Registry office

Registering a birth

All births must be registered in the area where your baby was born within six weeks (42 days) of the date of birth.

To make an appointment to register a birth you need to telephone Contact Essex on 0345 603 7632. They can also provide you with the location details of your registration office.

If the birth did not occur in Essex but you live in Essex it is possible to give the details to any registrar in England or Wales. This is called registering by declaration. The registrar does not register the birth but will send the information to the appropriate registration office where it will be registered. For more information please visit the Essex County Council register a birth website information.

Ceremonies

Choosing the right venue for your ceremony is an important consideration when planning your special occasion.  Essex offers a wide range of approved premises and the Registration Service provides many different celebratory services. These include:

• Weddings
• Civil Partnerships
• Naming ceremonies
• Renewal of marriage vows ceremonies
• Citizenship ceremonies

Registering a death

All deaths need to be registered with the Registrar of Births and Deaths in the area where the death occurred.  If the death occurred in Essex but you do not live in the county then you can register the death by making a declaration to any Registrar of Births and Deaths in England or Wales. They will forward the documentation to the correct registration district.

All deaths should be registered within five days unless a coroner is investigating the circumstances of the death. For more information please visit the Essex County Council register a death website information.

Please visit the Essex County Council website for more information on Births, Ceremonies, Deaths and how to obtain copies of birth, death or marriage certificates.