Births

If you have an appointment booked with us, please ensure you attend on time as the Registrar may not be able to see you if you are more than 10 minutes late. If you cannot attend your booked appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer it to another customer.

We are currently experiencing a high demand for this service and you may need to book an appointment more than 42 days after the birth of your child(ren). You can check for earlier appointments at any time but please advise us at register.office@reading.gov.uk if you need to cancel an appointment so that we can offer it to someone else.

Registering a birth

If your baby was born in the borough you must register the birth at Reading Register Office within 42 days.

In the event you require an emergency birth certificate, please contact us on Register.Office@reading.gov.uk providing information about your circumstances and attaching any associated evidence. We may be able to offer emergency appointments where:

• there is a medical need
• urgent travel is needed
• you have pre-existing commitments which would have a financial impact should they need to be cancelled.

However, please note there is limited availability for such appointments and all requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Gov.uk sets out who can register a birth and what you will need to bring when registering.

Registering a birth is free. There is statutory fee for each birth certificate at the time of registration, please see the Fees and Charges page. We only accept payment by credit/debit card. The registrar is unable to accept cash, personal cheques or Apple Pay. Please ensure you bring your payment card with you.

If you can’t register the birth in the district your baby was born, you can go to your local register office and they will send your details to the correct office. They will send the certificate to you. However, please note that availability for these appointments may be limited and are not available through our online booking system. Please email Register.Office@Reading.gov.uk for an appointment.

Re-registering a birth

If you are the natural parents and have got married since the original birth registration you can re-register the birth. You can also add the natural father’s details if they were not included at registration.

The gov.uk website contains further information and a re-registration form which you should send, or bring, to Reading Register Office. If you are re-registering because you have got married, you will also have to show your marriage certificate.

The process is free and takes about six weeks. You will then attend a re-registration appointment.

Correcting the register

If a certificate contains incorrect information, you can apply for a correction. Find out how on the Gov.uk website. There are statutory fees for correcting register entries. Please refer to our fees and charges page.

Registering a stillbirth

A stillbirth occurs when a baby has died further than 24 weeks into pregnancy and before it is born. You should register a stillbirth at Reading Register Office within 42 days.

Gov.uk sets out who can register a stillbirth.

You will need to provide:

• a medical certificate issued by the midwife or doctor
• the date and place of the stillbirth
• the name of the baby
• the mother’s details
• the father’s details (if applicable)

Copy birth certificates

You can only use this service for births already registered in the borough of Reading. You can also use this service for births that occurred in the borough of Reading but were registered by declaration elsewhere. If the birth was registered elsewhere, please contact the relevant local authority for information on how to order.

Order a copy birth certificate