Town Hall birth appointments
The Town Hall in Talbot Square is now open by appointment only for birth registrations.
- All births in England and Wales must be registered within 42 days of the date of birth
- You can pay for certificates at your appointment with the registrar either with a debit/ credit card or with exact cash
How to book an appointment
- You can book online
- Please make sure you fully complete the process and have recieved an email confirmation of your appoinment.
- If the online system won't let you proceed with your appointment because your child's date of birth is more than 42 days ago, then please ring us on 01253 477177
- You can also email us at registrars.bdm@blackpool.gov.uk and leave your phone number and someone will call you back
Where to register
- Town Hall, Talbot Square, Blackpool. FY1 1AD
- Limited availability on selected Mondays at Blackpool North Family Hub, Dingle Avenue, Blackpool, FY3 7NX
When to register
You should register the birth of your child within 42 days (6 weeks) of the birth.
Blackpool registration service can only register births that take place at the following places:
- Blackpool Victoria Hospital
- Home births where the council tax is payable to Blackpool Council
Fees and payment types
- The fee is £12.50 to purchase each birth certificate and you have the option of purchasing an A4 wallet to keep your certificate(s) in. These are £2 each.
- You can always purchase certificates afterwards
Child's surname and re-registration
The mother of a child can give them any forename and surname she chooses. She does not need the father's permission to give his surname or her own. A man registered on the birth certificate as the father of the child has no right to insist the child is given a particular name, for example, his surname.
A married couple can also choose any surname for their child. It does not have to be the name of either of the parents, although choosing a different surname could cause potential problems in the future with certain organisations.
Once a surname has been recorded it can only be changed if:
- The parents apply to re-register the baby because they were not married when the baby’s birth was first registered and the father’s details were not recorded
- The parents marry each other after the child was born. The birth must be re-registered in this case even if the baby was given the father’s surname when the baby’s birth was first registered
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If the natural parents of the child were married abroad, then we would need to receive authorisation from The General Register Office before we can re-register. Only one of the parents needs to make an appointment to bring the documentation for the registrar to scan and send off to the General Register Office. It can take between 4 to 8 weeks for authorisation to be received.
Further information
The Gov.uk website has more detailed information on:
Correcting a birth record
In the majority of cases, you can’t change a birth certificate once it’s been issued, but you can apply to get a note added to the original entry in the birth register. You can then purchase an updated certificate that shows this note.
Corrections to a birth registration can only be made when the information is wrong (for example a mistake in spelling a person’s name) or it has been proved by DNA testing that the father in the record is not the biological father. There is a fee to correct an error of between £83 to £99.
Find more detailed information on how to correct a birth registration from the Gov.uk website.
In some cases, the Births and Deaths Registration Act allows changes to forenames to be recorded in the birth register. You can apply for this to be done if the new forenames were given within 12 months of the birth being registered. There is a statutory fee of £44 for each application.
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