Register a birth

Coronavirus update

Make an appointment

You can register your baby’s birth at the Registration Office in Belfast City Hall by appointment only.

Please call 028 9027 0290 or email BirthRegistration@belfastcity.gov.uk with your contact details to arrange a suitable date and time to complete the registration.

An appointment is essential.

For queries on marriage and civil partnerships or death registrations, please call 028 9027 0455 or email registrar@belfastcity.gov.uk with your contact details and we will contact you as soon as possible.

Opening hours

 You can contact the office at the following times:

How to register a birth

By law, your baby's birth must be registered within 42 days of the date of birth. This is free and can be done in any District Registrar's office in Northern Ireland.

You will need to:

• fill in a birth registration form, and
• bring it to the registrar’s office along with your documentation.

The registrar will complete the process and issue a short birth certificate and a HS123 infant registration form.

You will need to fill in a birth registration form. This is usually completed by the person registering the birth (normally the child's mother).

Download the birth registration form from the nidirect website.

Once you have completed this form, bring it to the registrar’s office along with your documentation and we will complete the registration process. We cannot accept postal applications.
 

Who can register a birth

• the mother or father of the baby, if you are a married couple
• the mother or second female parent (if in a civil partnership with each other at time of donor insemination or fertility treatment)
• grandfather or grandmother 
• uncle or aunt who has knowledge of the birth
• occupier of the premises where the baby was born
• any person present at the child's birth
• any person who has charge of the child.

In the case of a child born to an unmarried couple, the details of the father may be recorded if:

• both parents attend and sign the registration form together, or
• a declaration of paternity is produced.

If the couple cannot attend together, call us on 028 9027 0455 for further advice. More information about this is available from the NI Direct website.

A birth can also be registered to two female parents under certain circumstances. As this is complex and personal, we advise you to call a member of the registration staff on 028 9027 0455 for further information. 

What you will receive

Once the birth is registered, you will receive: 

• one free short birth certificate
• a HS123 infant registration form to help you register with your family doctor and get your child's medical card. 

Additional birth certificates, either short or full, may be purchased at the time of registration for £8 per copy. You can pay by credit card, debit card, cheque or cash. 

If you need to order additional copies of birth certificate after registration, you can find out more about ordering from the General Register Office.

More information

The General Register Office, based at NISRA, Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast, BT9 5RR, provides help and advice about the following issues: 

• Re-registering a birth, for example, if you want to add the father's name after the initial registration.
• Recording name changes.

You can find detailed information about all these topics on the NI Direct website.