Re-register a birth

You can ask to have your child's birth re-registered if either:

you're the natural parents and have now married
you want to add the natural father's details

Re-registration after marriage

If you (the natural parents) have married since your child's birth was registered, you should re-register the birth to accurately record the current legal status of your child.

To apply to re-register a birth after marriage, you need to complete Form LA1.

You will need to send these documents to: The Register Office, Rutland County Council, Catmose, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6HP:

completed and signed Form LA1
original marriage certificate
original full birth certificate, for each child

If the child was not born in Rutland, we'll get a certified copy of the birth entry from the district your child was born in.

Once we've checked all the documents, we'll contact you to book an appointment to re-register the birth. Only one parent will need to attend.

Adding the natural father's details

It may be possible to re-register your child's birth to include the natural father's details and change their surname (if necessary), if you were not married at the time your child was born and didn't register the father's details originally.

Re-register a birth - link - apply to add father's details

Apply to re-register your child's birth and add the natural father's details

Re-register a birth - text 2

The birth can be re-registered if either:

the natural mother and father both attend the appointment to re-register together
if one of you can't attend the appointment, you can complete a statutory declaration of parentage form which the other parent takes to the appointment. The form must be witnessed by a solicitor or someone who's legally able to witness an oath
either parent has got a court order which names the father

Changing your child's name

It's sometimes possible to change your child's first name, or names.

If you decide to change your child's name with 12 months of the registration date, you can make changes to the original in these circumstances:

1 - by baptism: If your child's been baptised within 12 months of the registration and they've been given a new name, complete the 'Change name after baptism' form to add this name to the birth register.

Re-register a birth - link document - change of name after baptism form

Change of Name after Baptism Form

Re-register a birth - text 3

The form must be signed by a priest or minister where the baptism took place. You must also provide a certificate of baptism.

2 - by regular use: If you've used a new or additional forename within 12 months of registering your child's birth, complete a 'Certificate of name given not in baptism' form to have this name added to the register:

Re-register a birth - link document - Change of name not after baptism form

Change of Name Not after Baptism Form

Re-register a birth - text 4

When you've completed the relevant form, send it to the register office in the district your child was born in. The amended names will be added into space 17 on the original birth register.

Once the changes have been made, you'll be able to buy new birth certificates from the register office in the district your child was born in.