A birth certificate is an official document that serves as a record of a person’s birth. It is an essential document that is required for a range of purposes, including enrolling in school, obtaining a passport, applying for a driver’s license, and much more. Birth certificates contain a wealth of information about the individual, their parents, and their birth.
There are two types of birth certificates issued in the UK: long-form and short-form. Short-form certificates include only the essential information about the child, such as their name, date of birth, place of birth, and gender. They are not accepted as valid identification documents within the UK. On the other hand, long-form birth certificates contain all the information related to the child’s birth, including:
Registration district, sub-district, and county: This information provides the official area where the birth was registered, including the district, sub-district, and county.
Full name of the person born: The full name of the person whose birth the certificate relates to will be provided, including any middle names.
Date of birth: The full date of birth is stated for the person on the certificate, which does not include the time of birth.
Place of birth: The certificate will state the exact place of birth, which could be the house/building address in the case of a home birth, or the name of the hospital in the case of a hospital birth.
Mother’s full name: In all circumstances, the mother’s full name, including any middle names, will be supplied on the birth certificate of the child.
Mother’s maiden surname (and any other previous names): Any previous names the mother has been known by, including her maiden (birth) surname and any other previous marriage names, will be stated on the certificate.
Mother’s place of birth: For recent births, the child’s birth certificate will also include the town and county where the mother was born.
Mother’s occupation: For recent births, the child’s birth certificate will also include the occupation of the mother at the time of the birth.
Mother’s usual address: In the event that the child was not born at the mother’s home address, her usual address will be recorded on the certificate, which is most likely when the child was born in a hospital.
Father’s full name: Where the father has been named, his full name will be provided on the child’s birth certificate, including any middle names. The father can now only be named on the certificate if he is present at the time the birth was registered.
Father’s occupation: If the father has been named on the child’s birth certificate, his occupation at the time of birth will also be recorded.
Signature, description, and residence of informant: In cases where neither the mother nor father were available to register the birth, the person registering the birth of the child will be recorded on the certificate, including a description of who they are, their address, and their signature.
Date the birth was registered: The birth must be recorded within 42 days of the date of birth, and the date of the actual registration is recorded on the child’s birth certificate.
Signature of registrar: The registrar that handled the registration of the birth will be recorded on the certificate, which could be either a handwritten signature or typed (in recent years).
Date the certificate was produced: In the case of a re-issue of the original registration document, the actual date that the document was issued is recorded on the birth certificate.
To can request an official copy of a UK Birth Certificate here
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