COVID-19 information
Firstly congratulations on the birth of your baby.
Birth registrations were halted during the COVID-19 crisis, but these can now take place again.
A birth needs to be registered in the district where the baby was born. If you gave birth in a hospital, you should contact the relevant registration district directly; for Wexham Park this would be Slough or for Royal Berks this would be Reading.
- Previous to COVID-19 you could give the birth information via a ‘declaration’ at your local register office, but this will not be possible in the near future.
- During the COVID-19 crisis, you can claim for child benefit and universal credit without having registered the birth. Further information on this will be on www.gov.uk.
- You do not have to worry about registering after the 42-day deadline during the COVID-19 crisis. Register Offices will be working through a back-log built up since the end of March 2020.
If your baby was born at home in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, please email us on registrar@rbwm.gov.uk for an appointment.
Registering your baby
After the arrival of a new baby, everything can seem to be happening in a blur. However it is important to remember to register your new arrival.
It is a legal requirement to register the birth within 42 days. This is done by a personal visit to a register office in the district where the birth occurred. You will need to email us at registrar@rbwm.gov.uk to make an appointment for this.
After giving the registrar all the necessary information, you will be asked to check the record carefully and sign it.
You will need to purchase a birth certificate, which will cost £11 per copy at the time of registration.
You can also buy further birth certificates at a later date, which will cost £11 each.
If you prefer you can go to any other Register Office in England or Wales where the registration will be made by a declaration, which will be sent to the local office where the birth occurred, any birth certificates would then be sent to you by post.