Register a birth

Registering a Birth

Please read the information below before you book an appointment.

Register a birth within 42 days

All births must be registered within 42 days of the child being born. The registration takes place at the local register office for the area where the baby was born, not where they live.

Babies born in Wokingham Borough

If your baby was born at home in the Wokingham Borough, please click the button below to make an appointment.

Register a birth at Wokingham Register Office 

Babies born outside of the Wokingham Borough

If your baby was born at Royal Berkshire Hospital or Frimley Park Hospital or elsewhere outside of the Wokingham Borough, you will do a birth declaration.

During the appointment we will take the information from you and then pass on your documents to the relevant register office for the registration. They will complete the registration and send the certificates to you. This can take up to 10 or 15 working days.

Your appointment will either take place at the Register Office in Wokingham or at the Ambleside Centre in Woodley. If you go to the Ambleside centre, you will have the opportunity to look around the centre after your appointment. Appointments at the Ambleside Centre only take place on a Tuesday morning.

If you wish to do a birth declaration at the Wokingham Register office please click the button below.

Book birth declaration appointment at Wokingham Register Office

If you wish to do a birth declaration at the Ambleside Centre, please click the button below.

Book birth declaration appointment at Ambleside Centre

Who needs to attend to register a birth

• For couples married at the time of child’s birth, only one parent needs to attend
• For unmarried couples the mother must attend. If the mother wants the father's details to be recorded both parents must attend
• The child does not need to be there
• No one else should attend the appointment 

What information is needed to register a birth

• The child's date of birth, full names, and surname
• The mother's forename(s), surname, maiden name (if applicable), month and year of marriage (if applicable), current address (and address at time of birth if different), date of birth, place of birth (town if within UK), or country if abroad and occupation
• The father's forename(s), surname, current address if not married to the mother, date of birth, place of birth (town if within UK, or country if abroad and occupation
• Although not essential, it will help with the accuracy of the information if you could bring either your passport, ID card, birth certificates, deed polls or any marriage or civil partnership certificates

What happens during the appointment

You will be asked to check the paper copy of the registration before signing. It is important that you check all the information on the document before signing, paying careful attention to the spelling of names and places as well as dates.

It is your responsibility to make sure all information is correct before signing. Once you have signed the register entry it becomes a legal document. If any error is noticed after signing, a correction would then be required. National fees apply for corrections (£83 to £99). A fee of £44 is also payable for adding to a child’s forename(s) following registration.

Payment

Birth certificates cost £12.50 each. 

If you are registering a birth with us, you can pay and receive your certificates during your appointment. Please note we can only accept payments by card.