Registering your child's birth

​​​​​​Registering your child's birth

When you register your child's birth you are officially giving your child an identity and establishing parental responsibility for your child. You need to make an appointment to register the birth of your child in person at the Office of the Superintendent Registrar.

You must attend the registration appointment and register the birth of your child within 21 days of the day your child is born. You need to bring supporting documentation and a completed application form to the appointment.

To make an appointment, telephone +44 (0) 1534 441335 during office hours, or email sir@gov.je.

You will be allocated an appointment and sent an email and text message notifying you of the date and time. The appointment will take about approximately 30 minutes.

Appointments are held at the Office of the Superintendent Registrar (known as the Register Office) 25 New Street, St Helier.

Appointments will be available Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm, excluding Bank Holidays.

Documents you need to register your child's birth

Application to register a birth

You must complete and sign an Application to Register a Birth form. This is usually provided by the Maternity Unit.

You must complete and sign this form before you attend your registration appointment and bring it with you to the appointment.​

Applicatio​n to register a birth form

Other documents to bring with you

Along with the completed Application to Register a Birth form, you must also bring original copies of the following identification documents:

• mother's birth or adoption certificate and passport
• father's birth or adoption certificate and passport where father is being registered
• mother and father's marriage certificate if the mother and father are married to each other
• any deed polls must be enrolled
• official translations of any documents not in English or French

It is your responsibility to provide these documents for the registration of the birth of your child. Any delay in obtaining these documents will result in a late registration fee if the birth cannot be registered within 21 days.​

Who should go to the appointment

To register both the mother and father on the birth registration, both parents must sign the Application to Register a Birth form and attend the appointment to register in person.

Where the mother and father of the child are married to one another, only one of the parents need attend the appointment, however, both should attend where possible.

A mother can register a birth alone if no father is to be registered on the birth registration. 

Naming your child

The naming of your child is an important decision and the registration of the name of your child is a significant act in law.

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.

Your choice of forenames

Your child must be registered with at least one forename, a given name by which the child will be known. In addition, your child can also be registered with one or more middle forenames.

The law sets out circumstances where a name or names could be refused to be registered if the name:

• might be reasonably expected to 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.

Your choice of surname

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's surname as appears on his birth certificate or court registered Deed Poll
  
• both the mother's surname and registered father's surname, also known as a double barrelling which uses both surnames together
  

No other surname is permitted.

Types and cost of birth certificates

Standard form birth certificate

A standard form birth certificate contains all information recorded in the Register of Births and is used to support most official and all legal applications.

A standard birth certificate is £32.31.

Short form birth certificate

A short form birth certificate is a basic document which shows a person's name, date of birth and place of birth. Some organisations will not accept short form certificates as evidence of identity and they cannot be used for legal applications such as to apply to marry.

A short form birth certificate is £10.77.

Registering your child if they were born outside of Jersey

If your baby is born outside of Jersey, you need to register the birth in the local jurisdiction where your child was born.

You must bring back the birth certificate and take it to the Customer and Local Services to get their Social Security Number.

What we'll do with the details of your child's birth

We will tell the following departments about your child's birth:

• Child Health: so that your child's records can be updated on their system with the correct information and to make sure that they can contact you in the future
• Customer and Local Services: if you receive Income Support, your claim will be updated. If you need any further services which require proof of your child's birth, then you won't need to provide copies of the birth certificate
  
• Taxes Office: they will receive confirmation of your child's birth, so you will not need to give them a copy of the birth certificate. You'll still need to contact them to discuss the allocation of child allowance
  

Data sharing agreement for registering new births