Register a birth

Births can be registered at any registration office in Scotland. You should register it within 21 days of the date of birth.

You can get details of registrars from your local council. You may be offered:

Book an appointment with a registrar or speak to someone about registration

Information you'll need

You should bring:

the card issued by the hospital, if applicable
the marriage or civil partnership certificate, if the parents are married or in a civil partnership

You can still register a birth if you do not have these documents, but it will be easier if you do.

The registrar will give you a:

free partial copy of the birth certificate, also known as an abbreviated extract
form to register your baby with an NHS doctor

These documents can be:

You can also pay for a full extract of the birth entry which includes details about the parents. Ask your registrar if you want to do this.

Having a child may affect your tax or benefits. Speak to your registrar or local council for more advice on this.

You must register the birth in the country the child was born.

You'll be given a local birth certificate. This local birth certificate should be accepted in the UK, for example, if applying for a passport.

You can also register a birth abroad with the UK authorities. There’s information on gov.uk about registering a birth abroad.

You may need to have the birth certificate translated and certified. Find out more on gov.uk about:

If the birth happened abroad, you may be eligible to have it entered in the Book of Scottish Connections.

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