Birth registration

By law, a birth must be registered within 6 weeks (42 days). Registration has to be in person.

If your baby was born in Thurrock, you can make an appointment to register the birth at Thurrock Register Office.

If your baby was born in Basildon Hospital, you should contact Essex Register Office – register offices for children born in other areas are listed at the end of this page.

Arranging your appointment

To register, make an appointment with the register office of the district where the birth occurred. You can make an appointment with Thurrock Register Office by phone or email, below.

Attending your appointment

If the parents were married at the time of the birth, only 1 parent is required to attend.

If the parents were not married to each other at the time of birth, both parents will need to attend so both parents' details can be recorded.

Single mothers attending on their own can still register the birth but the father's details will not be recorded.

There is no charge to register a child's birth. You may wish to purchase a certificate at the time of registration.

By registering, you will obtain a birth certificate, which can then be used to claim child benefit and other family-related benefits.

A registrar will interview you in private, asking for:

• the place and date of birth of the baby
• the baby's name, surname and sex
• the baby's parents' names, surnames and places of birth
• the baby's parents' occupations
• the baby's mother's maiden name

Children born outside Thurrock

We cannot register the birth of babies born outside of Thurrock, even if you are a resident.

If your baby was born at:

• Basildon Hospital, contact Essex Register Office
• Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, contact Kent Register Office
• Queens Hospital in Romford, contact Havering Register Office
• Southend Hospital, contact Southend Register Office

If you are a Thurrock resident and cannot travel to the district of your child's birth, you can still make an appointment to attend Thurrock Register Office. We cannot register the birth but we will take all the details and send them by email to the register office of the district where your baby was born. They will register the birth, and you must contact them separately to buy a birth certificate.