Having a child is one of the most meaningful and beautiful moments in someone’s life. A challenging and exciting adventure, becoming a parent means a whole new level of responsibility.

Apart from the social responsibilities to your child, creating a safe and nurturing environment, you’ll also have legal obligations to complete on their behalf.

One of your first legal boxes you’ll have to tick as a new parent is registering your child’s birth. A birth certificate is crucial for your child as it provides them with access to services like healthcare, education and a passport.

You must register the birth with your local registrar within 42 days

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a birth registration must take place within 42 days of the baby being born. If you do not register the child in that time period, you may face being fined with a criminal offence.

You need to register the child’s birth with the Registrar of Births and Deaths at your Local Register Office for the country or area where your baby was born. Some hospitals also provide this service but not all.

If it is not possible to register the birth in the area where the child was born, you can go to another office.The registrar will then send the details to the local register of the birth.

Who can register the birth?

For married couples, the mother and father can register the birth of their baby on their own and should include both parents’ details.

A single mother is able to register the baby on her own, choosing whether to include or not the father’s details on the birth certificate. However, for the father to be named on the baby’s registration he must either:

• Accompany the mother to sign the register,
• Complete a statutory declaration of parentage form, et an appropriate court order claiming parental responsibility

For same-sex couples, the rules vary depending if they are male or female couples and if they are in a civil partnership.

Male couples can only be registered as the legal parents through a parental order from the court. Female couples can register both their names on the child’s birth certificate if their child was conceived through donor insemination or fertility treatment, and the couple was in a civil partnership at the time of the treatment.

If your situation is different or more complex then you can seek advice from your local registrar or a family law lawyer.

You’ll need at least one form of ID to register a birth

For your baby’s registration, you must bring at least one of the following forms of identification:

• your passport,
• birth certificate,
• drivers license
• marriage or civil partnership certificate

You will also need to inform the registrar of the following details:

• the date and place of your baby’s birth
• your baby’s gender
• their full name
• and a few of your personal details, such as names, surnames and addresses and occupations.

What will your child need their birth certificate for?

The simple registration process has a significant value. Using their birth certificate, you will be able to register them for school, get their first passport and sign them up for after school activities.

You can order a birth certificate replacement from the September after registering

If you need a birth certificate replacement because its been lost or you would like another copy, you can do this from the September after your child’s has been registered.

This can be done one of two ways. Should you be willing to wait, you can order through the government. However, to have your new copy in your hands within a couple of days, you can contact an independent agency such as Simply Certificate.

By doing the legwork for you and the government, they can find your certificate and get it sent to you faster.

*This was a sponsored post