Registration of Births

Contact details: registrar@guernseyroyalcourt.gg and +44 (0) 1481 225277

Registration of Births

There is a legal obligation to register all births in Guernsey within 30 days from date of birth.

If your child is born in hospital, you will be given a 'Declaration of Birth' form prior to being discharged. If your child is born at home, forms are available from the Greffe.

Where can you register a birth?

You need to attend in person at the Greffe in the Royal Court building to register your child's birth. You must bring with you the completed and signed 'Declaration of Birth' from.

Who can register a birth?

If you are married, only one parent (either mother or father) is required to attend in person to register a birth for the father's details to be entered into the register however the father must have signed the 'Declaration of Birth' form.

If you are not married, both parents must attend in person to register the birth for the father's details to be entered into the register. If the father's details aren't entered at the time of registration, they can be added up to a year later.

Parental Responsibility

If you are married at the time of your child's birth, section 6 of the Children (Guernsey and Alderney) Law, 2008 dictates that you both have joint parental responsibility for your child. If you are not married at the time of your child's birth, you will assume joint parental responsibility for your child following completion of the Birth Acknowledgement form and registration of your child's birth; section 7 of the Children (Guernsey and Alderney) Law, 2008 refers.

Obtaining a copy birth certificate

A full birth certificate costs £20.00 and a short-form birth certificate (mother and father's details are not included) costs £15.00.

You can order a copy birth certificate by phoning the Greffe, on +44 (0) 1481 225277. You can make payment by card over the phone and the certificate can either be posted out to you, or it can be collected from the Greffe. Alternatively, you can request a copy by attending at the Greffe and paying at the counter by card, cash or cheque; certificates are usually available the next working day.

Herm / Sark or Alderney Residents

If you are normally resident in Herm, Sark or Alderney and your child is born in Guernsey you will need to ensure that their birth is registered in Guernsey.

If you have time whilst still in Guernsey, you can attend at the Greffe to register your child's birth, if this isn't possible, you can submit the documentation by post. If you are not married but you want their father's details included at time of registration, a Birth Acknowledgement form will have to be completed and signed by the Registrar in Alderney, or Deputy Registrar in Sark, prior to the form being posted to the Greffe in Guernsey. Should you wish to obtain a birth certificate at the time of registration, payment can be made over the phone or submitted with the documentation in the post.

If your child is born outside of Guernsey

If your child is born outside of Guernsey their birth needs to be registered, in person, at the Registry office in the local jurisdiction where they were born. You must obtain a copy of the birth certificate and attend at Social Security to register your child. There is no requirement to notify the Greffe of your child's birth.

Legitimations

If you and your partner were not married at the time of your child's birth however you have since married, under the Legitimacy (Guernsey) Law, 1966, you can request that an amendment be made to Register of Births, relating to the birth of your child.

To apply, you would need to supply a copy of your marriage certificate, and return the original birth certificate issued on behalf of your child, you would also need to complete an application form, copies of which are available from the Greffe. A fee of £15 is payable in respect of the application and an additional fee of £20.00 is payable for a replacement birth certificate.

Stillbirths

Please see information detailed within the 'Registration of Deaths' section.

How we share your child's information

If your child is born and registered in Guernsey, the following departments will receive confirmation of their birth: Social Security, Housing, Legal Aid and Health and Social Care.