Frequently asked questions

Registering a birth in Hampshire

When do I need to register my baby’s birth?

All babies must be registered within 42 days (six weeks) from the date of birth. Book an appointment to register your baby’s birth once the baby is born. Same day appointments are not available. Book an Appointment here.

Where can I register the birth?

If your baby was born in Hampshire, you can register at any one of our 15 offices. Find you nearest Register Office by visiting hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/registeroffices.

Please note that:

babies born in Portsmouth can be registered at any of our Hampshire register offices, as well as with Portsmouth Registration Service
babies born in Southampton can be registered at any of our Hampshire register offices, as well as with Southampton Registration Service
babies born in Surrey can be registered at any of our Hampshire register offices, as well as with Surrey Registration Service

If you are unable to visit one of these offices, you may register at another Hampshire office and your certificate will be posted to you.

Who can register the birth?

If the baby’s parents are married to each other at the time of the birth, then either parent can complete the registration.

If the baby’s parents are not married to each other at the time of birth and the other parent's details are to be shown on the child’s birth certificate, both parents should attend at the register office together.

If both of the baby’s parents can’t attend together, one parent can complete the registration by bringing a statutory declaration with them. If you’re thinking of registering a birth in this way, please contact your local register office and we’ll give you more guidance.

What information will I need?

Baby’s full name, date and place of birth, and gender.
Parents’ full names, birthplaces, birthdates, addresses, occupations, and mother’s maiden name.
Date of parents’ marriage or civil partnership (if applicable).

What documents should I bring?

Take at least one form of identification when you go to the register office. You can use your:

Passport

Birth certificate

Deed poll

Driving licence

proof of address (for example, a utility bill)

Council Tax bill

marriage or civil partnership certificate

You must also take your baby’s personal child health record or ‘red book’, as the registrar will ask to see it.

Do I need an appointment?

Yes. You must book an appointment online via Hampshire County Council.

Is there a fee to register the birth?

Registration is free, however birth certificates are not automatically provided when you register your baby’s birth. You will be able to buy a birth certificate at your appointment or online.
There is a fee for birth certificates, £12.50 each.
Birth certificates act as useful proof of ID. If a birth certificate has been misplaced or amended, you can order a new copy online.

How do I order a birth certificate?

You can order during your appointment or later online. Options include:

Standard certificate £12.50
Additional copies £12.50
Priority service certificate £38.50
Commemorative certificate £6.85

Order Birth Certificates by visiting hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/births/birth-certificates.

Can I order a copy of birth certificate from abroad?

No. We only supply certificates to UK addresses as some overseas applicants might not be able to make online payments. To make this process easier, order your certificate from the General Register Office.

What is a commemorative birth certificate?

Commemorative birth certificates make a lovely gift or keepsake to cherish or make wonderful gifts for loved ones. They can be given to family members and displayed as treasured reminders of your baby’s birth. Or, they could be added as a keepsake to a baby journal, preserving the official certificate so the original copy is ready to be used when needed as your child grows up.

We have two different styles to choose from. Both are perfect mementos to cherish for years to come. We also have a certificate box available, perfect for storing your key life events.

Buy a Commemorative certificate and certificate box by visiting shop.hants.gov.uk/collections/registration-services

There is a mistake on the birth certificate. What corrections can be made?

If the information on the birth registration record was wrong at the time of birth you can apply for a correction.

If the correction you ask for can be made by Hampshire Registration Service staff, it will cost £83. If the correction needs to be made by the General Register Office it will cost £99.

More information can be found at hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/births/correct-birth-registration

What the correction looks like on the certificate?

If your application is approved, a correction will be made in the register in the office for the area where your child was born.

The original information will always be shown in the register. After the correction has been authorised, a note will be added to the margin of the register and newly issued certificates.

All full birth certificates issued after the correction will include the note in the margin.

What happens if you change gender? Do I need a to apply for a correction or order a new birth certificate?

Once your gender has been legally recognised you can order a new birth certificate with your correct gender on it.

