An appointment is required to register a birth at one of our offices within Surrey. Please telephone 0300 200 1002 to make an appointment.

All births must be registered

• within 42 days from the date of the birth
• in the registration sub-district in which the birth occurred, but a declaration may be made at a local register office
• usually done by the mother but can be done by either parent if married to each other at the time of the birth.

When you go along to register your baby's birth, the registrar will need to know

• Place and date of the birth
• Name, surname and sex
• Parents' names, surnames and address
• Places and dates of parents' birth
• Date of parents' marriage or civil partnership
• Parents' occupations
• Mother's maiden surname.

If the parents were not married to each other

If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the birth and you would like the father's details in the birth entry, then the father must attend with the mother to register. If this is not possible for any reason please contact your local office for advice.

The One Plus One website "Married or Not" provides information on the legal differences between married and unmarried couples, along with direct links to additional sources of information and a directory of organisations providing expert advice.

Children conceived following fertility treatment

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 affects birth registrations of children conceived following fertility treatment and who can be entered as legal parents onto the birth certificate. It is now possible for two female parents to be entered onto a child's registration under this law.

Babies born abroad

Babies born abroad cannot be registered in England and Wales. However, it may be possible for the birth to be registered by the appropriate British authorities in the country of birth. For further information see the Gov.uk web site.

Fees

Registration of a birth is free and a certified extract of the entry (short certificate) is supplied free of charge. Additional copies may be purchased.

Registrars

In addition to our three main offices in Guildford, Leatherhead and Weybridge, we also have registrars located in Caterham, Farnham, Frimley Haslemere and Reigate for the registration of births by appointment only. Please telephone 0300 200 1002 to make an appointment.

After your baby's birth has been registered, you may need to contact the following organisations:

• Your Local Doctor
• Identity and Passport Service - arrange for your child to have their own passport (please note you will require a full birth certificate to obtain a passport for your child)
• Gov.uk: Benefits for families - find out about benefits to which you may be entitled.

You may also wish to adjust your Will - to ensure that your child would be looked after in the event of your death.