Register a birth

Changes and correcting mistakes

Changes

You will need to re-register your child's birth if you want to make any of the following changes to their birth certificate:

• add the father's name to the birth certificate
• you have been married

Please complete the following steps:

1. Download the appropriate application form
2. Complete the form including which office you would like to attend to complete the re–registration
3. Please post the forms and any appropriate original documents to:
   
   North Northamptonshire Registration Service
   Haylock House
   Kettering Parkway
   Kettering
   NN15 6EY
    
4. We will then copy the documents and return to you by post.

We cannot accept photocopies but you will get all relevant documents back after the re-registration is complete.

You do not need to visit our office in person at this stage because you will not be able to complete the re-registration straight away.

We will check your paperwork and then contact you within a two weeks to make an appointment for you to visit the office at a later date to complete the re-registration.

Who needs to attend

If you are now married, only one parent will need to attend the appointment.

If you are adding the natural father to a birth certificate and you are not married, both parents will need to attend the appointment.

Add another forename

You can add another forename given to the child within its first year, at any time. This costs £40 plus £11 per copy of the new birth certificate. Please contact us for more information.

Correct a mistake

During your appointment the registrar will ask you to check the register entry carefully before signing.

Please check all the information you have provided is correct, paying close attention to:

• names
• ages
• dates
• addresses

It is your responsibility to ensure all information you have provided is correct before signing.

Once you have signed the register it becomes a legal document. Any corrections identified at a later date must be authorised, and this will incur a statutory fee of £75 to £90 plus the cost of any corrected certificates you require.

Evidence we need

If you think information on a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate is wrong, you will need to provide evidence from the time of the registration showing the correct information.

When you have collected the evidence you need to support your request for a correction, please email [email protected] and include the following information:

• your name, address, telephone number and email address
• the names, date and type of certificate you would like correcting
• details of the correction to be made
• details of the evidence you will be submitting to support your request

Depending on the circumstances, the correction may or may not be simple to make so we will contact you to discuss your case in more detail and explain what happens next.

Last updated 05 September 2022