The Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages Regulations 1968

PART IV BIRTH REGISTRATION

Particulars to be registered

16.  The particulars concerning a birth required to be registered pursuant to section 1 of the Act (which requires prescribed particulars of births to be registered) shall, subject to the provisions of this Part of these regulations, be the particulars required in spaces 1 to 13 in form 1; and form 1 shall be the prescribed form for birth registration for the purposes of section 5 of the Act (which provides for registration of births free of charge).

Particulars as at date of birth

17.  Subject to the provisions of regulation 18(4) and (5), under this part of these regulations the particulars to be recorded in respect of the parents of a child shall be the particulars appropriate as at the date of birth of the child.

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.

Verification of particulars

19.  After completing spaces 1 to 3 in form 1 the registrar shall call upon the informant to verify the particulars entered; and if it appears that any error has been made in those particulars, the registrar shall thereupon in the presence of the informant make the necessary correction in the manner provided in regulation 72.

Signatures

20.—(1) The registrar shall call upon the informant to sign the entry in space 14.

(2) 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, the registrar shall call first upon that person and then upon the mother to sign the entry.

Signature, etc. of registrar

21.  When the registrar has signed the entry in space 16 he shall add his official description.

Registration after 3 months but within 12 months

22.  Where an informant attends before a superintendent registrar to make a declaration under section 6(1)(b) of the Act (which relates to registration after 3 but within 12 months of birth) the superintendent registrar shall supply a form of declaration provided by the Registrar General.

Registration after 12 months

23.—(1) Where a registrar or a superintendent registrar is informed that a birth which occurred more than 12 months previously has not been registered, he shall make a report to the Registrar General stating to the best of his knowledge and belief the particulars required to be registered concerning the birth, the source of his information and the name and address of any qualified informant available to give information for the registration.

(2) Where an informant attends, pursuant to the written authority of the Registrar General, to give information for the registration of a birth which occurred more than 12 months previously, the superintendent registrar shall—

(a) ascertain from the informant the particulars required to be registered concerning the birth, enter them in a form of declaration provided by the Registrar General, read or show the form to the informant and, after correcting any error, require the informant to sign the declaration; and

(b) attest the declaration.

(3) On registering the birth pursuant to this regulation the registrar shall enter immediately after the date of registration the words “On the authority of the Registrar General”.

Making of declaration under section 9 of the Act

24.—(1) The officer before whom a declaration for the purposes of section 9 of the Act (which relates to giving information to a person other than the registrar) may be made shall be—

(a) in a case where not more than 3 months have elapsed since the date of the birth of the child, any registrar of births and deaths, or

(b) in any other case, any superintendent registrar,

not being the superintendent registrar or the registrar of births and deaths for the district or sub-district in which the birth occurred.

(2) A registrar or a superintendent registrar before whom such a declaration is to be made shall ascertain from the informant the particulars to be registered concerning the birth, enter them in such declaration, using for the purpose a form provided by the Registrar General, read or show the form to the informant and, after correcting any error, require the informant to sign the declaration.

(3) Any such declaration shall be attested by the officer in whose presence it was signed.

(4) If it appears to the registrar of the sub-district in which the birth occurred that the particulars contained in any such declaration, as duly sent to him, are in any material respect not proper to be registered, he shall return the declaration to the officer before whom it was attested together with a note of the matters in which it appears to need amendment, and that officer shall in the presence of the declarant amend any error by striking out any incorrect particulars and inserting the correct particulars.

(5) Any amendment so made shall be initialled by the declarant, and the declaration shall be returned to the registrar of the sub-district in which the birth occurred.

(6) Subject to the provisions of paragraphs (7) and (8), when the said registrar receives a declaration which serves the purposes of section 9 of the Act (whether a declaration made solely for the purposes of that section or a declaration made in a case to which section 6 or 7 of the Act applies) he shall, if the birth has not to his knowledge already been registered, enter the particulars of the birth in his register in the following manner:—

(a) in spaces 1 to 13 of the entry, he shall enter the particulars as appearing in the corresponding spaces of the declaration, so, however, that where any particular has been corrected in pursuance of paragraph (4) he shall enter in the register only the particulars as corrected, omitting any incorrect particular which has been struck out and the initials of the declarant;

(b) in space 14 (Signature of informant) he shall write the name of the declarant in the form in which it is signed in the declaration, and shall add the words “by declaration dated …”, inserting the date on which the declaration was made and signed.

(7) If more than 3 but less than 12 months have elapsed since the date of the birth of the child, the registrar shall make the entry in the presence of the superintendent registrar in whose district the birth occurred, and the superintendent registrar and registrar shall sign the entry, adding their official descriptions.

(8) If more than 12 months have elapsed since the date of the birth of the child, the registrar shall not make the entry until he has received the written authority of the Registrar General to register the birth; and below the date of registration in space 15 the registrar shall enter the words “On the authority of the Registrar General”, and the superintendent registrar and registrar shall sign the entry, adding their official descriptions.

Alteration or giving of name after registration

25.—(1) An entry in pursuance of section 13 of the Act (which relates to registering or altering the name of a child) shall be made in space 17 of the entry of birth by the registrar or superintendent registrar having custody of the register in which the birth is registered.

(2) Where an entry is made in pursuance of the said section 13, the registrar or superintendent registrar, as the case may be, shall enter the name shown in the certificate given in pursuance of the said section followed by the surname recorded in space 2 of the entry and—

(a) if the entry is made on production of a certificate in form 2 that a name was given in baptism, add the words “by baptism on …” , inserting the date on which the child was baptised;

(b) if the entry is made on production of a certificate in form 3 that a name was given otherwise than in baptism, add the words “on certificate of naming dated …”, inserting the date on which the certificate was signed.