Visiting York Register Office
See detailed information about registering a birth on GOV.UK, including who can register a birth which depends on whether the baby's parents were/weren't married or in a civil partnership at the time of the birth.
You can book an appointment to register a birth at York Register Office, and pay in advance for certificates online. If you order your certificates at the time of booking, you will receive them at the appointment. If you do not order your certificates in advance, you will need to apply for them online after your appointment
Birth declarations and re-registrations
If your child's natural father is not included on the original birth record and you would like the details adding to the record, you must apply to re-register your child's birth.
The process for re-registering your child's birth depends on whether you:
- are not married
- are natural parents and got married or formed a civil partnership
All requests for birth declarations and/or re-registrations must be made by email to: registrar@york.gov.uk. Or you can call us to provide the necessary information over the phone.
A registrar will then call you back to arrange your appointment.
Access arrangements at York Register Office
We ask that you keep the following arrangements in mind:
- where baby’s natural parents were married/in a civil partnership at the date of baby’s birth, either or both parents may attend
- where baby’s natural parents were not married/in a civil partnership at the date of baby’s birth, the mother must attend and a second parent can only be included on the registration if they also attend
- admittance is strictly by appointment at the allocated time, we will not be able to accommodate people who are late
- Birth registration appointments are held at York Register Office, 56 Bootham, York, YO30 7DA. If you have a pushchair with you, you might like to use the rear entrance to the building to avoid the steps at the front.
Please bring photo ID with you if possible, for all parents to be named on the registration.
See Register Office fees for details of costs relating to birth certificates.
Registering a birth
During your appointment to register a birth you must provide details of:
- place and date of the birth
- sex of the baby
- baby's name and surname (normally the mother or father's surname; but once decided this can only be changed by re-registering a birth)
- parents' names, surnames and address
- places and dates of parents' birth
- date of parents marriage or civil partnership
- parents' jobs
- mother's maiden surname
The following documents can help to record accurate information:
- passports, driving licences or proof of parents' names
- marriage or civil partnership certificate (if applicable)
- proof of address
If the incorrect information is recorded a fee is charged to correct the entry and produce a new certificate.
The birth will be recorded in the register and you'll be asked to carefully check and sign it.
It could cost up to £90.00 to make corrections to the register, and in some cases it won't be possible to change information recorded. Contact York Register Office if you need to amend any information recorded in the register.
Birth certificates
You can order a birth certificate at the time you book your appointment to register a birth, this states the baby's full name and date of birth alongside the parents’ details; you'll need a birth certificate for a passport application, or to open a savings account for your child.
If English is not your first language
If English is not your first language and you'd like someone to help you at your appointment to register a birth, contact us for advice.