Registering a Stillbirth What you need to do to register a stillbirth


When a child is stillborn, a doctor or midwife will issue a medical certificate of stillbirth. The person who registers the stillbirth must take this certificate to the registrar.


Every stillbirth in England or Wales must be registered in the district in which it takes place.


In general a birth would be considered to be a ‘stillbirth’ after 24 weeks of pregnancy.


If you have any concern about this you should consult with the hospital where the birth took place.


The stillbirth may be registered by the parents or other informants as follows:


Parents married to each other


If the parents of the child were married to each other at the time of the stillbirth (or conception), either the mother or the father may 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 in the following circumstances:


• 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 makes a statutory declaration acknowledging his paternity which the mother must produce to the registrar (this form may be obtained from any registrar in England or Wales), or


• Where the mother is unable to go to the Register Office with the father-the mother makes a statutory declaration acknowledging the father’s paternity which the father must produce to the registrar (this form may be obtained from any registrar in England and Wales).


If the parents of the child cannot register the stillbirth the following are qualified to do so:


• The occupier of the house or hospital where the child was stillborn


• A person who was present at the stillbirth


• A person who is responsible for the stillborn child


• The person who found the stillborn child (where the date/location are unknown)


Sheffield Register Office Bereavement Guide


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