Register a birth

1 Who can register a birth

Opposite sex couples

For opposite sex couples:

• married to each other at the time of the birth, either parent may register
• not married to each other at the time of the birth, the mother may register alone. The father's details can only be included if they are both present at the appointment.

Same-sex female couples

For same-sex female couples:

• who are married or civil partners, either parent may register
• who are not married or civil partners at the time of conception, and meet the requirements of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, the mother may register alone. The second female parent’s details can only be included if they are both present at the appointment.

Same-sex male couples

If the baby has been born to a same-sex male couple, please phone us for information and advice: 01243 642122.

2 Book an appointment

If your baby is over 12 months old, additional paperwork needs to be completed before the registration can take place.

Alternatively, you can phone 01243 642122.

Before booking any travel arrangements abroad, please allow time for the birth to be registered and the passport application processed. Both services will be under extreme pressure at this time, so it could take longer than usual.

For emergency birth registrations or information, please contact us and ask for Technical Enquiries.

3 Where to register a birth

If your baby was born in West Sussex, you can register at any of our Registration offices.

If your baby was born outside West Sussex, we cannot currently register these births due to the backlog as a result of the pandemic.

We have an arrangement with Surrey Registration Service to offer registrations of babies born at East Surrey Hospital, Redhill at our registration offices in Crawley, Horsham and Haywards Heath.

4 What you need when registering a birth

When registering the birth you will need to supply the:

• date and place of birth of the baby
• baby's full name
• parents' full names
• mother's maiden name (if applicable)
• mother's address at time of birth and registration
• father's/second parent's address at time of registration, if different to the mother's address
• parents' occupations
• parents' dates of birth and places of birth
• date of the parents' marriage (if applicable)
• the discharge papers which show the baby's National Health Service number (if available)
• ID documents that will help you answer the questions - your passport is preferable, otherwise ID card or driving licence. If these supporting documents are not available the registrar can still proceed to register the birth.

You may not need to give all this information, depending on who is registering the birth. For more information visit GOV.UK.

During the appointment we will also issue your baby with a free West Sussex library card, giving you access to the many services for children and families in your local library.

Birth certificate information

Once you have registered the birth, you will be able to order birth certificates online, or phone 01243 642122 for assistance.