Registering a stillbirth

Parents married to each other

If the parents of the child were married to each other or in a civil partnership at the time of the stillbirth (or conception), either parent can register.

Parents not married to each other

If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the stillbirth (or conception), information about the father may be entered in the register only if:

• the mother and father go to the register office and sign the stillbirth register together, or
• where the father is unable to go to the register office with the mother -
  • the father can make a statutory declaration about his paternity which the mother must show to the registrar (this form is available from any registrar in England or Wales), or
• where the mother is unable to go to the register office with the father -
  • the mother can make a statutory declaration about the father's paternity which the father must show to the registrar (this form is available from any registrar in England or Wales).

If information about the father is not recorded, the birth can be re-registered to include his details at a later date. You can get more information about how to apply for the re-registration of a stillbirth.

Other people who may register stillbirths

Although the majority of stillbirths are registered by the parents, sometimes neither the mother or the father are able to do this. In these circumstances, the registrar will arrange for the registration to be completed by:

• the occupier of the house or hospital where the child was still-born
• a person who was present at the stillbirth
• a person who is responsible for the still-born child
• the person who found the still-born child (where the date and place of the stillbirth are unknown).