Register a birth

If registering the birth in Douglas, can you please use the ‘Register now’ button below to give the Civil Registry the registration details. At this stage you will also be able to purchase any copy certificates.

On receipt of the details to be registered, the registrar will create a document which will be e-mailed to you. Please check it very carefully and either email to confirm that it is correct or, alternatively, email a reply clearly marking any amendments required. The registrar will make the necessary changes and resend the draft to you for checking again. This process will take place as many times as required until you agree that the draft accurately reflects the information to be registered. Once all agreed, when time permits, the Civil Registry will contact you to make an appointment.

The appointment at Douglas should take between 5 and 10 minutes.

If after making an appointment you are unable to attend for whatever reason, or you are going to be late, please telephone and advise the office as soon as possible – the Registrar may still be able to see you that day, or may provide you with a new appointment time.

Any person who wilfully gives false information to the Registrar relating to the particulars required to be entered in any register is liable to prosecution, and on conviction, to the punishment prescribed by law.

To register a birth in Castletown, Peel or Ramsey registration offices, please do not complete the online form as this is only valid for registrations made in Douglas. To register your child at one of these registration offices you will need to contact them to make an appointment; their details are below.

Castletown Registration Office
Telephone: +44 1624 825005
Email: registrar@castletown.gov.im

Peel Registration Office
Telephone: +44 1624 842341
Email: ptc@ptc.org.im

Ramsey Registration Office
Telephone: +44 1624 810100
Email: enquiries@rtc.gov.im

There is no charge for registering a birth.

At the time of registration you can obtain a short birth certificate free of charge which shows only the child’s name, sex, date of birth and place of birth.

A long birth certificate can be purchased at the time of registration, or any time thereafter, at a cost of £11 per copy. This is a certified copy of the original entry in the Register of Births and is usually required by the Passport Office, banks, building societies, schools and such like.

You can also obtain further copies of the birth certificate at a later date if required.

There is no requirement for your child to be present when you register the birth.

Please bear in mind that there is a legal obligation to register a birth within 42 days and by failing to do this, a qualified informant may be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £1,000.

If the parents are married to each other, either parent can register the birth. The details of both parents will be entered in the Register of Births.

If the parents are not married to each other and the father's details are to be entered in the Register of Births, both parents will be required to attend the registration appointment together. View the 'Father's details' dropdown on this page for more information. 

If an unmarried mother wishes to register on her own, she must bear in mind that the father's details will not be entered in the Register of Births. 

Section 3(3) of the Civil Registration Act 1984 (as amended), sets out the legal position in relation to persons qualified to give information concerning a birth. The persons, known as qualified informants, are as follows:

• The father and mother of the child
• The occupier of the house in which the child was, to the knowledge of that occupier, born
• Any person present at the birth
• Any person having charge of the child

Any person who wilfully gives false information to the Registrar relating to the particulars to be entered in any register is liabile to prosecution, and on conviction, to the punishment prescribed by law.

Although not essential, it is extremely helpful if you can bring the following documentation to your registration appointment to verify information:

• Discharge papers issued by the Jane Crookall Maternity Ward
  
  
• Birth certificates for each parent whose details will be entered in the Register of Births and change of name documentation (if applicable)
  
  
• Marriage certificate (if applicable)
  
  
• Passport or current driving licence

Information recorded in the register must be accurate at the time of the birth. The information recorded is:

Child's details:

• Date and place of birth. If registering more than one child, the time of the birth will also be recorded
  
  
• Forename(s) and surname
  
  
• Sex

Father's details:

• Forename(s) and surname. If you have changed your name by Deed Poll we will request details of your birth registration name
  
  
• Place of birth. If born on the Isle of Man this will be used, otherwise the country as it was known at the time of his birth
  
  
• Occupation. When a parent is not currently employed outside the home, the most recently held previous occupation should be given. 'Homemaker' is an acceptable term for a non-married man or 'Househusband' for a married man working in the family home
  
  
• Usual address

Mother's details:

• Forename(s) and surname, including maiden surname (if applicable). If you have changed your name by Deed Poll we will request details of your birth registration name
  
  
• Previously used surname. If married more than once, the surname entered would be from the most recent marriage
  
  
• Place of birth. If born on the Isle of Man this will be used, otherwise the country as it was known at the time of her birth
  
  
• Occupation. When a parent is not currently employed outside the home, the most recently held previous occupation should be given. 'Homemaker' is an acceptable term for a non-married woman or 'Housewife' for a married woman working in the family home
  
  
• Usual address

It is important that the information recorded in the Register of Births is correct. If a mistake is discovered after registration, for example in the spelling of a name, it will put you to some trouble to have a correction made. You should therefore bring the documentation listed above.

