Correcting a registration

When you register a birth, marriage, civil partnership or death, the registrar will ask you to check the entry carefully before signing.

By signing the entry, you are confirming that you consider the information to be a true and accurate record.

Once signed, the entry is the legal record and can only be changed by a statutory process and on payment of the appropriate fee.

Corrections to a registration can only be made when it can be shown the information was wrong at the time it was registered.

You cannot apply for a correction to show new information which has changed after you have registered (e.g. if you change your address after registering). However, you can apply to re-register a birth if the natural parents get married at a later date, or if the father wasn't included on the original registration and you wish to add the details now.

Fees
Correction type Notes Statutory fee
Application to correct a register on authority of the Registrar Some birth and death corrections qualify for this fee. £75
Application to correct a register on authority of the Registrar General Some birth and death corrections qualify for this fee. All marriage and civil partnership corrections qualify for this fee. £90

The Registrar will be able to advise you which fee is applicable to the error.

The fee is charged for considering your application and is retained regardless of the success or failure of your application.

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