Birth Registration

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How to Register a Birth

Where and When to Register a Birth

A birth occurring in Scotland must be registered in Scotland. A birth occurring in Scotland may be registered in any District, regardless of where the birth occurred.

Who May Register a Birth?

A birth must be registered by one of the child's parents. In a case where the parents are married to each other, only one parent need visit the registrar and either the mother or father may choose to register the birth.

Where the parents are not married to each other but both parents' names are to appear on the birth entry, both parents should visit the registrar, together, to register the birth. If either parent is unable to be present at the time of registration, the parents should contact the registrar, who will explain how the birth may be registered. If the father's name is not to appear on the child's birth certificate, the mother should register the birth alone.

In a situation where the mother has decided to register the birth alone but both parents later wish the natural father's name to be added, this may be done at any time in the future. Any local registrar will explain how this may be done.

What Documents are Required?

After the birth, the hospital, doctor or midwife will issue a form containing details of the birth and information about how to register the birth. This form should be presented to the registrar, to allow the birth to be registered. If the parents are married to each other, it would be helpful to take their marriage certificate when the birth is to be registered.

What Documents Will You Receive?

After the birth has been registered, the registrar will provide you with the following documents:

Abbreviated certificate of birth. This is free of charge and may be used for most purposes.
A form (EC58) to register your child with your doctor. Again this is provided free of charge.
Full extracts, or certificates, of the birth at a cost of £10.00 per certificate.

In addition, Dundee Registrar's Office will supply you with:

A hand-scripted folder in which to keep your child's birth certificate. This is free of charge.
A voucher for a baby pack.

Surnames and Forenames

A child may be given any surname when the birth is registered. Naturally, most parents register the surname of the mother or the father. It is also quite common to hyphenate both parents surnames, to create a surname for the child which includes both parents' surnames.

Lists of forenames registered in Dundee from 1999 are available for you to browse through.

« Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages

This information is provided by the Support Services Department