Register a birth

You need to register the birth of your baby in order to obtain a birth certificate. You must register a birth within 42 days (6 weeks) of the baby being born.

Birth Registration Update

For birth certificates the 42 day registration rule has been relaxed nationally for now. You can still claim child benefits and universal credit prior to receiving a birth certificate.

If your child/children were born in February/March/April/May you can register the birth at Wolverhampton Register Office. Visit Register a birth and fill in the form provided. You will then be contacted to arrange an appointment.

All registrations have to be carried out face to face. Where possible can we ask:

Those who wish to appear on the birth certificate be in attendance (if you are married then only one parent needs to attend, if un married the mother must attend and only the partner should attend if they want to appear on the certificate).
To not bring your new born(s) or other children unless childcare cannot be organised.
To bring your own black pen to sign the certificate.
Arrive on time as late arrivals will not be seen and your appointment will need to be re-arranged.

The register office is located at the back of the Civic Centre. For those born in June can we ask that you please bear with us. We will notify you on social media and the website when we will be registering these births.

The Civic Centre remains closed to the general public. Ceremonies, notice of marriage appointments and standard certificate applications continue to be deferred and our team are available for pre-arranged birth registrations and death registrations by telephone only.

Please contact us on 01902 551234 or email Register.Office@wolverhampton.gov.uk

Once you register a birth, you can then use this to claim child benefit and any other family-related benefits.

Please note - Free short birth certificates are no longer issued by the registration office.

Costs

Birth registration certificates are £11.00 plus an admin fee of £5. This charge is regardless of when the certificate is issued

If details are recorded inaccurately, there is a charge £75 or £90 depending on the error.

Who can register a birth?

Opposite-sex couples

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

If the baby's mother and father were not married to each other at the time of the birth, the mother may register alone, but the fathers' details will only be entered if they attend to register together. By entering the father's details into the registration, equal parental responsibility is automatically granted to the father as well as the mother.

Same-sex couples

Same-sex couples can become equal legal parents of children that they conceive together. The woman who gives birth to the child (including surrogate mothers) will be shown as the child's mother in the birth register.

Same-sex couples who are married or in a civil partnership and conceive a child through artificial insemination will both automatically be treated as the child's legal parents. In these circumstances, either parent can register the birth.

Same-sex couples who are not married or in a civil partnership at the time of conception, but conceive together through a fertility clinic in the UK, licensed by the human fertilisation and embryology authority may also be treated as legal parents. In these circumstances, the mother may register alone, but the second parents' details can only be entered if they attend to register together.

Where should a birth be registered?

You must register your baby's birth in the district where the baby was born.

If your baby was born within Wolverhampton, you should register the birth at the Register Office:

Register Office,
City of Wolverhampton Council,
Civic Centre St. Peter's Square,
Wolverhampton,
WV1 1RU

You will need to make an appointment to register with us. Please fill out the form below or call 01902 551234.

Partnership with Staffordshire

We now work in partnership with Staffordshire on birth registrations.

Staffordshire residents, who give birth in Wolverhampton, can register the birth at a local office.

You could still register the birth in Wolverhampton but it is easier to use a local office.

Cannock Register Office,
Council Offices,
Beecroft Road,
WS11 1BG

Tel: 0300 111 8001

Staffordshire Registration Office,
1 Staffordshire Place,
Stafford,
ST16 2DH

What to bring to your appointment

When you attend your appointment you will need to bring your birth notification sheet issued by the hospital or midwife and documentary evidence of the parent's ID if available.

At the appointment the registrar will ask:

Questions about the father and the mother's occupation
Where they live and their own place of birth
If the parents were married to each other at the time of the birth, and if they were, the date of the marriage
The number of children the mother has had previously by her present husband/partner or any former husband/partner
The date of birth of the parents

In a small number of circumstances, it may be possible to change or add information to a birth registration, for example adding the father's details at a later date. Please see Re-register a birth for further information.

If you are not able to travel to the district where your child was born, you can visit your local register office (see above), to make a birth declaration. The declaration will be sent to the district where your child was born, the register office there will then complete the registration, and send any certificates that are required through the post to you. From the 23rd January 2017, parents who are residents of Staffordshire, and have their baby in Wolverhampton can register their baby at their local office within Staffordshire and will receive their certificates at the appointment. These offices include Wombourne, Codsall, Cannock and Stafford. If you would like to make an appointment to register the birth at your local office in Staffordshire, you can book an appointment online.

Book an appointment

To book an appointment, please call us on 01902 551234 or use the form below