Information you need to provide

You do not need to bring your baby to your registration appointment. Due to limited accessibility, if you want to bring your baby you will need to use the entrance through the Clock Tower Library.

The entrance is at 9 Katharine St, Croydon, CR0 1NX. Please use the lift to get to the first floor, and follow the signage to the registry office.

You must bring either of the following:

It would also be very helpful if you could bring:

  • the name you want to give your baby, written clearly in English
  • someone who can speak and read both English and your language fluently, if you cannot speak or understand English

Proving your identity

You must bring at least one form of identification for each parent at your appointment. Your forms of identification must include your first name and last name.

If you’re registering a birth on or before 8 November 2026

You can bring one of the following documents to your appointment:

  • passport
  • birth certificate
  • deed poll
  • driving licence
  • proof of address (for example, a utility bill)
  • Council Tax bill
  • marriage or civil partnership certificate

If you’re registering a birth on or after 9 November 2026

You can bring one of the following documents to your appointment:

  • passport (valid or expired)
  • current UK driving licence (full or provisional)
  • current EU driving licence (full)
  • birth or adoption certificate
  • UK biometric immigration document
  • UK valid travel document showing limited or indefinite leave to enter or remain
  • UK valid travel document issued to a stateless person
  • UK Refugee travel document issued under Article 28 of the 1951 Geneva Convention
  • UK Stateless Person travel document issued under Article 28 of the 1954 New York Convention
  • EU Member State identity card
  • National Proof of Age Standards Scheme card

If you do not have one of those documents, you can use 2 of the following instead:

  • utility bill (not mobile phone bill)
  • Council Tax statement or document from your local authority
  • bank, building society, mortgage or credit card statement
  • state benefit, pension or tax credit entitlement
  • P45 or P60
  • marriage or civil partnership certificate
  • letter from the NHS, GP or a government agency such as HMRC
  • armed forces or police identity card
  • signed firearms certificate
  • proof of mail redirection (Royal Mail letterhead)
  • school or college letter (for 16 to 19 year old parents)

If you are unable to provide the required identity documents, you should contact the relevant register office before the date of your appointment to discuss your options.

If you're not the baby's parent

If you are not the baby's parent, you must also bring one form of your identification from the same lists used by parents.

Parent and baby details 

When registering the birth, you should be able to tell us:

  • place and date of the birth
  • times of birth if you are registering twins or multiple births
  • baby's first and last names
  • baby's sex

We also need to know the following about the parents:

  • first and last name
  • address
  • place and date of birth
  • date of marriage or civil partnership, if they had one
  • occupation
  • mother’s previous last name, if any

You might not need to give us all of this information, depending on who is registering the birth. Read GOV.UK's guidance on who can register the birth.

If you are going to the Register Office alone

Before you give their details of the other parent, you may need a declaration from them by completing the statutory declaration form on GOV.UK.

If the father's details are to be included on the birth certificate

If the parents are not married, the father of the child must be at the registration appointment.