Register a birth

How to book

Birth registration is now open by appointment only.

Your appointment will take place at:

Islington Town Hall,
Upper Street,
London
N1 2UD.

Do not attend Islington Town Hall without an appointment as we will not be able to see you.

Read the information on this page carefully before booking your appointment. It tells you who can register a birth, what to bring to the appointment and the fee for each birth certificate.

Book appointment

We can register home or hospital births in the borough of Islington as well as the City of London, this refers to the area in London known as the Square Mile and not London as an entire city. Please view a map to check.

Who can register

If parents are married or in a civil partnership at the time of birth or conception, either parent can register the birth on their own.

If parents are not married at the time of birth or conception:

• both parents must attend and sign the birth register together if both parents want to be listed on the birth certificate.
• the mother can register without the father but the father's details will not be included on the birth certificate - you can the father's details at a later date by re-registering the birth
• if one parent cannot attend the birth registration but wants to be included on the birth certificate, that parent will need to complete a statutory declaration form - the form must be attested to by a legal professional (such as a solicitor). Where there is a parental responsibility agreement in force or either parent has an appropriate court order, tis can be presented when registering.

If neither parent can attend, or you have a parenthood agreement document please email registrars@islington.gov.uk to discuss this before you book an appointment.

If the parent registering the birth does not speak or understand English, they need to bring someone with them to the appointment who can translate for them. Unmarried parents cannot translate for each other - in this case, a third person must be the translator.

Details you will need at your appointment

During the appointment, the registrar will ask you about these details.

Baby

• forenames and surname
• sex
• date of birth
• place of birth
• time of birth for each baby if it was a multiple birth

If the parents are not married or in a civil partnership with each other (regardless of whether the father or second female parent is named on the birth certificate), the surname given to the child at registration cannot be changed at a later date, unless the mother marries the father or second female parent and re-registers the birth.

Parents

• forenames and surnames
• places of birth
• the mother's address
• the parents' occupations
• the mother's birth surname

Confirming the details are correct

• It is very important that the information is recorded correctly on the birth certificate.
• We will ask you to check the birth entry before signing the certificate to say the certificate details are correct.
• Any errors in the information you give will cost up to £99 to change after you have signed the certificate. You can find out more information by going to our birth registration correction page.

Documents you will need to bring 

NHS number

You must bring official paperwork with the baby’s NHS number on, such as the notification of birth or red book.

Primary ID documents

You should bring one proof of primary ID from this list.

Document	Format
Passport (current or expired up to 18 months after expiry)	Physical document
UK biometric immigration document	Physical or digital document
UK valid travel document	Physical document
UK refugee travel document issued under Article 28 of the 1951 Geneva Convention	Physical document
UK Stateless Person travel document issued under Article 28 of the 1951 Geneva Convention	Physical document
UK driving licence, full or provisional	Physical or digital document

If you do not have one from this list, you must bring 2 documents from the secondary ID document list.

Secondary ID documents

If you do not have a primary ID document, you must bring 2 ID documents from this list instead.

Document	Format
Energy or water bill	Physical or digital document
Council Tax statement	Physical or digital document
Bank or building society statement	Physical or digital document
Mortgage statement	Physical or digital document
Credit card statement	Physical or digital document
State benefit, pension or tax credit entitlement from DWP or HMRC	Physical or digital document
P45 or P60	Physical or digital document
Marriage or civil partnership certificate	Physical document (for UK only)
Letter from a government agency	Physical or digital document
Letter from NHS	Physical or digital document
HMRC notification	Physical or digital document
Police or Armed Forces ID	Physical document
Signed firearms document	Physical document
Proof of Royal Mail redirection	Physical document
Document from the person's local authority	Physical or digital document
Proof of receipt of State Pension	Physical or digital document
School or college letter (for people aged 16 to 19 years old)	Physical or digital document

It is also useful to bring:

• the parents' passports

• the parents' marriage or civil partnership certificate (if you have one)

Fee

Per copy of the birth certificate: £12.50 

You can buy copies of the certificate at the office when you attend the appointment if you need them.

We only accept a physical credit or debit card. You cannot pay by contactless or Apple Pay, American Express, bank transfer, cash or cheques.