Adding a father's name to a birth certificate
Re-register your child鈥檚 birth to add the natural father鈥檚 details to the birth record.
The form you fill in depends on whether:
- you marry or form a civil partnership with the natural father after your child鈥檚 birth was registered - you must re-register the birth by law
- you鈥檙e not married or in a civil partnership but you want the natural father鈥檚 name on the birth record
Take the completed form to the register office. If you鈥檙e not married or in a civil partnership and one of you can鈥檛 be there, that person also needs to fill in a 鈥楽tatutory declaration of acknowledgement of parentage鈥� form and post it to the General Register Office.
Getting a new birth certificate
If you want a new birth certificate you鈥檒l have to order one separately - you don鈥檛 get one automatically when you re-register the birth.
If the wrong father is named on the current birth certificate, you can ask for a correction. That will remove the wrong father鈥檚 name. Then you can re-register the birth with the right father鈥檚 name.
If there鈥檚 been a 鈥楧eclaration of Parentage鈥�
A Declaration of Parentage is when the court decides who the father of a baby is. You don鈥檛 need to do anything to change the birth record if there鈥檚 been a Declaration of Parentage made by a court. The court will tell the General Register Office and the birth will be re-registered. You鈥檒l need to order a new birth certificate if you want one.