Bath & North East Somerset Council - Stillbirth

Stillbirth - Registering

What is a still birth?

A stillborn child is legally defined as a child born after 24 weeks of pregnancy who did not show any sign of life at any time after being born.

Who should register?

If the parents were married to one another at the time of the stillbirth or conception then either parent can register.

If the parents were not married to each other then:

If you wish for the father's details to be entered then both parents need to attend together.
if you wish for the father's details to be recorded but he is unable to come in to the office he can swear a statutory declaration on a form obtainable from us.
if the mother is unable to attend, she can make a statutory declaration for the father to bring in.

Other people who may be able to register are:

the occupier of the house or hospital in which the stillbirth occurred
someone present at the stillbirth
someone responsible for the stillborn child
the person who found the stillborn child (where the date and place of the stillbirth are unknown)

How do I obtain a certificate for an historic stillbirth entry?

Due to the sensitive nature of stillbirth registrations, the procedure for ordering copy certificates differs from other types of certificates. Apart from very recent events, the General Register Office holds records of all stillbirths registered in England and Wales since 1st July 1927. General Register Office website. Certified copies of these records can only be obtained with the Registrar General's consent. The following conditions apply:-

a certificate will only be issued to the mother or father of a stillborn child.

siblings may apply if their mother and father are no longer alive. They should send details of their parents' dates of death with their application.

Still birth certificates can only be obtained from the General Register Office in Southport.

If you want more information telephone, write to or log on to the General Register Office website.

General Register Office
PO Box 2
Southport
Merseyside
PR8 2JD

Tel: +44 (0)151 471 4400

Customer Survey

Here at the Bath Register Office we aim to uphold the highest standards of customer care. If you have recently used our service we would be grateful if you could spare a few minutes to complete our customer survey (link below). Your feedback will help us identify what we are doing right and where there is room for improvement.

Thank you in advance for your time and if you have any specific complaints/complements please email us at the email address at the foot of the page.

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