By law you must register a baby's birth within 42 days. The registration will take approximately 20 minutes and is free. Upon registration, the registrar will give you a short birth certificate showing the baby's name, sex and date of birth.

The short birth certificate is required by HM Revenue & Customs to pay Child Benefit if you are eligible to apply for this. If you are going to apply for a passport for your baby, then you will need a full certificate which includes the parent's details. This can be provided at the time of registration, please tell the registrar that you would like a full certificate when you visit. There will be a charge for the full birth certificate.

Who can register a birth?

If the mother and father were married to each other at the time of the child's birth then either parent may register.

If the mother and father were not married to each other at the time of the child's birth, the mother alone may register the birth, but the father's details can be entered in the register if he is also present at the time of registration. Alternatively, either the mother or father may make a statutory declaration which should be produced by the other parent to the registrar (for further information contact the registrar). If the father's details are not entered at the time of registration, it may be possible for this to be done at a later date.

Important information for mothers

If you are not married to your baby's father you do not have to include the father's details in the register entry.

However, including the father's details automatically gives him joint parental responsibility rights. For clarification on what this means, please contact the registrar.

If you are unable to register the baby's birth for any reason, another person may be legally entitled to act as informant. Your registrar will be able to inform you who is eligible.

Where to register a birth

You may visit any registration office in England or Wales. Registering the birth outside the area where it occurred will result in a short delay in receiving the birth certificate and form for your GP.

If the baby was born in North Yorkshire, you can register your baby at any registration office in North Yorkshire. Many offices are only open part time, you should telephone in advance to make an appointment. Doing this will reduce the waiting time and make sure you are visiting the right office.

Choosing a name

Once the surname has been entered it may not always be possible to change it. Also, please ensure that you inform the registrar of the correct spelling of any names you chose. If you are thinking about choosing a name that is not in common usage and you want advice, the registrar will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Arranging a baby naming ceremony

When families are celebrating the birth of a new baby they often feel the need for a special occasion to gather together their family and friends. One way that this can be done is by holding a civil naming ceremony, designed to meet the needs of the family.

In partnership with Civil Ceremonies Ltd, we will be happy to undertake baby naming ceremonies at either the registration office or other suitable venue. Please ask us for further details.

	Apply for a copy birth certificate Use our online form to request a copy birth certificate.
	Registration service questionnaire We want to improve the service that we provide to you. It would be very helpful to us if you could complete a short questionnaire about the registration service.

Useful downloads Who can register a child's birth? [44kb] This document give details of who can register a child's birth and includes space to write down the details needed by the registrar before your visit.   Weblinks Please note: All external websites open in a new browser window. North Yorkshire County Council is not responsible for the content of external websites. Directgov - having a baby Information from Directgov about having a baby, including preparing for pregnancy, advice on conceiving, the pregnancy itself, giving birth and after the birth. Contacts Harrogate register office registrars.harrogate@northyork... Tel: 0845 034 9480 (for appointments), 0845 034 9482 (for copy certificates) Fax: 01423 502105 Full details for Harrogate register office Leyburn registration office registrars.northallerton@north... Tel: 0845 034 9550 Ext: 2601/2602 Fax: 01609 532096 Full details for Leyburn registration office Malton registration office registrars.malton@northyorks.g... Tel: 0845 034 9483 Fax: 01653 696135 Full details for Malton registration office Northallerton registration office registrars.northallerton@north... Tel: 01609 532601 or 2602 Fax: 01609 532096 Full details for Northallerton registration office Pickering registration office registrars.malton@northyorks.g... Tel: 0845 034 9483 Fax: 01653 696135 Full details for Pickering registration office Richmond registration office registrars.richmond@northyorks... Tel: 0845 034 9485 Fax: 01748 824522 Full details for Richmond registration office Scarborough registration office registrars.scarborough@northyo... Tel: 0845 034 9486 Fax: 01723 350436 Full details for Scarborough registration office Selby registration office registrars.selby@northyorks.go... Tel: 0845 034 9487 Fax: 01757 705133 Full details for Selby registration office Settle registration office registrars.settle@northyorks.g... Tel: 0845 034 9473 Fax: 01729 823624 Full details for Settle registration office Skipton registration office registrars.skipton@northyorks.... Tel: 0845 034 9488 Fax: 01756 709034 Full details for Skipton registration office Whitby registration office registrars.whitby@northyorks.g... Tel: 0845 034 9489 Fax: 01947 602731 Full details for Whitby registration office