Register a birth

Where the parents are married:

The following people can register a child’s birth:

• The mother or father of the child
• The grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle of the child who has knowledge of the information required to register the birth
• The occupier of the premises in which the child was born
• Any person present at the birth
• Any person having charge of the child

Where the parents are not married to each other:

The name of the father will only be recorded on the birth certificate if both parents are in attendance or attend separately to sign the registration.

If either parent is unavailable, please contact the Registrar’s Office for further information.

The following people can also register a child’s birth:

• Maternal grandmother, maternal grandfather, maternal aunt or maternal uncle of the baby who has knowledge of the information required to register a birth

You will need to complete a birth registration form that can be downloaded from the NI Direct Website.

Once the registration has been completed, you will be issued the following:

• HS123 Infant Registration Form to register your child with a Doctor and obtain a medical card
• 1 free short birth certificate automatically issued at the time of registration

Additional certified copies of short or full birth certificates may be purchased at a cost of £8 each at the time of registration or at a later date from:

• Telephoning the General Register Office, Belfast – 0300 200 7890 (ringing from within Northern Ireland) or 028 9151 3101 (ringing from outside Northern Ireland) and paying by debit/credit card
• To order a certified copy online log on to the NI Direct Website