How to register a birth in the Republic of Ireland

• Who can register a birth in the Republic of Ireland
• Registering a birth if the parents aren’t married to each other
• What will be recorded?
• Where will it be recorded?
• Re-registering a birth
• Where to next?

Who can register a birth in the Republic of Ireland

The mother and father of a child are the primary qualified informants and, where possible, are encouraged to attend personally for the registration of birth.

Where the parents do not act, the following persons may also act as qualified informants:

• A designated member of the staff of the hospital where the birth took place
• Any person present at the birth
• Any person who has charge of the child.

While many births are registered by the Occupier of the Hospital in which the birth takes place, it is the responsibility of parents to ensure that the information recorded in the Birth Register in respect of their child is correct and accurate. Special care should be taken to ensure that the Birth Notification Form, known as a "Form 101", is completed as accurately as possible taking care to ensure that all spellings are correct etc. This form is completed prior to the discharge of the mother from hospital or by the mother's medical attendant following a birth. If parents wish to personally register the birth of their child they should inform hospital authorities and indicate their intention on the birth registration form.

Registering a birth if the parents aren’t married to each other

Where a child is born to parents who are not married to each other the birth may be registered so as to record the details of the child's father of how you may do so is outlined in the following paragraphs.

The father’s surname can only be entered as the baby’s surname if the father’s details are also included. Once a surname has been entered it can’t be changed later even if the birth is re-registered.

There are a number of options available for registering the birth of a child born to parents who are not married to each other, to include the father's details, which are outlined in the following paragraphs. All of the forms referred to in this section may be obtained from the Registrar of Births.

Where the mother is single. ie. has never been married:

• At the joint request of the father and mother. In this case, both parents will be required to attend together at the Office of the Registrar to sign the Register of Births.
• At the request of the mother on production of a declaration by her naming the father. This form (S.C. 1) must be accompanied by a Statutory Declaration by the father acknowledging paternity (Form S.C. 3). In this case, the mother will be required to attend at the Office of the Registrar to sign the Register of Births.
• At the request of the father on production of a declaration by him acknowledging paternity. This form (S.C. 2) must be accompanied by a Statutory Declaration by the mother naming the father (Form S.C. 4). In this case, the father will be required to attend at the Office of the Registrar to sign the Register of Births.
• At the written request of the mother (Form S.C. 5 completed), or the father (Form S.C. 6 completed), on production of a certified copy of any court order issued by the District, or Circuit Court regarding guardianship or maintenance, or under the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 1993 naming him as the father of the child. In this case, the mother (if S.C. 5 used), or father (if S.C 6 used) will be required to attend at the Office of the Registrar to sign the Register of Births. Please ensure all parties are named fully and correctly on the court order.

Where the mother is married to someone other than the father.

Where the mother of the child has been married (either at the time of the birth or at sometime during the period of ten months before the birth) to someone other than the father of the child, the forms to register the birth should be accompanied by:

• A Statutory Declaration from the mother's husband stating that he is not the father of the child (Form SC7) or
• A Statutory Declaration by the mother stating that she has been living apart from her husband under a legal separation, or a deed of separation for more than ten months immediately preceding the birth (Form SC8). This form should be accompanied by the divorce decree or deed of separation as appropriate.

Where the mother was married but her marriage ended more than ten months prior to the birth .

• Where a mother was widowed or obtained an Irish Divorce more than ten months prior to the birth of her child, then the birth may be registered under any of the options as long as the mother can provide the Registrar with her late husband's death certificate or a certified copy of her Irish Divorce Decree, as appropriate.
  A court order naming the child's father, as set out at option may also be used.
• Where a mother obtained a foreign (i.e. non-Irish) divorce more than ten months prior to the birth of her child, it will be necessary to show that the divorce is entitled to recognition in the State before a registration may be effected. Enquiries should be made with the Registrar of Births with regard to this matter.

In all cases, the surname of the child recorded in the Register of Births must either be the surname of the father of the mother or of both (as shown in the register) or any other surname that is requested by the parents and An tÁrd Chláraitheoir (the Register-General) is satisfied the circumstances so warrant the entry of this surname. The surname of a child may be recorded subject to any necessary linguistic modifications. If parents wish their child to have a surname other that their own entered in the Register of Births an application in writing must be made to the Register-General. Enquiries on how such applications are made should be directed to the appropriate Registrar of Births.

What will be recorded?

• The date and place of the birth of the child.
• The gender of the Child.
• The forename(s) and surname of the child registered.
• The forename(s) and surname of the mother which will be the name by which the mother is/was ordinarily known at the time of the birth. All previously used surnames of the mother (if any) will be included in the Register.
• The address and occupation of the mother, described as accurately as possible, are entered in the Register. Where a parent is not currently employed outside the home the most recently held previous occupation should be given. The term "unemployed" should not be entered in the Register of Births.
• The forename(s) and surname of the father, all previous surnames (if any) of the father, his address and occupation will be recorded in the Register in a similar manner to the details of the mother.

If a forename was not given to the child at registration it may be added at a later date and contact should be made with the Registrar of Births for the district in which the birth was registered who will advise you as to the procedure to follow.

The Birth Registration form (RBA1) should be completed by parent(s) before leaving hospital and left with hospital staff. This form does not, of itself, register your child's birth but gives you the opportunity to provide the Registrar of Births with complete and accurate facts concerning your child's birth.

Where will it be recorded?

A birth is registered in the registration district in which the birth has taken place. The district in which the birth is registered is determined by the location of the birth, i.e. the district in which the hospital or other building in which the birth took place is situated. The staff of the hospital in which the birth of your child may have taken place or your local Health Centre will be able to identify for you who the appropriate Registrar of Births is for any given place of birth.

There are two forms of a birth Certificate, a short and a long form. It should be noted that the long form Certificate will be required for most legal and administrative purposes.

Re-registering a birth

The re-registration of a birth may be effected in either of the following two circumstances:

• Where the parents of a child who are not married to each other wish to have the father's details included where these details were NOT registered initially or;
• In certain cases where the parents of the a child marry each other after the birth of their child;

Enquiries should be made directly with the Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages for the district in which the birth in question took place. The Registrar will advise you as to what documents and information will be required. It will be necessary for the Registrar to refer the relevant papers to the Registrar-General for the appropriate authority to be issued providing for the re-registration. Where a birth is re-registered the initial entry will be noted and all Certificates will then be written from the new entry. Where a surname has been recorded in the original entry the same surname will appear in the "new" or "second" entry.

Information from General Register Office of Ireland

Where to next?

• Visit our baby names finder to check out what names are hot right now
• Find out how to register baby in:
• England or Wales
• Scotland
• Northern Ireland
• Find out what to do if you haven't decided on a name yet
• Considering a Christening or baby naming ceremony? Learn more here