Birth - registering

Every birth in England and Wales must be registered in the district in which it takes place within 42 days of the child’s birth. A registrar from the Local Authority completes a registration in the presence of a parent or guardian and issues a birth certificate.

The Register Office operates a registration service to parents of children born within the London Borough of Enfield. Registration can take place at the Register Office located in Gentleman’s Row, Enfield. This is by appointment, or the parent can attend a walk-in session where an appointment is not necessary. Parents should call Customer Services on 020 8379 1000 to book an appointment or call the Register Office for advice on Walk-in sessions availability. Waiting times for walk-in sessions can vary and parents should be prepared for a long wait on busy days. Waiting times for appointments are usually about one week, but this may vary according to demand.

A special registration service operates at Chase Farm Hospital for the registration of babies born at Chase Farm only. The registrar is on duty Monday – Friday in the Anti-Natal Clinic. Opening hours do vary daily and are displayed on the Registrars door. No appointment is necessary and parents must be prepared to wait to be seen. Late arrivals in the day may be turned away if other customers are already waiting to be seen. At busy times this service may be withdrawn if staff are required at the main Register Office.

If a parent wishes to register at the Enfield Register Office, but their child was not born within the London Borough of Enfield, they may do so by Declaration. The Declaration is then forwarded to the district office in which the child was born. Parents should be aware that certificates cannot be issued by the office taking the Declaration and this method of registering takes longer to process. Upon receipt of the Declaration, the receiving office will issue the required birth certificate. There is no fee for making a Declaration.

Eligibility
• The informant must be the natural mother or natural father or the child.
• If the father is not married to the child’s mother, he cannot register without the mother being present.
• An unmarried mother can register alone, but the natural father’s details cannot be included in the birth entry.

Required Customer Information
If possible the following documents would be helpful at the time of registration:
• Hospital birth notification form/letter;
• Passport;
• Marriage certificate;
• IND papers/card;
• Birth certificate of parents; and
• Evidence of address of parents.

Service Level Agreement and Turnaround
Parents have 42 days in which to register their child’s birth. However, the Registration Service aims to offer the ability to register a child within 3 days of a request being made.

More information about this service

Contact Us

Frequently asked questions

Address:
The Register Office
1 Gentleman’s Row
Enfield
EN2 6PS
Map

Telephone:
020 8379 1000 or
020 8379 8501

Fax:
020 8379 8562

Opening Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday:
8:30am – 4:30pm

Thursday:
10:30am – 4:30pm

There are no registrations between:
12:30pm and 1:30pm

Last registration taken at
3:30pm

Useful Links

Home Office – General Register Office

Register Office – Price List