Registering place of birth - do we get any choice?

[Plateofcrumbs]

I live just on border between two counties -let's call them X and Y. I lived in X for a long time, if someone asked me I would say I lived in X but we recently moved house somewhere which officially puts us in Y. The hospital I have chosen to give birth in is Y.

I've just realised my baby's birth certificate is going to say they were born in Y, isn't it?

Is there any way I can register the birth in X? Or if I switched hospitals to one in X, would that dictate where the birth was registered?

(And before anyone says it, yes I know it doesn't matter and I'm not seriously contemplating switching hospitals to be in the 'right postcode' - am just curious really)

Is it because you don't want your baby born in... Essex!

(Just guessing )

You can only register the birth as where it took place. You can register the birth at any official registry office in the country (if you use an office outside of the district the child was born in they can't give you a birth certificate on the day,MIT has to be sent away for).

So if you're child is born in Y you have to register them as born in that place.

um no the birth cert will state the baby's place of birth .....

The place of birth is exactly that, the place of birth.

Normally you register at the Registry Office which covers the place of birth, but you can do it out-of-area by declaration. It'll still list the place where the birth actualy happened, though. (Now wondering which counties or towns inspires such loyalty and local rivalry!)

i bet it is Suffolk/Essex

Afraid so! On the birth certificate it says the place of birth as the hospital name, and you register in the county that you live in/hospital is in. Obviously a home birth would put place of birth as your address.

A relative had her baby in the car... Place of birth is the road name where they pulled over. Apparently they had to drive back and double check!!

Is X Cornwall? Apparently the cornish are VERY proud of their cornishness so I understand your concerns. I imagine the birth certificate will just state where the baby is born though. Otherwise it would be false!!

I was wondering if it was Sheffield/Barnsley

Laughing at the speculation about which counties are involved! . I'm not fiercely loyal about it, I just had a slightly moment when I realised DC will have a town/county which will mean nothing to me/them on their birth certificate.

Damn, why did I choose this hospital? I had a choice of one in X!

Don't worry plateofcrumbs poor DD was born in a town I regularly refer to as the armpit of X county!!

Ha, I had the same thought process the other day - I'm planning a a home birth, which would put the place of birth as the cute village we technically live in, but if I have to transfer to the hospital half a mile up the road, the place of birth will be the much less appealing town we're on the outskirts of! I don't really have roots or long term loyalties to either, as we only recently moved here, but it made me laugh...

If you are in Scotland, you can register the birth in any registration district in Scotland.

Doesn't help if you are not though!

I was born in the city my parents and generations before them were from, so despite fact we didn't live there very long after I was born I have always been proud to have that on my birth certificate. Whereas DH has nearest hospital to random place his parents were living at the time.

There's nothing wrong with Y (no it's not Essex!! ) but now I've spent a long time living in X it's where I feel we 'belong' as a family so it's a little sad that won't be on the DC's birth certificate (especially when I could easily have chosen a hospital there if I'd just thought about it!).

Change hospitals?

Nope, you have no choice. DD1 is registered with her place of birth as quite a shit hole. Not that it affected my choices, but I was quite pleased a home birth second time meant that went down as place of birth!

I'm a Registrar and can confirm that the place of your baby's birth will be the place recorded on his or her birth certificate. It's a fact - not something that's open to interpretation or discussion. If your baby is born in hospital in England or Wales, the hospital staff will have already uploaded the information about the place of birth to the NHS system which the Registrars access when you come to register the birth.