Birth - amendments to certificates

Birth Re-registration, corrections and name changes

The Register Office operates a re-registration service to parents who have subsequently married each other, of if the father was not present at the original registration. Corrections can be made following an approval by the General Register Office. Name changes for children can be accepted subject to certain conditions.

Re-registration of a birth may be required if the natural parents have married each other after the registration of their child, or to add the natural father’s details if he was not present at the original registration (and he is not married to the child’s mother).

Corrections of certificates may be required if the informant gave the wrong information at the time of the registration. The informant will usually need the General Register Office’s approval before a correction can proceed.

A child’s first or middle names can be changed within the first year of registration. This is by a Certificate of Naming or by a name given in Baptism. The surname cannot be changed. However, if a spelling mistake has occurred, then the informant should apply for a correction.

For name changes after the first year of registration, a Statutory Declaration can be made or a name changed by Deed Poll. This is done by a solicitor who will charge for this service. The person’s new name will not appear on their birth certificate, and they will need to retain their Statutory Declaration or Deed Poll together with their birth certificate to be able to prove their name.

Eligibility
• The informants must be the natural mother or natural father of the child.

Required Customer Information
• All certificates must be surrendered.
• Application form fully completed.
• Fee of new certificates (if applicable.)
• Evidence as required by the General Register Office.

Service Level Agreement and Turnaround
Depending on the type of re-registration or correction required, the Registration Service aims to deal with all requests as soon as possible. Informants must be aware that if they apply for a correction at the General Register Office this process can take several weeks (or month’s in some cases) to finalise, and is beyond the control of the Register Office.

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 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