The Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages Regulations 1968

Manner of registration

18.—(1) On receiving from an informant, at any time within 3 months after the date of a birth which occurred in his sub-district, information of the particulars required by regulation 16, the registrar shall register the birth in the presence of the informant by inserting in form 1 the particulars required in spaces 1 to 13 subject to the provisions of this regulation.

(2) With respect to space 1 (Date and place of birth)—

(a) if more than one living child is born at a confinement the registrar shall enter the time of birth after the date of birth in each entry respectively;

(b) if the birth is that of a new-born child found exposed and the date and place of birth are unknown, the registrar shall enter the words “On or about…” and the approximate date of birth followed by the words “Found at … on …” , with the relevant place and date.

(3) With respect to space 2 (Name and surname) the surname to be entered shall be the surname by which at the date of the registration of the birth it is intended that the child shall be known and, if a name is not given, the registrar shall enter the surname preceded by a horizontal line.

(4) With respect to spaces 4 and 6 (Father's name, surname and occupation)—

(a) if after the child's birth the father acquired a surname different from that borne by him at the date of the birth, the registrar shall enter the name and surname as at the date of the birth, followed by the acquired surname preceded by the word “now” or, if the father is deceased, by the word “afterwards”;

(b) if the child was illegitimate, the registrar shall not complete space 6 unless the name and surname of a person acknowledging himself to be the father of the child have been entered in space 4 pursuant to section 10 of the Act (which makes provision as to the father of an illegitimate child);

(c) if the father is deceased, the registrar shall enter below the particulars in space 6 the word “deceased”;

(d) if the father has changed his occupation since the birth of the child, the registrar shall enter in space 6 after the occupation as at the date of the birth, the occupation as at the date of registration preceded by the word “now” .

(5) With respect to space 7 (Mother's name and surname)—

(a) if after the birth of the child the mother acquired by marriage or otherwise a surname different from that borne by her at the date of the birth, the registrar shall enter the name and surname as at the date of the birth, followed by the acquired surname preceded by the word “now” or, if the mother is deceased, by the word “afterwards” ;

(b) if the child was illegitimate and the mother was engaged before the birth in gainful employment, the registrar shall enter particulars of the occupation unless pursuant to paragraph (4) an entry is made of the father's occupation.

(6) With respect to space 13 (Informant's address)—

(a) the address required shall be the address as at the date of registration of the birth;

(b) if in pursuance of section 10 of the Act an entry has been made of the name of the person acknowledging himself to be the father of the child, the registrar shall enter that person's address, followed by the mother's address if different;

(c) except as provided by sub-paragraph (b) of this paragraph, the registrar shall not enter the address of the informant if that address is the same as the mother's usual address.