Congratulations on the birth of your baby! – By law, you must register a birth within six weeks (42 days). If the parents were married to each other at the time of the birth, either spouse may register the birth. If the parents are not married to each other, the mother may attend alone but will not be able to record the other parent’s details unless they are also present (other criteria may also apply). Please phone the register office if you need further information or have any queries on 01873 735435.

You need to register your baby in order to obtain a birth certificate. You can then use this to claim child benefit and any other family-related benefits.

A birth should be registered in the district where it occurred, however new arrangements have been made for all births within the “Gwent” / Aneurin Bevan Health Board area. The five local authorities of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen are working together so that you can attend your local office to complete the registration and purchase your baby’s birth certificate at that appointment.

Please visit your local authority’s website for further details:-

Contact details	Email address	Telephone number
Blaenau Gwent Registration Service	registrars@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk	01495 353372
Caerphilly Registration Service	registrars@caerphilly.gov.uk	01443 864166 or 864170
Monmouthshire Registration Service	RegisterOffice@monmouthshire.gov.uk	01873 735435
Newport Registration Service	registrar@newport.gov.uk	01633 235510 or 235520
Torfaen Registration Service	registrars@torfaen.gov.uk	01495 742132 or 742133

Within Monmouthshire You can also register at the Community Hubs in Monmouth and Chepstow or in Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny. For any of these appointments please phone 01873 735435.

There is no charge to register the birth, but the cost of a full birth certificate is £12.50 on the day of registration.

This remains at £12.50 for our standard service (7 days). There is a priority (same day) service available at £38.50.

If you should discover a mistake in the registration after the birth has been registered, please immediately contact the registrar for advice, there may be a fee of up to £99 to complete the correction.

If it is more convenient, details of the birth may be given at another register office within England and Wales by making a declaration, in which case your baby’s documents will be sent to you in the post from the Monmouthshire office when the declaration has been received.

Civil naming ceremonies

Why not welcome your new arrival with a day to remember, together with your family and friends? If you are interested in having a civil naming ceremony, in the Old Parlour or at one of the beautiful venues across Monmouthshire. Please contact the Monmouthshire registration service on 01873 735435 or email ceremonies@monmouthshire.gov.uk for more information.