Any birth which occurs in Scotland must be registered within 21 days of the child being born by the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. You can register a birth at any Scottish registration office.
In September 2022 the law in Scotland changed to allow parents to register the birth remotely. This means that birth registrations in Shetland can take place remotely or face to face in the office.
Who can register a birth in Scotland?
If the baby's parents are married to each other, or are in a registered civil partnership, only one parent needs to register the birth. If the parents are not married to each other and are not in a registered civil partnership and both both parents names are to appear on the entry, both parents must be in attendance during the registration, either in person or remotely.
A mother who isn't married or in a registered civil partnership can register the birth on her own if she does not want the father/parent's name to appear on the birth entry.
How and where do I register a birth?
Any birth which occurs in Scotland must be registered within twenty one days by the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. From January 2007 the law allows a birth to be registered in any registration district in Scotland. You can obtain the address of the local registrar from this website, the hospital or the doctor.
What documents do I need to provide to the Registrar?
To complete the registration, you should provide the following:
- The card/form issued by the hospital or midwife that shows the baby's birth details;
- The marriage or civil partnership certificate of the child's parents (if applicable).
Do not worry if any of these documents are not available as the registrar can still proceed to register the birth.
What documents will you receive?
When the registration is complete the registrar will provide you with the following documents
- an abbreviated birth certificate (i.e. excluding parentage details) of the birth entry. This is free of charge
- form (EC58) to register your child with the doctor. Again this is provided free of charge.
- Full extracts of the birth for a fee (currently £10.00 per certificate) You will require a full extract to apply for a passport and nursery and school enrolment.
What if the birth occurs abroad?
You should register the birth according to local regulations in the country concerned and obtain a birth certificate. You may also be able to register the birth with the British Consul in that country for a fee. https://www.gov.uk/register-a-birth
However, you are under no obligation to do so. A record of the birth will be sent to Scotland and you will thereafter be able to obtain a copy from New Register House.