Birth Certificates

What documents will I need?
The registrar is notified directly by the Local Health Authority
of all births that occur within The Vale of Glamorgan, so you do
not have to bring any documents with you when you attend to
register the birth. However, it is sometimes helpful for you to
bring along your Hospital Discharge Papers or your passports with
you.
What information will I need to supply to the registrar?
The registrar will ask for the following information:-
About the baby
- Date and place of baby’s birth (if the baby is one of a
multiple birth, the time of each baby’s birth will also be needed
by the registrar)
- Sex of the child
- Forename(s) and Surname in which it is intended that the child
will be brought up.
About the father (if his details are to be
entered in the register)
- Forename(s) and Surname (including any other names known
by)
- Date and place of birth
- Occupation, or if unemployed, last occupation
- Address at time of baby’s birth
About the mother
- Forename(s) and Surname (including any other names known
by)
- Maiden name if the mother is, or has been, married
- Date and place of birth
- Address at time of baby’s birth
- Occupation, or if unemployed last occupation
- Present address
- Date of Marriage, if married to the child's father at the time
of the birth
- Number of previous children
What if I make a mistake in the register entry?
The register is a Legal Document. It is therefore vital that the
information recorded in the register is correct. If any mistakes
are made it will put you to some inconvenience to have it
corrected. You should, therefore, check the information recorded in
the register very carefully before you sign. If at any time you
discover an error has been made in an entry, you should contact us
as soon as possible.
Warning: Any person who knowingly and wilfully
GIVES FALSE INFORMATION to a registrar for insertion in a Birth
Register, or MAKES A FALSE DECLARATION for the purposes of the
registration of a Birth is LIABLE TO PROSECUTION FOR PERJURY.
What certificates will the Registrar issue?
Once the registrar has completed the registration you will be
issued with a free short birth certificate which shows the baby’s
name, date of birth and district of birth.
After registering the birth you will be given the opportunity to
buy a standard birth certificate, which includes the parents’
details. The certificate may be required for a range of
administrative purposes, particularly passport applications.
The certificate is a certified copy of the entry in the birth
register.
What are the costs?
The cost per standard(full) birth certificate at the time of
registration is £4.00. The certificates become £7.00 the following
day and £10.00 once the register containing the birth entry is
deposited with the Superintendent Registrar (approximately a month
after the registration but please ring to confirm). We can
accept payment by cash, cheque, postal order and debit/credit
card. Please make cheques payable to “The Superintendent
Registrar”. Certificate fees are set by statute and reviewed
annually.
What is a certified copy?
A Certified copy (Birth, Death, Stillbirth or Marriage
certificate) is an exact copy of a register entry. Certified copies
are issued by the registrar, and should be used for all legal and
evidential purposes. These certificates are printed on water marked
paper and are subject to © Crown Copyright, this means they should
not be photocopied.
Can I register the birth bilingually?
If you would like to have the birth registered in both English
and Welsh please discuss this with the customer service operator
when you telephone to book an appointment. Please note that
bilingual registrations are not available in England.
What do I do if I don’t speak English very well?
If English is not your first language and you would like someone
to help you with the registration, please ask a relative or friend
to accompany you to the Register Office.
Please remember you must register the birth personally. You
cannot ask a relative or friend to attend instead of you.
What if one or both parents are not British?
Where one or both parents are NOT British you should contact the
relevant Embassy or Consul in this country after registering the
birth. If you have any queries regarding British Nationality for a
child, you should contact:
Home Office
Nationality Division
3rd Floor India Building
Water Street
Liverpool
L2 OQN
What should I do, if I require special assistance?
If you require any assistance when registering please discuss
your needs with a registrar when you telephone to book an
appointment.