Registering a stillbirth
Registering the stillbirth of a child is no doubt the farthest thing from a grieving parent’s mind. There are family members who can help and while you must register a stillbirth by law, you do have one year from the date of the stillbirth to complete the registration.
Life event certificates in Irish and bi-lingual English and Irish
The Marriage, Civil Partnership and Civil Registration (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 came into effect on Friday 11 March 2022.
It allows certificates for new registrations to be produced with headings in Irish or bi-lingual English and Irish.
When filling in the stillbirth registration form you can choose to get the headings on your certificates in English, Irish or bi-lingual English and Irish.
All certificates produced from the registration will be in the language format selected and cannot be changed.
The legislation applies to registrations going forward and will not apply retrospectively to life events already registered which will continue to be available in English only.
People who can register a stillbirth
The following people may register a stillbirth.
Where the parents are married or in a civil partnership with each other:
- the mother or father
- the mother or second female parent - if they were married or in a civil partnership with each other at time of donor insemination or fertility treatment
- For all couples in a marriage or civil partnership where the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 applies to the stillbirth, either parent can register the stillbirth
Where the parents are neither married to nor in a civil partnership with each other:
- the mother – the mother cannot include the father’s details
- the father
- the mother and father – both parents attend together at the registration office
Where the child has been conceived through donor insemination or fertility treatment, the father or second female parent may only be recorded on the stillbirth registration if the couple’s fertility treatment took place in a licensed UK clinic - and both parents gave written consent to the father or second female parent being included as the legal parent.
If neither parent can register
The following people can register the stillbirth:
- grandmother
- grandfather
- aunt or uncle who has knowledge of the stillbirth
- any person present at the stillbirth
- the occupier of the premises in which the baby was stillborn
Process for registration
Following a stillbirth the doctor or midwife will forward a Certificate of Stillbirth electronically to the General Register Office (GRO).
GRO will forward it to the registration office that covers the mother’s home address.
You will need to contact your local registration office to arrange an appointment for the registration of the stillbirth.
The registration can be carried out over the telephone or if you wish, by attending at the registration office.
Parents who are not married to or in a civil partnership with each other and want both parents’ names on the registration will need to attend together at the registration office.
The registrar may ask you to complete a stillbirth registration form and return it to the registration office by email or they may obtain the details from you over the telephone.
You may ask for a copy of the Certificate of Stillbirth from the doctor or midwife. The doctor or midwife will still send the Certificate of Stillbirth electronically to GRO.
Information needed to register a stillbirth
To complete the registration you will need to provide the following information:
- full name and sex of the stillborn child
- date of the stillbirth
- district and place of stillbirth
- full names and dates of birth of the parents
- full addresses and occupations of the parents
A stillbirth should be registered within 42 days from the date of the stillbirth but you can take up to one year to complete the registration.
Documents issued following registration
Once the stillbirth is registered, the registrar will issue:
- a Certificate of Registration to the funeral director so that they can go ahead with the funeral or cremation
- and a stillbirth certificate, free of charge
Order a stillbirth certificate
If you need to order a certified copy of a stillbirth certificate, the procedure differs slightly from other types of certificate. Only certain family members related to the stillborn baby can order the certificate. They are:
- mother or father (if named on the certificate)
- grandparents
- aunts or uncles
- brothers or sisters
Fees
| Type of certificate | fee (excluding postage) |
|---|---|
| Stillbirth certificate | £15.00 |
Two or more certified copies of the same entry (applied for at the same time) | first copy will be charged at £15.00 extra copies cost £8.00 each |
| Priority certificate (certificate fee plus priority fee) | £20.00 |
Postage charges
The following amounts will be added to your payment to cover postage costs:
| Country | one certificate | two certificates | three certificates | four or more certificates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 0* | 0* | 0* | 0* |
| Europe | £0.90 | £1.37 | £1.37 | £2.27 |
| Rest of the world | £1.20 | £2.03 | £2.03 | £3.43 |
* £6.20 for guaranteed next day delivery within the UK
You can download a stillbirth certificate application form at the following link:
Stillbirth certificates are ordered through the General Register Office - you won’t be able to order at a district registration office. You can pay by cash, cheque or postal order. Cheques and postal orders should be made payable to The Registrar General.
If you are unsure of the date of the stillbirth, you can contact the General Register Office (GRONI) to ask for a search of the register to be carried out.
The fee is £7.00 for each five-year period or part of it. The results of the search will be sent to the applicant in a letter. A certificate can be sent when an extra £8.00 fee is paid.