. If you cannot we can send your details to the correct office.

The registrar in that area will enter the information in the register. They will call you to take payment for a full birth certificate if we want one.

Information and support

You can register on the Baby Mailing Preference Service to stop getting direct mail from companies selling baby related items.