To register a birth, you need to book an appointment to go to a civil registration service.
You can book an appointment online or by phone. Walk-ins are available in some offices at certain times.
It’s free to register a birth.
To avoid delays, bring all the documents you need to your appointment. Without them, we will not be able to register the birth.
Documents to bring to your appointment
Birth registration form
You must bring a completed birth registration form to your appointment.
If you are registering more than 1 birth, complete a separate form for each baby. For example, twins or triplets. Include on the form which baby was born first, second or third.
If you had a home birth
If you had a home birth with a healthcare professional, they should have given you a signed birth notification form. It must include their registration and PIN. This is a different form to the birth registration form. Bring both forms with you to your appointment.
If your child is born in a hospital, the staff will send your baby’s birth notification form directly to the civil registration service. This means you don’t need to bring the birth notification form to your appointment. You just need to bring a completed birth registration form.
Download a birth registration form (PDF, 2 pages, 572KB)
Photo ID
Bring one of these forms of photo ID:
- passport
- driver's licence
- refugee asylum card
- national ID card from a country where it is an accepted form of travel document or a public services card
Marriage certificate - if the marriage was outside Ireland
If the marriage was outside the Republic of Ireland, bring your original marriage certificate.
If it is not in English or Irish, a translation must be from a certified translation service.
We can accept the multilingual form (a form in English and another language) available from most embassies or registration services.
Who can register a birth
Usually a parent or both parents register a birth.
There are some differences on what you need to do depending on your situation.
When to register a birth
You should wait 3 weeks after the birth before booking an appointment to register the birth.
You must register a birth within 12 months. If you need to register a birth after 12 months, phone the civil registration service for advice.
Your baby's surname
The surname of a baby registered to married parents cannot usually be changed.
Contact a civil registration service if you want to give your baby a surname that is different to either parents' surnames.