Births

Congratulations on the birth of your child.

From 9 November 2026, it will become mandatory for all informants attending a birth registration appointment to bring at least one form of identification from the prescribed ID list.

Failure to bring the correct identification will result in your appointment being rescheduled. 

If you have an appointment booked with us, please ensure that you arrive on time. Registrars may not be able to see customers who arrive more than 10 minutes late. 

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible by calling 0118 937 3533 or emailing register.office@reading.gov.uk so that we can offer the appointment slot to another customer.

Registering a birth

If your baby was born in the borough you must register the birth at Reading Register Office within 42 days. 

Gov.uk sets out who can register a birth and what you will need to bring when registering. 

Registering a birth is free. There is statutory fee for each birth certificate at the time of registration, please see the Fees and Charges page. We only accept payment by credit/debit card. The registrar is unable to accept cash, personal cheques or Apple Pay. Please ensure you bring your payment card with you. 

If you can’t register the birth in the district your baby was born, you can go to your local register office and they will send your details to the correct office. Please note only the district where the baby was born in can issue the birth certificates. Once baby has been registered by declaration you can order these original certificates here. Order a copy birth certificate.

What to bring to your appointment

Please bring your baby’s ‘Red Book’ or any birth paperwork provided by the hospital or midwife.

From 9 November 2026 you must bring original documents to your appointment.

Photocopies are not accepted.

Required documents you must bring one document from this list:

• Passport
• UK biometric immigration document
• UK valid travel document
• UK valid refugee travel document
• UK valid stateless person travel document
• UK driving licence (full or provisional)
• UK birth certificate
• UK adoption certificate
• European Union driving licence
• European Union member state identity card
• Proof of Age Standard Scheme (PASS) Card

If you do not have one of the above, you will be required to bring two of the following and these documents must show your forename and surname and not initials only:

• Utility bill (not mobile phone)
• Council Tax statement
• Bank/building society statement
• Mortgage statement
• Credit card statement
• State benefit, pension or tax credit entitlement from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)/His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC)
• P45 or P60
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Letter from a government agency
• Letter from National Health Service (NHS)
• His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) notification
• Police or armed forces identification
• Signed firearms certificate
• Proof of Royal Mail redirection
• Document issued by the person’s local authority
• School or college letter (16 to 19 year olds)

Failure to bring these may result in you having to rebook.

If you do not speak or understand English, please bring someone who can translate for you.

You are not required to bring your child to the appointment.

What the registrar needs to know

During the appointment, the registrar will ask you to provide the following information:

• Place and date of the birth
• Forenames and surname you have chosen for the child
• Sex of the child
• Parents’ names, surnames and address (including any former names)
• Places and dates of parents’ birth
• Date of parents’ marriage or civil partnership (if applicable)
• Parents’ occupations
• Mother’s maiden surname (if applicable)

The registrar will ask you to read and check all the information on the register page before signing. It is essential that all information, names including spelling and dates are correct, as this is a legal document.

If there are any errors in the registration, you will be required to apply for a formal correction, which will incur a charge.

Re-registering a birth

If you are the natural parents and have got married since the original birth registration you can re-register the birth. You can also add the natural father’s details if they were not included at registration. 

The gov.uk website contains further information and a re-registration form which you should send, or bring, to Reading Register Office. If you are re-registering because you have got married, you will also have to show your marriage certificate. 

Once we have received your correct form and evidence we will then contact you to book an appointment where you can also buy new birth certificates. The process is free and takes about six weeks. 

Correcting the register

If a certificate contains incorrect information, you can apply for a correction. Find out how on the Gov.uk website. You can download the correct forms from their website. There are statutory fees for correcting register entries. Please refer to our fees and charges page.

Once we have received the correction forms and any necessary evidence as well as the associated payment we will send your application to The General Register Office for their consideration and will inform you when the process has been completed and when you can purchase new amended certificates. 

Registering a stillbirth

A stillbirth occurs when a baby has died further than 24 weeks into pregnancy and before it is born. You should register a stillbirth at Reading Register Office within 42 days.

From 9^th November 2026 you can choose to register the stillbirth over the phone or in person via our central register office.

Gov.uk sets out who can register a stillbirth.

Your bereavement midwife will support you in booking this appointment on your behalf.

Copy birth certificates

You can only use this service for births already registered in the borough of Reading. You can also use this service for births that occurred in the borough of Reading but were registered by declaration elsewhere. If the birth was registered elsewhere, please contact the relevant local authority for information on how to order.

Order a copy birth certificate