What if I need to re-register the birth?

Adding parent

If you need to add a biological parent to your child’s birth certificate after their birth has been registered, we can help.

You’ll need to re-register your child’s birth to add the biological parent’s details to the birth record.

If you marry

If parents marry after the birth, you must re-register. It is a legal requirement to re-register the birth even if the child’s surname is to remain the same.

Learn more by visiting hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/births/re-register.

How to register a stillbirth and what information are required?

If you are registering a stillbirth please contact us by visiting hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/contact.

Read through our guidance below or get in touch with our team who will guide you through the legal requirements and next steps.

Learn more by visiting hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/deaths/register-stillbirth.

What is a baby loss certificate?

If your pregnancy ends before 24 weeks, you can request a free certificate in memory of your baby.

You do not need to request a certificate, but if you would like to, you can do so via the Gov.uk website.

What registering by a ‘declaration’ means?

If you cannot attend the office in the correct district, you can go to any other register office in England or Wales. This is called registering a birth by declaration. That office will send the details to the correct district, but you will not receive the birth certificate on the day, as it will be posted to you later.

Can I have a welcoming ceremony for my baby?

Yes! Hampshire offers non-legal welcoming ceremonies. Ask during registration.

Learn more about Welcoming Ceremonies by visiting hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/hampshireceremonies/welcoming-ceremonies.

What about benefits and notifications?

Don’t miss out on Child Benefit - read the Gov.uk guide on Child Benefit which includes a link to the Child Benefit Claim form CH2.

Where is my nearest registration office?

If your baby was born in Hampshire, you can register at any one of our 15 offices, located in Basingstoke, Fareham, Winchester, Eastleigh, Aldershot, Alton, Gosport, Havant, Gosport, Lymington, Petersfield, Ringwood, Romsey, and Totton.

Find your nearest Register Office by visiting hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/registeroffices.

Registering a Death in Hampshire

What to do after someone dies?

Our teams can help to guide you through the process of registering death. We have created a guide to help you know what steps to take, and what legally needs to happen after someone has died. Visit hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/deaths for further information.

When to register a death?

When someone dies, you’ll need to register their death unless there’s a coroner’s inquest.

The Medical Examiners’ office will send the medical certificate of cause of death to the register office before the appointment to register the death. If a coroner is involved, you'll be informed when you can proceed.

Where do I register a death?

At a Hampshire Registration Office in the district where the death occurred (e.g. Winchester, Basingstoke, Andover, etc. Find a register office and Book an Appointment to register a death.

For deaths outside Hampshire (e.g. in Southampton, Portsmouth, Surrey), use the relevant local authority. Hampshire offices cannot register those deaths.

Do I need an appointment to register a death in Hampshire?

Yes. Once required paperwork (Medical Examiner’s certificate or coroner forms) is received, you can book online via the Hampshire County Council site. Book an Appointment here.

I’m unable to book an appointment online. What do I do?

If you are unable to book an appointment, this could be that we have not received the paperwork. You will need to check with the Medical Examiners office.

Who can register a death?

If possible, a relative (spouse, child, parent) should register the death. If a relative can’t register the death, someone else can do it only if they:

were there at the time of death
are an administrator from the hospital (if the person died in hospital)
are in charge of making funeral arrangements
a personal representative of the deceased

For further information about registering a death visit gov.uk/register-a-death

What documents should I bring?

You don’t need the deceased’s proof of ID to register their death.

However, we’ll need the following information to complete the death registration.

Please visit hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/deaths for further information.

What information is needed during registration?

You will need to provide:

Deceased’s full name (including maiden/previous names), date/place of birth, date/place of death, occupation
Details of spouse or civil partner
Whether the deceased received pensions or public benefits (including reference number)

What do I receive at registration?

When you register a death, you will get a Certificate for Burial or Cremation (the ‘green form’) - this gives permission for burial or an application for cremation.

You will not automatically be provided with a death certificate. Your options are:

pre-order when booking your appointment
order certificates during the appointment
after the registration appointment you can order a death certificate online.

