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Births must be registered within 42 days of the birth. Registration can be carried out at any Register Office in England and Wales, but if it is not your local Register Office then the birth certificate will not be issued on the day, but sent to you via your local office a few days later; this is called giving a “declaration of birth”.

Those who are able to register the birth are:-

• Mother of the baby
• Father of the baby (if legally married to the Mother)
• Mother and Father of the baby at the same appointment (if the couple are not married but Mother would like Father's details to be included in the registration and therefore on the certificate).
• Person present at the birth
• Person responsible for the child

There is no fee for registering a birth. If you require a certificate at the time of registration the fee is £3.50 for each certificate. Go back to the main Bournemouth Registration Service page for details on how to obtain a copy of a birth certificate at other times.

ANNOUNCING A NEW ARRIVAL

Bournemouth is the only Council on the South Coast to offer Naming Ceremonies. A naming ceremony is a very special way of celebrating a child’s birth, or welcoming an older child into the family. Parents usually invite family and friends to share the occasion. A naming ceremony is a very highly personalised and unique occasion with specially written ceremonies. Any parent can arrange a Naming ceremony, whether married or not, with any spiritual or religious beliefs or with none or from any cultural background. Ceremonies can also be used to celebrate adoptive children and step children into a new relationship and form part of the family bonding within an extended family unit. Ask our Superintendent Registrar for more details by telephoning 01202-454948.