A child can be registered with either the mother or the father's surname but we must point out that if a non-marital child is given the father's surname and the relationship then ends, the name cannot be changed in the Register of Births. However, if the child has the mother's surname and the parents then marry, they can apply to re-register the birth to legitimise the child. A new entry would be made in the Register of Births and the child could then take the father's name.

If you are not married to the father of your child and the father's details are to be included in the entry, both parents must attend the registration appointment together to sign the Register of Births. If there is difficulty in achieving this, the Registrar can advise you.

When twins or other multiple births occur, it is necessary to state the exact time of each birth. The registration of multiple births should be done at the same registration appointment and by the same qualified informant. Please inform the Registrar when you make your appointment.

A still born child is a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy who did not breathe or show any other signs of life at birth.

By law, a still-born child should be registered. This gives the bereaved parents the opportunity to name their child and have him or her officially acknowledged. You will also be able to hold a funeral for your child.

In the unfortunate event that you have to register a still-birth, you should contact the Civil Registry in Douglas or at a registration office where appropriate arrangements can be made with you by the Registrar.

If you have suffered a still-born bereavement, whether you are a parent or other family member, the following organisations can offer a range of support services:

• Sands - Stillbirth and neonatal death charity
• Tommy's - Research into stillbirth, premature birth and miscarriage, and providing information for parents to be

If the father wants to be registered but cannot attend the office

In such cases, the father's details can be added in the register at your request providing that:

• The child's father makes a statutory declaration stating that he is the father of the child; and
  
  
• the mother makes a declaration using Form 2 in Schedule 1 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 2011; and
  
  
• providing details of the child's father; and
  
  
• an appointment is made at the Civil Registry or at a registration office in order to carry out the registration

If you're an unmarried couple

From a birth registration point of view, if a non-marital child is given the father's surname and the relationship breaks down, you should be aware that the name cannot be changed on the entry in the register. However, if the child has your surname and you marry the father, you can apply to re-register the birth to legitimise the child. A new entry would then be made in the register with the child's surname reflecting your surname in marriage.

If you have married after registering the child

If your child was given the mother's surname at registration, under the Legitimacy Act 1985 the Registrar General may authorise the re-registration of the birth on production of your marriage certificate. You will be required to complete a statutory declaration, submitting it to the Civil Registry with all certified copies of your child's birth certificate. Once approved, you will be asked to attend the office where a new entry will be made in the register.

If your relationship has ended and the father is not prepared to be registered

If you want the father's details to be included in the register, you will need to produce a copy of a Court Order which confirms the details of the father. This may be an Order made under the Children and Young Persons Act 2001. A Court Order can only be obtained as a result of going through a court process. If you are unsure of your rights or of the procedures to follow in relation to obtaining the necessary Court Order to enable you to have the father's details entered in the register, you should seek legal advice.

Registrars are not legally qualified and therefore will not be able to give you legal advice, offer any opinions on what course of action to take or comment on the contents of any documents presented to them. 

On attending to register the birth with the Court Order, you will also be required to make a statutory declaration stating that the Court Order has not been terminated or revoked by an order of a court. 

Should you not want the Father named on the birth certificate, in similar vein to the situation set out above, the father of the child will be able to register the birth on his own, in his capacity as a qualified informant, providing he has and produces a copy of a Court Order. This Court Order may be made under the Children and Young Persons Act 2001. Similarly, the father will be required to make a statutory declaration stating that the Order has not been terminated or revoked by an order of a Court.

Re-registering a child to include the father's details

You can apply to the Registrar General to re-register the birth by completing a statutory declaration. This must be signed by both the mother and the father and submitted to the Civil Registry enclosing all certified copies of your child's birth certificate.

Registering a child if the father is no longer alive

The Registrar is not able to register the father's details in the register if he is no longer alive without a Court Order. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, we suggest you seek legal advice on the matter. Please note that our Registrars are not legally qualified and therefore will not be able to give you advice, offer any opinions on what course of action to take, or comment on the contents of any documents presented to them.

If you don't know who the father of the child is

If you don't know who the father of your child is, a horizontal line will be drawn in the spaces on the birth entry for the father's details and only the mother's details will be recorded in the register.

If the person you believe is the father denies he is

If you find yourself in this situation you should seek legal advice.