What help can I get with funeral arrangements?

Visit the Gov.uk site for help with arranging a funeral. You will also find information about:

finding bereavement services from your local council
getting help paying for a funeral
getting help paying for a child's funeral
finding bereavement help and support

How do I notify services after someone dies?

Following the death of a loved one, there can be a lot to do. There are some free services that can help you to notify relevant organisations.

Tell Us Once

Tell Us Once is a free service that lets you report a death to multiple government organisations in one go. Tell Us Once will also contact some public sector pension schemes so that they cancel future pension payments.

Access Tell Us Once online.

Death Notification Service

The Death Notification Service helps you to notify multiple financial organisations of a person's death at the same time for free.

Informing Services of the death web page can be found here hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/deaths/informing-services.

Do you offer ‘Tell Us Once’ service?

Yes. After registration, you can use the Tell Us Once service to notify multiple government and council services in one go. Informing services of the death.

At the end of the death registration appointment the registrar will give you a unique reference number so you can access the Tell Us Once Service online or by telephone. You must use the service within 28 days of getting your unique reference number.

Access Tell Us Once online.

Are there any fees for registering a death?

Death registration is free.
Fee of £12.50 applies for each copy of a death certificate.

You will not automatically be provided with a death certificate. Your options are:

pre-order when booking your appointment.
order certificates during the appointment.
after the registration appointment you can order a death certificate online.

What if the coroner is involved?

If the coroner is investigating, registration is paused until their paperwork is complete. The coroner’s office will notify you when you can book your appointment.

Find out more about Hampshire Coroners' Service here hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/coroners.

What should I do after registration?

1) Arrange the funeral using the green form.

2) Notify banks, utilities, HMRC, pensions, benefits providers.

3) Check entitlement to bereavement benefits or changes in pension/tax status.

4) If needed, apply for probate, settle inheritance tax, and manage the deceased’s estate

Access Tell Us Once online.

I’ve registered the death. What else needs to legally happen?

Follow the steps below in this useful guide to find more about:

Check if you can get bereavement benefits.
Deal with your own benefits, pension and taxes.
Check if you need to apply to stay in the UK.
Apply for probate and check if you need to pay for Inheritance Tax
Deal with the estate

For further information visit hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/deaths.

How about wills, probate and inheritance?

Learn more about those topics here: hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/deaths/wills-probate-inheritance.

Where can I find more information about bereavement benefits?

You might be able to receive Bereavement Support Payment if your spouse or civil partner has died, or Guardian's Allowance if you're bringing up a child whose parents have died.

Where can I get support with grief, bereavement and mental wellbeing?

Mental Wellbeing Hampshire is a partnership of organisations working to support good mental health and wellbeing in our communities.

I need to register a death urgently. Who can I contact?

Please contact us if you need to urgently need to register a death.

How do I order a death certificate?

You can order during your appointment or later online. Options include:

Standard certificate £12.50
Additional copies £12.50
Priority service certificate £38.50
Commemorative certificate £6.85

To order Death Certificates visit hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/registrationservices/deaths/death-certificate.

Can I order a copy of death certificate from abroad?

Can I mark remembering loved one in any special way?

Yes. We offer Celebration of life memorials which are an opportunity to honour and remember a loved one in a personal way.

You can choose to create a personalised tribute, including elements such as a collection for a charity and photo montages.

Our celebrants will help you plan a meaningful ceremony, providing support from the initial meeting through to the end of the service. On the day, they will also ensure everything runs smoothly, allowing you to focus on honouring and celebrating the memories of your loved one.

Learn more about Celebration of life memorials here hants.gov.uk/birthsdeathsandceremonies/hampshireceremonies/celebration-of-life-memorials.

Can I contact you by phone to book or enquire about a ceremony?

Ceremony bookings and enquiries are handled through our online enquiry form so that your request reaches the correct team as quickly as possible. Once the booking form has been received and processed we will be in touch to arrange a call with you to discuss your booking or enquiry further.