A birth that occurred in Bath and North East Somerset can be registered at Guildhall, High Street, Bath, BA1 5AW or The Hollies, High Street, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2DT. Please telephone 01225 477234 for an appointment.
When can a birth be registered?
In The Guildhall in Bath by appointment
|
Monday: |
9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. |
| Tuesday: |
9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. |
| Wednesday: |
10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. |
| Thursday: |
9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. |
| Friday: |
9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. |
In The Hollies, Midsomer Norton by appointment
Monday - Friday: 9.00 a.m. - 12.30 p.m.
Please telephone 01225 477234 for an appointment
If you live outside of Bath and North East Somerset, but your baby was born at the RUH, or Paulton Hospital, you may go to any Register Office in England or Wales to give the details to a registrar who will pass them on to us.
Please see below for links to other Registration Service Offices in the region.
North Somerset Registration Service
Bristol Registration Service
Somerset Registration Service
South Gloucestershire Registration Service
Wiltshire Registration Service
- The baby's mother.
- The baby's father if he was married to the mother at the time of the birth.
- If the parents are not married to one another then both parents must attend if the father's details are to be entered in the register.
By having his details entered in the register an unmarried father automatically acquires full parental rights and responsibilities. For more information on the what this means please visit the General Register Office website.
If you have received fertility treatment on the way to becoming a parent the Human Fertilisation and Embryology act 2008 may have some bearing when you come to register your baby. For more information please click on the highlighted link.
It is a statutory requirement that a birth must be registered within 42 days.
From early March 2012 Bath Register office will be offering the new Tell Us Once service. Apply for child benefit without having to send baby's birth certificate in the post. Click on the highlighted link to find out more.
You will be given a short birth certificate, and a form to register the baby with the doctor. If you wish you may buy a full certificate with all the details on it. This will cost £4.00. The cost of the certificate rises to £7.00/£10.00 following registration so it is advisable to purchase it on the day. Please note, if you wish to obtain a passport for your baby you will need the FULL certificate.
- The full names of the parents.
- Their dates and places of birth.
- Their occupations if applicable.
- The date of their marriage if applicable
- The full name that the baby is to be brought up using
The baby may be given the mothers surname, the fathers surname, a conjunction of the two or any other surname the couple wish. However it is most important to understand that the surname which is recorded in the Register can not be changed at a later date. The only usual exception to this rule is where the parents are unmarried at the date of birth and the baby is given the mothers surname. If the parents subsequently marry the child must be Re-registered. Upon Re-registration the child can be given the fathers surname.
Unlike a surname a child’s forename(s) can be changed within the first year following registration. This can be done by completing the relevant prescribed form (obtainable from any Register Office in England or Wales). There are two forms. One for a child Baptised in a different given name within twelve months of registration. The other where the child has not been baptised but the parents have changed their minds within a year of registering the birth.
Once completed, the form should be handed into the Register Office where the original entry will then be updated. The new name will be entered at the foot of the register page in a box which exists for this express purpose. Although the original given name will still appear on any certificates issued from that entry the legal name is now the name that appears at the bottom of the certificate.
There is no fee payable for adding a new name however the usual charges apply for any certificates you may wish to purchase.
These change of name forms may not be used to amend an error if a name has been misspelt in the Register. In such a case the informant should contact the Register Office to organise a correction.