How to register your child's birth
You need to book an appointment to register your baby’s birth within 21 days.
Registration is free. If you register the birth after 21 days, you’ll pay a late fee of £226.28.
Parents must book an appointment at the Office of the Superintendent Registrar, 25 New Street, St Helier.
Appointments last about 30 minutes and can be booked Monday to Friday between 9am and 12pm. We’re closed on bank holidays.
You’ll need to bring the application form and documents to confirm your identity. Each parent to be registered must come to the appointment and sign a declaration to confirm:
- their legal parenthood
- that the information provided is true
To book your appointment call us on +44 (0) 1534 441335 or email
sir@gov.je.
You’ll receive an email confirming your appointment date and time.
You can order and pay for copies of your child’s birth certificate at your appointment.
Once registered you will receive your child's Social Security number.
Who should attend the appointment
The mother must attend the appointment.
The father or second parent must also attend if they are to be registered as a parent.
If no father or second parent is being registered, the mother can attend alone.
Documents to bring with you
At the appointment you must bring:
- the completed application form to register a birth
- all the identity documents listed below. These are required by law. If you don’t bring them, your appointment will be rescheduled and you may have to pay a late registration fee
Late registration fee
You're required by law to bring the identity documents listed below to your appointment. If you don't bring them, it'll be rescheduled.
You'll have to pay a late fee of £226.28 if you don't register your child's birth within 21 days.
Application to register a birth
You must complete sections 1 to 4 of the application form to register a birth.
You should be given the form after your baby is born by:
- the Maternity Unit
- your midwife, if you have a home birth
If you do not have a form, contact us to get a copy or collect from 25 New Street, St Helier.
Identity documents
Each parent to be registered must bring all the following documents:
- original birth or adoption certificate
- passport
- if applicable, registered (enrolled) Deed Poll
- if applicable, original marriage or civil partnership certificate between the mother and the father or second parent
Your documents must:
- be originals. We cannot accept photocopies, scans, digital or laminated documents
- be in English or French. Otherwise, you must also have a certified official translation physically attached to a copy of the original
- for Deed Polls, be registered (enrolled) with a court. We cannot accept unregistered (unenrolled) Deed Polls or statutory declarations.
Naming your child
The naming of your child is an important decision.
Jersey, along with other jurisdictions around the world, regulates the naming of children at registration in order to ensure the child is registered with an identity and to ensure the protection of a child's welfare and interests.
Forenames
Your child must be registered with at least 1 forename, a given name by which the child will be known. In addition, your child can also be registered with 1 or more middle forenames.
The law sets out circumstances where a name or names could be refused to be registered if the name:
- might cause a mistake or confusion as to the child's identity or might cause embarrassment to the child
- is sought for an improper purpose
- is, for any other reason, objectionable
The purpose of this legislation is not to restrict your choice of names but to protect the welfare and interests of your child, you as parents and the interests of the public.
Jersey does not hold a list of approved forenames. Parents are able to choose the forenames of their children as long as they are not in contravention of the above criteria.
There is no limit on the number of forenames which can be registered but all forenames and the surname must be able to fit the available space within the relevant section in the Register of Births.
Surnames
Your child must be registered with a surname. The choice of surname is limited by law to the surnames of the registered parent or parents.
The surname of the child can be:
- the mother's surname as appears on her birth certificate or court registered Deed Poll
- the registered father or second parent's surname as appears on their birth certificate or court registered Deed Poll
- both the mother's surname and the registered father or second parent's surname, also known as a double barrelling which uses both surnames together with or without a hyphen
No other surname is permitted.
Legal definitions of parents
From 24 November 2025, the legal terms for parents changed.
Same-sex female couples and mixed-sex couples who use donor sperm or eggs can both be named on their child’s birth certificate.
Find out more on
changes to the law around children and their civil status.
Find information on how to 
register a child born by surrogate.
If your child was conceived using non-official artificial insemination or fertility treatment outside Jersey or the UK, this may affect whether a father or second parent can be registered. You must tell the Superintendent Registrar and you should get legal advice, especially on the status of the sperm or egg donor.
| Mother | The woman who gave birth to the child |
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| Father | The biological father of the child or the male parent who is the husband or partner of the mother and who consented to fertility treatment at a registered clinic in Jersey or the UK and that consent has not been withdrawn |
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| Second Parent | The female parent who is the wife, civil partner or partner of the mother and who consented to fertility treatment at a registered clinic in Jersey or the UK and that consent has not been withdrawn
|
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Cost of a birth certificate
There are 2 types of certificates.
Standard birth certificate
| Includes all information recorded in our register. Used to support most official and all legal applications, including passport applications.
| £33.95
|
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| Short birth certificate | Basic document showing a person's name, date of birth and place of birth. Some organisations won't accept these as evidence of identity. They cannot be used for legal applications such as to apply to marry. | £11.32
|
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What we do after registering your child’s birth
We’ll tell the following departments about your child's birth:
- Child Health, for your child's records to be updated and to make sure that they can contact you
- Employment, Social Security and Housing, to allow them to verify your child's date of birth on applications made for services and benefits, without needing to see a copy of your child's birth certificate
- Revenue Jersey, so you don't need to provide them a copy of the birth certificate. Find information on
child tax allowances
- Once registered we will send you a letter with your child's Social Security number.
Data sharing agreement for registering new births
Registering a child born outside of Jersey
If your baby is born outside of Jersey, you need to register the birth in the local jurisdiction where they were born.
To get their Social Security number, you must take the birth certificate to the Government of Jersey’s offices at Union Street, St Helier.
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