Where and when to register a still-birth
A still-born child is legally defined as a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy who did not at any time after being born breathe or show any other signs of life. (A child who breathed or showed other signs of life is considered live-born for registration purposes, irrespective of the number of weeks duration of the pregnancy.)
When a child is stillborn, the doctor or midwife who was present at the birth or examined the body will issue a medical certificate of stillbirth. The person who registers the stillbirth must take this certificate to the registrar's office.
The stillbirth must be registered in the district in which it takes place, normally within 42 days. A stillbirth may not be registered more than 3 months after it occurred. Information for the registration is given to the registrar by the person registering the stillbirth. The information is recorded in a register and the person registering the stillbirth signs the record.
If it is inconvenient to go to the district where the stillbirth took place, the information for the registration may be given to a registrar in another district. The registrar will record the details on a form of declaration and send it to the registrar for the district where the stillbirth occurred. The registrar who receives the declaration will enter the information in the stillbirth register. Certificates of the stillbirth which may be ordered and paid for at the time of making the declaration, as well as the document for the burial or cremation, will be posted to the person giving the information. If a declaration is made, (because of the need to use the postal system), it may take a day or two longer for the document for burial or cremation to be issued. The family should discuss the arrangements with their funeral director and the registrar so as to avoid any delay to the funeral.
Unless an appointment is made for you by the Bradford Royal Infirmary or Airedale General Hospital staff to register the still-birth, please contact the Register Office on 01274 432151 to make an appointment to register either at The Register Office in Bradford or the Registrar’s Office in Keighley.
Who can register a still-birth
Where the parents are married to each other
If the parents of the child were married to each other at the time of the stillbirth (or conception), either the mother or the father may register.
Where the parents are not married to each other
If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the stillbirth (or conception) information about the father may be entered in the register only in the following circumstances:
- The mother and father go to the Register office together and sign the still-birth register, or
- Where the father is unable to go to the Register Office with the mother, he may make a statutory declaration acknowledging his paternity, which the mother must produce to the registrar. (This form may be obtained from any Registrar in England or Wales).
- Where the mother is unable to go to the Register Office with the father, she may make a statutory declaration, which the father must produce, to the registrar. (This form may be obtained from any Register Office in England or Wales).
If the information about the father is not recorded, it may be possible for the still-birth to be re-registered to include his details at a later date. Please ask the registrar about this.
Other people who may register still-births
Although the majority of stillbirths are registered by the parents, sometimes neither the mother nor the father is able to do this. In these circumstances, the registrar will arrange for the registration to be completed by whichever of the following people is best able to do so:
- The occupier of the house or hospital where the child was still-born
- A person who was present at the still-birth
- A person who is responsible for the still-born child
Information to be supplied for the registration
Information related to the child:
- Date and place of still-birth
- The forename(s) and surname, if the parents wish to name the still-born child
- The sex of the child
Information related to the father - if his details are to be entered in the register:
- Forename(s) and Surname
- Date and place of birth
- Occupation at the time of the still-birth or, if not employed at that time, the last occupation.
Information related to the mother:
- Forename(s) and surname
- Maiden surname if the mother is, or has been, married
- Date and place of birth
- Occupation at the time of the still-birth, or if not employed at that time, the last occupation
- Usual address at the date of the still-birth
- Date of marriage, if married to the still-born child's father at the time of the still-birth
- Number of previous children by the present husband and by any former husband
It is most important that the information recorded in the still-birth register is correct. If any mistake is made it will give the parents or other person who registered the still-birth some trouble to have it put right. Any error found before the register is signed can be corrected easily.
If the person registering the still-birth has difficulty in communicating in English he/she should bring along a friend or relative to act as interpreter. However the parents must register the still-birth personally, as a friend or relative cannot register instead of them.
What certificates will be issued?
A certificate of registration will be issued free of charge, to the person who registers the still-birth. The certificate provides proof that the still-birth has been registered. Any names given to the still-born child and entered in the register will be recorded on the certificate of registration.
After a still-birth has been registered, one or more certificates may be bought at the time of the registration by the mother or the father. (The father's details would need to be recorded in the register entry for him to be able to obtain a certificate). Any application from someone who is not the mother or the father should be sent to the General Register Office, Certificate Production 1, PO Box 2, Southport, PR8 2JD, giving full details of the purpose for which the certificate is required.
The registrar will issue a certificate for the burial (in a burial ground) or cremation (in a crematorium) of the still-born child. The certificate is normally passed to the funeral director who is making the arrangements. A funeral cannot take place until this certificate is given to the burial authority or the crematorium.
