Form

How to apply for a birth re-registration to add the father’s details (accessible)

Updated 5 September 2025

1. General Information

Section 10A of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 allows for a child’s birth to be re-registered to include the father’s details where certain circumstances are met:

• the parents were not married to or in a civil partnership with each other when the child was born and have not married or formed a civil partnership with each other since and
• the original birth registration does not show any father’s details

The following are required to attend the register office to make the re-registration:

• Both parents

or

• One parent with a statutory declaration of acknowledgement of parentage form completed by the parent not attending

or

• One parent with a court order(s) or Parental Responsibility Agreement

2. How do I apply for a re-registration?

You must complete the GRO 185 form ‘Application by mother and/or father to re-register their child’s birth to add the father’s details’.

3. Where can I get an application form?

• By downloading it from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/application-to-re-register-a-childs-birth-and-add-the-natural-fathers-details
• Your local register office may be able to supply you with one
• You can request an application form to be posted to you by calling 0300 123 1837

4. Is there a fee?

There is no charge for the re-registration of the birth, but you will have to pay for any new certificates following the re-registration.

5. Where the mother and father were married or in a civil partnership with each other at the time of, or following the birth, a different application form to add the father’s details is required.

Here is a quick guide to which application form you should complete. This does not show every scenario.

If you were in a Marriage or Civil Partnership with the mother/father at the time of the child’s birth, and the father’s details were recorded on the child’s birth certificate.

Where only one informant registered the child’s birth, no application to re-register the birth is required.

If you were in a Marriage or Civil Partnership with the mother/father at the time of the child’s birth, and the father’s details were not recorded on the child’s birth certificate.

Visit Correct a birth registration: What corrections can be made.

If you were not in a Marriage or Civil Partnership with the mother/father at the time of the child’s birth, and entered a Marriage or Civil Partnership with each other after the child’s birth.

Visit Application to re-register a birth following marriage or civil partnership of natural parents - GOV.UK.

If you were not in a Marriage or Civil Partnership with the mother/father at the time of the child’s birth, and have not entered a Marriage or Civil Partnership with each other after the child’s birth.

Where the father’s details are not recorded in the birth certificate, visit Application to re-register a child’s birth and add the father’s details

6. Where do I send my application and documents to?

The following options provide advice about where to send your application. Please note, your application will be delayed if you do not send your documents to the correct office.

Option 1

You have answered NO to ALL of the questions in sections 5 and 6 of the application form.

You have indicated at section 1 that BOTH parents can attend the register office in England or Wales together.

1. Contact the register office you both wish to go to
2. Advise them you have completed the application form for the re-registration
3. Follow any instructions provided by the local register office

Option 2

You have answered NO to ALL of the questions in sections 5 and 6 of the application form.

Only ONE parent is able to attend a register office in England or Wales.

1. The parent who is unable to attend the register office will need to complete a Statutory Declaration of Acknowledgement of Parentage (Form 16) this is available from any register office in England or Wales or you can download a form from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-declaration-of-acknowledgement-of-parentage-form
2. Your completed application form and Form 16 can either be sent by post to GRO or submitted to your local register office to be forwarded to GRO

Option 3

You have indicated at section 1 that both parents can attend the register office in England or Wales together.

You have answered no to the question in section 5 and yes to any of the questions in section 6.

1. Your completed application form can either be sent by post to GRO or submitted to your local register office to be forwarded to GRO
2. Send certified photocopies of original court order(s) or Parental Responsibility Agreement with your application

Option 4

Options 1, 2 and 3 are not applicable.

Where one of the parents is unwilling to co-operate with a re-registration application, there is provision for 1 parent to re-register the birth using a court order or a Parental Responsibility Agreement (PRA).

1. Your completed application form can either be sent by post to GRO or submitted to your local register office to be forwarded to GRO
2. Send certified photocopies of original court order(s) or PRA with your application

7. What court orders are acceptable?

The acceptable court orders issued by a court in the United Kingdom (UK) are as follows:

• Section 4 or 4ZA of the Children Act 1989 – that person has made an agreement with the mother that they have parental responsibility for the child (PRA).
• Paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989 – that person is making a specific financial provision for child.
• Section 4 of the Family Law Reform Act 1987 - that person shall have all the parental rights and duties in respect of the child.
• Section 9 of the Guardianship of Minors Act 1971 – that person should have custody or care and control or legal custody of the child.
• Section 9 or 11b of the Guardianship of Minors Act 1971- that person is required to make financial provision for the child.
• Section 4 of the Affiliation Proceedings Act 1957 – naming that person as the putative father of the child.

Important: Court orders and evidence such as a DNA test, child maintenance agreements obtained outside the UK are not acceptable for the purpose of re-registering a birth.

8. What does a re-registration look like?

A new birth registration will be created to include the father’s details.

9. Do I need to send in original documents?

When sending the application by post to the General Register Office, the application form and Form 16 must be original documents. If you are submitting court order(s) and/or a Parental Responsibility Agreement with your application, then these should be certified as true copies of original documents. A list giving examples of suitable persons can be found at:  https://www.gov.uk/certifying-a-document

The person certifying the photocopies must not be related by birth or marriage/civil partnership to the applicant(s), be in a personal relationship with them or live at the same address. The certifier should: 

1. include the words - “Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me”
2. sign the photocopy
3. print their name
4. confirm their occupation
5. add their address and telephone number

If you are taking the application to a register office, then they should be able to certify your documents as a true copy of the original which means you can retain your original documentation.  However, any Form 16 submitted to the register office will be retained for the purpose of the re-registration.

GRO or the Local Registration Service reserves the right to ask you to submit the original document if needed. 

GRO will confidentially destroy all certified copies submitted with the application unless specifically asked to return them. 

10. Will the father acquire Parental Responsibility of the child when the birth is re-registered?

Information about how Parental Responsibility can be obtained or removed can be found in the following link:  https://www.gov.uk/parental-rights-responsibilities

11. Where can I find out more?

For further information please contact your local register office or contact the General Register Office on 0300 123 1837 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or email GROCasework@gro.gov.uk

The information contained in this leaflet is based on the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 but is not a full statement of the law. 

For the purpose of detecting and preventing crime, information relating to an application may be passed and verified with other government departments or law enforcement agencies.

The General Register Office is part of His Majesty’s Passport Office.