The Register Office at Civic is open for pre-booked appointments only. 

You must register a birth within 42 days (6 weeks) of the day on which your baby was born.   

How do I register?

We operate on an appointment only basis - please book your appointment via our online booking system or by calling 01908 372101. 

Once your booking is confirmed, you will receive an email which contains important information about where your appointment will be held, how your appointment will be conducted and what you need to do before you arrive.  Please take time to read this to ensure that your appointment runs smoothly. 

Check the location of where your appointment is due to take place as this may be different to where you have registered any previous children.

Where do I register?

You can register your baby's birth at:  

Hedgerows Children's Centre
Langland Road
Netherfield
Milton Keynes
MK6 4NP

or

The Register Office
Civic
(side entrance North Eighth Street)
1 Saxon Gate East
Central Milton Keynes
MK9 3EJ

Please do check your confirmation email to ensure that you arrive at the correct location for your appointment.

Can I register at another register office?  

If your baby was born within the Milton Keynes registration district the birth has to be registered in Milton Keynes.  

If it is difficult for you to visit our office, you can go to any register office in England or Wales to give the details we need to register your baby's birth.  The register office taking the details will then send the relevant paperwork to us so that we can complete the registration.  Any certificates you wish to purchase can then be ordered online via our booking system or by calling 01908 372101.  Please ensure that you have a credit or debit card to hand as payment is required at the time of ordering.   

Who can register?  

If the biological parents of the baby were married to each other at the time of the birth, either parent can register the birth.  

If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the birth, the father's details can only be included on the register if one of the following happens:

• Both parents go together to register the birth.
• If the father cannot go with the mother, he can make a legal declaration, in front of a solicitor, confirming that he is the father.  The mother should give this to the registrar.  You can get copies of the declaration form from the gov.uk website.
• If the mother cannot go to the office with the father, she can make a legal declaration, in front of a solicitor, confirming the name of the father.  The father should give this to the registrar.
• If either parent has a court order, they should give this to the registrar.

What surname should I use?

Normally, you will give the surname of the mother or the father.  Once the surname has been registered you can only change it if one of the following applies:

• You apply to re-register the birth because you are not married to each other and the father's details were not included on the register.
• You marry each other after the registration.  In this case, you must re-register the birth, even if the child was given the father's surname in the first registration.

This is a complicated subject, so please visit the "Adding a father's name to a birth registration" section of the gov.uk website or contact the register office if you need more information.

What documents do I need?

Please bring the following documentation to your appointment to help ensure records are accurate and complete: 

• Baby's red book
• Parents’ passports or birth certificates
• Documentation confirming any change of name, such as a deed poll (if applicable)
• Parents’ marriage / civil partnership certificate (if applicable)
• A recent utility bill, bank statement or council tax bill
• Spelling of all baby's names

What happens at the registration appointment?  

 The registrar will ask:

• The date and place of the child's birth
• The child's full name(s) and surname
• The sex of the child
• If more than one child was born (as in the case of twins or triplets), time of birth for each baby
• The name(s), surname(s), address(es), place(s) and date(s) of birth of the parent(s) and any other names by which they have been known
• The parents' occupations
• The mother's home address at the time of the birth 
• The date of the parents' marriage, if applicable, and number of previous children

The registrar will put the information into a computer file which will generate the register entry.

You will be asked to check the information on the register page and to sign to confirm that it is correct.  

It is your responsibility to make sure all the information is correct before signing the register page as this is a legal document.  It is important that you thoroughly check all the information, paying careful attention to the spelling of names and places as well as dates. You will be required to pay a fee for any corrections to be made, most of which will require the authority of the Registrar General.

The registration will take approximately 20 minutes.

What certificates will I get?

All certificates purchased at the time of booking will be issued to you during the appointment.  

If you don't purchase any when you book your appointment you may need to wait until after the registration has been completed and then place your order via our online booking system.

Full certificates are needed for all official purposes.  

What will it cost?  

It is free to register your child's birth.  The only fee payable is for any copies of the birth certificates you require.

Certificate costs are shown on the Register Office fees page. 

What if I don't speak English?  

If English is not your first language and you would like someone to help you register, you can ask a friend or relative to come with you.

PLEASE NOTE:  partners cannot translate for each other.

How do I get a copy of a birth certificate?  

If the birth occurred in the Milton Keynes registration district and has been registered already the quickest way to get copy certificates is to apply online using a credit or debit card.

If the birth occurred in another district you will need to contact the district where the birth took place in order to purchase a copy certificate.  

Re-registering a birth  

You will need to re-register the birth if: 

• you want to add the biological father's details at a later date
• the child's biological parents have got married after the initial registration