Register a birth

You need to make an appointment to register your baby’s birth within 42 days in the town or city where the baby was born.

Find out who can register a birth and what information is needed.

Babies born in Bolton

Bolton Register Office will be taking appointments to register births at Bolton Town Hall from 25 June 2020.  There will inevitably be unprecedented demand for these appointments, so we ask parents to be patient. Please do not email the Register Office about appointment availability unless it is an emergency. It is important that the safety of all our customers and staff is maintained once we reopen to the public and therefore only a reduced number of people can be admitted to the one stop shop on a daily basis in full accordance with a health and safety assessment which has been carried out on the premises.    

Currently we are unable to attest declarations for other registration districts. If your child was born outside Bolton you will need to contact the register office for the district in which your child was born to arrange to register. If you attend an appointment and your child was not born in Bolton you will not be seen.

It is not possible to book appointments online at this time. To book an appointment to register a birth at Bolton Register Office please telephone 01204 331185.

Attending an appointment 

Please read all of the following important instructions before attending your appointment:

• You must NOT attend the Town Hall if you have tested positive for COVID-19 or if you have symptoms of COVID-19
• Only the person/people essential for the registration are permitted to attend the appointment. This means if you are married or in a civil partnership only one parent must attend and if you are not married or in a civil partnership both should attend
• Anybody attending who is not required for the registration will not be admitted to the building
• You must not bring the baby or any other children to the appointment unless there is absolutely no alternative. Please note there will be no toilets or changing facilities available at this time
• All customers will be required to observe social distancing measures in and around the Town Hall
• Only card payments will be accepted. We cannot take cash at this time
• You must arrive on time for your appointment. If you arrive late (even slightly) you will NOT be admitted to the building and will need to book another appointment. If you arrive early you will need to wait outside until your appointment time. You will not be able to wait inside the building
• You will be required to use hand sanitiser at various times during your visit
• Your appointment will last around 20 to 30 minutes

Can I register a baby born in Bolton anywhere else at the moment?

Rather than attending Bolton Town Hall, if you prefer, you can at the moment register the birth of any baby born in Bolton at the following register offices. Currently you do not need to live in the district to utilise this service:

Salford Register Office

Salford Register Office operates a strict appointment system.  You must not attend the office without booking an appointment as you will not be allowed access.  You can make an appointment online or alternatively if you do not have access to the online system you can telephone 0161 793 2500.

Book an appointment at Salford Register Office

Bury Register Office

Bury Register Office operates a strict appointment system.  You must not attend the office without booking an appointment as you will not be allowed access.  You can make an appointment by calling 0161 253 6026.

Babies born outside of Bolton

Your baby must be registered in the district where the birth took place.

Find a register office

Birth Certificates

Once the baby has been registered you can purchase one of two types of certificate for a charge of £11.

• Short certificate – This shows the baby’s name, sex and date of birth. This certificate has limited usage.
• Full certificate – Contains all the details in the birth register.