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Re-register a birth

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Reasons for re-registering a birth

There are two types of re-registration for a child born in England or Wales:

  • Re-registration following the marriage or civil partnership of the birth parents. In this case, re-registering the birth is a legal requirement. It is to reflect the new relationship of the parents, and show the child as a child of the marriage or civil partnership.

  • Re-registration to add the details of the father or the second female parent to the birth registration. There must be no-one shown as the father or second female parent on the existing birth registration. This type of re-registration is optional.

Both types of re-registration will result in a brand new birth registration that overrides the original one. Any old birth certificates you have will no longer be valid. You can buy new certificates at your appointment, or you can use our online certificate ordering service afterwards.

There is no age limit to re-registering a child's birth. 

Changing your child's surname

If you wish to change your child's surname, please email peterboroughregisteroffice@peterborough.gov.uk for more information on the process.

How to start the re-registration process

How you start the process of re-registering a child's birth depends on your individual circumstances.

You may need to have a discussion with a registrar before completing the application forms and booking a birth re-registration appointment.

If any of the circumstances listed below apply to you, you will need confirmation from us before you can book an appointment:

  • The parents were married or formed a civil partnership outside the UK
  • The father was domiciled outside the UK at the date of his marriage or civil partnership to the mother
  • The child has been adopted, or is a ward of court, or is in care, or there are any court orders in force in respect of the child
  • Neither parent is able to attend at a Register Office in England or Wales for the re-registration appointment
  • The mother has married or formed a civil partnership with the child’s second female parent
  • The mother wishes to add a second female parent to the registration
  • The re-registration involves a statutory declaration, parental responsibility agreement or court order
  • The re-registration follows a correction to the original birth entry which removed the father’s details
  • The application is to remove and replace a father detailed in the birth entry
  • The child was born before 2010
  • One of the parents has passed away

Contact us (email is preferred):

For some of these scenarios, we may need to obtain approval from the General Register Office before we can complete your request.

Proceeding with the re-registration

You can only proceed with the re-registration if:

  • None of the above scenarios apply to you
    OR
  • One or more of the above scenarios apply to you, but you have received authorisation to re-register from Peterborough Register Office or the General Register Office

If that is the case, please select an option below to find out what you need to do next.

If the birth parents of a child marry or form a civil partnership after a birth registration, they must re-register the child's birth. This is to reflect the new relationship of the parents, and show the child as a child of the marriage or civil partnership. It is a legal requirement.

If none of the circumstances listed in the section above apply to you, or if they do but you have received authorisation to re-register from Peterborough Register Office or the General Register Office, please continue with the process below.

Download and print the re-registration application form (LA1 form)

Download and print the LA1 application form to re-register a child's birth following marriage of birth parents from the GOV.UK website.

Book an appointment with Peterborough Register Office

Once you have completed the form, you need to book an appointment with us:

Appointments last for 30 minutes.

What to bring to the appointment

  • Printed and completed LA1 form, signed by both parents - you will need a different form for each child you are re-registering
  • An original marriage or civil partnership certificate - we cannot accept a photocopy
  • Valid photo identification for each parent - e.g. passport, driving licence etc

Who can attend the appointment

Either or both parents can attend the appointment. You do not need to bring your child.

If none of the circumstances listed in the section above apply to you, or if they do but you have received authorisation to re-register from Peterborough Register Office or the General Register Office, please continue.

You can re-register your child's birth to add the birth father's details if:

  • They were not included at the original birth registration
    AND
  • You have not married each other or formed a civil partnership since the birth

This type of re-registration is optional.

Please note that this type of re-registration gives the birth father joint parental rights and responsibility for the child. Only a court can remove them. You may wish to seek legal advice on this before continuing with the re-registration.

Download and print the re-registration form (form GRO 185)

Download and print the GRO 185 application form to re-register the child's birth to add the birth father, if parents have not married, from the GOV.UK website.

Book an appointment with Peterborough Register Office

Once you have printed and completed the form, you need to book an appointment with us:

Appointments last for 30 minutes.

What to bring to the appointment

  • Printed and completed GRO 185 form, signed by both parents - you will need a different form for each child you are re-registering
  • Valid photo identification for each parent - e.g. passport, driving licence etc

Who can attend the appointment

Both parents are required to attend the appointment in-person. You do not need to bring your child. If there is any reason why one parent cannot attend, please contact the Register Office to discuss.

If you wish to re-register a birth to add a second female parent, please contact us to obtain the necessary form and discuss the process.

Your re-registration application will then need to be sent to the General Register Office for their approval. Once they have authorised the re-registration, you can then book an appointment with us to attend Peterborough Register Office. Please do not book an appointment until the General Register Office has given authorisation.

Please note that this type of re-registration gives the second female parent joint parental rights and responsibility for the child. Only a court can remove them. You may wish to seek legal advice on this before continuing with the re-registration.

Cost of re-registering a birth

There is no charge to re-register a birth. However, once the re-registration has been completed, any old birth certificates will no longer be valid. 

You will need to buy new birth certificates. They cost £12.50 each. We only accept card payment.

You can buy certificates at your appointment or order copies online afterwards.

Other changes to a child's name or birth registration

If you notice an error on your child's birth certificate, it may be possible to correct the register entry and get new certificates. Visit our correct a registration page for more information.

You can change the forename(s) of your child on their birth registration provided that this is done within 12 months of the date of the registration. Surnames cannot be changed through this process.

After 12 months from the birth registration, it may still be possible to change a child's forename(s), but the requirements are much harder to satisfy.

A registration can also be changed if the child has been baptised in different forenames to those on the birth registration.

Please email peterboroughregisteroffice@peterborough.gov.uk for more information.

Please note that name changes - both forenames and surnames - may also be possible through the deed poll process.

Helpful information about your appointment

Visit our Peterborough Register Office page for the address and information on parking, facilities and accessibility etc.

We use rooms on the ground floor and first floor of the building to conduct registration appointments. The first floor is only accessible by stairs. If you have access requirements, please let us know in advance so we can make sure your appointment takes place in a ground floor room.

If you have three or more babies to re-register, please contact us directly about an appointment, rather than booking online. This is because you may need a longer timeslot for your appointment.

Call us on 01733 864646 (open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

At your appointment, we will ask you questions about yourself and your child.

If you are married or in a civil partnership, at least one parent at the appointment will need to be able to speak and understand English.

If you are not married or in a civil partnership then you will both need to speak and understand English. You cannot answer or interpret for each other.

If you do not meet these requirements, you will need to bring a third person along to help interpret.

If the registrar has concerns about your understanding of English, the appointment may have to be abandoned and re-booked.

If you are running more than five minutes late, you will need to re-book your appointment. Please call us on 01733 864646 (phone line open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

If you can no longer attend your appointment, please let us know by calling 01733 864646 (open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Last updated: 28 April 2026
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