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Register a birth in Ireland
From Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
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Last updated
You will need to register the birth of your child no later than three months after his or her birth. Registration is a legal requirement in Ireland, but you will also need a birth certificate to enrol your child in school, to apply for a passport and for many other purposes.
A birth may be registered in the office of any Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, regardless of where it took place. The staff of the hospital where your child was born or your local health centre will be able to tell you where you can register the birth.
For any procedure which took place after the 4th May 2020 it will be possible to record the details of the parent(s), including the non- biological parent, when registering the birth of a donor conceived child.
For more information click here .
Register a Birth during the COVID-19 Pandemic form
Register a Birth during the COVID-19 Pandemic BR1.6
DownloadThis form will allow the birth of the child to be registered without the parents or a qualified informant attending in person at a civil registration office.
All births can be registered.
This form can be emailed or posted to your local Civil Registration Office. Click on the link to find the postal and e-mail addresses for your local local Civil Registration Office .
If you have a query or need help with your request, you can e-mail us at births@welfare.ie
In certain circumstances you can register a surname for your child which is not the same as your own.
The mother and father/parent (where applicable) should complete the form below
Application to assign a different surname
DownloadThis form can be:
- e-mailed to births@welfare.ie
- posted to your local Civil Registration Office
or
- posted to the General Register Office, Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon, Co. Roscommon, F42 VX53.
For more information you can email us at births@welfare.ie
There is no fee charged for the registration of a birth, or for re-registration to include a parent's details. There is a fee of €5 for insertion or alteration of a forename. Fees are charged for Birth Certificates.
A birth certificate is issued for social welfare purposes at a reduced cost. Evidence it is for social welfare purposes is required, such as a note from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
The fees for a certificate are:
- €20 for a full standard certificate
- €1 for a copy for social welfare purposes (letter from Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection required)
- €4 for an uncertified copy of an entry in the Register
- €10 to have a certificate authenticated (only available from the General Register Office)
Click here for information on how to apply for certificates.
