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Registering a birth

We appreciate that life must be pretty busy for you at the moment, but registering your baby’s birth is important and there are some things you may wish to consider before coming along to see us.

How soon should the birth be registered?

The registration should normally take place within 42 days of the birth.

Who can register the birth?

If the parents of the child are married to each other at the time of the birth, either parent can register the birth.

If the parents are not married to each other, the father’s details can only be recorded if both parents attend together, if this is not possible, please telephone your local Register Office for advice.

If the father’s details are not entered at the time of registration, it may be possible for this to be done at a later date. Please contact your local Register Office for more information.

The registration takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes and is by appointment only

Parental responsibility

The law changed on 1st December 2003, giving unmarried fathers equal parental responsibility for their children.

Parental responsibility for your child gives you important legal rights as well as responsibilities.

Without it, you don’t have any right to be involved in decisions such as where they live, their education, religion or medical treatment. With parental responsibility, you are treated in law as the child’s parent, and you take equal responsibility for bringing them up.

Before this change, you could only gain parental responsibility by later marrying the child’s mother, signing an official agreement with the mother, or getting a court order. You can still get responsibility in these ways. You might want to think about this if you have other children.

Need help to decide what to do?

Parentline Plus has a free helpline where you can talk through the options and ask for advice.
Alternatively call them on 0808 800 222.

Baby born in Rhondda Cynon Taf

If the baby was born within the district of Rhondda Cynon Taf, you can register the birth at

Register Office

Municipal Buildings,
Gelliwastad Road
Pontypridd
CF37 2DP

Tel: 01443 494024

You can purchase a full copy of the birth entry, which includes the parents' names at the time of registration for £11.

Baby born outside Rhondda Cynon Taf

If your child was born outside the district of Rhondda Cynon Taf you can either:

Go to the Register Office in the district where the birth occurred and purchase a full copy of the birth entry at the time of registration or, if you live in Rhondda Cynon Taf, you can complete and sign a declaration stating the details to be entered in the register at the Register Office.

We will forward the declaration to the appropriate office in the district where the baby was born on your behalf. Please bring your cheque book if you wish to apply for a full copy of the birth certificate following the registration. Certificates will then be posted out to you form the relevant office.

What documents do I need to bring with me?

It would be useful if you could bring any hospital discharge papers or parenthood agreement with you to your appointment as well as any supporting documentation such as passports, driving licences, utility bills, birth and marriage certificates, to ensure the accuracy of the information recorded.

Do not worry if any of these documents are not available, as they are only required to facilitate the registration process and their absence will not cause delay to the registration process.

It is important that the information recorded in the register is correct as any error can only be corrected through a formal correction procedure which could cause you inconvenience and, possibly, expense to correct.

What information will I need to supply to the registrar?

When attending to register you will be asked questions regarding names, dates, addresses and places which will feed into the register entry. This will include:

  • the child's date and place of baby’s birth (if it is a multiple birth the time of birth is also recorded); and the child's sex
  • the full name in which the child is to be brought up
  • the full names and dates and places of birth of the parents and their occupations
  • their addresses at the time of the birth and any subsequent addresses if they have moved

Bi-lingual registration

If you are Welsh speaking and would like to have the birth registered in both English and Welsh please discuss this with the registrar when you telephone to book an appointment.

What certificates will the registrar issue?

Some organisations may require you to produce a FULL COPY of the birth entry. Full certificates, which include the parent’s details, can be purchased at the time of registration at a cost of £11 per certificate.

What are the costs?

There is no charge for registering a birth.

What is a certified copy?

A Certified copy (Birth, Death or Marriage certificate) is an exact copy of a register entry made on water marked paper and subject to crown copyright. They can be used for all legal and evidential purposes.

Special assistance

If English is not your first language and you would like someone to help you with the registration, please ask a relative or friend who speaks and understands English to accompany you to your appointment.

Please remember you must register the birth personally. You cannot ask a relative or friend to attend instead of you.

If you require other or further assistance, then please discuss your needs with the registrar when you telephone to book an appointment.

Where 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 your child, please contact Home Office 

Please remember you have a Legal Duty to register the birth within 42 days.

Further Information

If you would like information/advice regarding registering a birth, please contact your local Register Office at Pontypridd on (01443) 494024. We will be happy to advise you. Alternatively you can visit the General Registrar Office's website at: www.gro.gov.uk