How to register a birth

All births in Scotland must be registered within 21 days of the child being born.

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 all birth registrations in Aberdeen will take place over the telephone. If a telephone appointment is not suitable, please contact us to discuss alternative options. 

Below explains how to register a birth in Aberdeen. 

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. Either parent can complete the online questions and subsequent phone call.

If the parents are not married to each other and are not in a registered civil partnership, and both names are to appear on the certificate they must both be in attendance during the registration call. Under exceptional circumstances, the father can be named on the birth certificate without being present.  Please contact the Registrars if you wish to discuss this further.

A mother who isn’t married or in a civil partnership can register the birth on her own if she does not want the father/parent’s name to appear on the certificate. 

To complete your registration, you should provide the following:

• The notification given to you by the maternity hospital or midwife that shows the baby’s details.  
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate, if applicable.
• Birth certificate/ passport for parents.

Please email a scanned or photograph copy of the above documentation, after you have selected a date and time for your appointment. 

After registration has been completed, you will receive the following documents via post or collect in person at Marischal College. Collection time for certificates is Monday to Friday 11am to 4pm.  

• Abbreviated birth extract showing the baby's full name, date, and place of birth - this is free of charge and can be used to send with your child benefit application.
• EC58 form which you will need to give to the GP practice your baby will be registered with.
• A full birth certificate showing the parent's names, if purchased. A full birth certificate is optional but is needed for school and nursery enrolment and passport applications.  As there is a charge of £10, please have a payment card ready when we call you to register the birth. 

To begin the registration process, click on the button below. You will then be asked to complete a few online questions and then select a date and time for your telephone appointment.

After a date and time has been selected, one of our Registrar team will be in touch either via email or telephone to gather your registration information in advance of your appointment. This will be at least 1 working day prior to your appointment.

Before your appointment you will need to email your supporting documents to registrars@aberdeencity.gov.uk. To allow us to match your documents with your appointment, please include in the subject of your email, ‘Mothers surname / date and time of your appointment.’

On the day of your appointment, our Registrar will call you at the time of your appointment. During the call they will verify all relevant information relating to the registration. Appointments should last no more than 15 minutes.

 If you require further assistance, please contact us