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    Still birth

    Registering a still birth

    Any stillbirth which occurs in Scotland must be registered within 21 days. The law allows a stillbirth to be registered in any registration district in Scotland.

    As of 24 September 2022, the Registrar General allowed under sections 25 to 27 of the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 remote birth (and still birth) registration via telephone to be an option across East Dunbartonshire.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Call our Customer Services on 0300 123 4510 Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm or call into any of our Community Hubs to arrange your appointment. If you need to change or cancel your appointment please contact us as soon as possible.

    A child's mother or father/parent has a duty to register the stillbirth. In the case of the death or inability of the mother or father/parent the following persons can register the stillbirth:

    • Any relative of the mother or father/parent, if he or she is married to or in a civil partnership with the mother, being a relative who has knowledge of the stillbirth
    • The occupier of the premises in which the stillbirth, to the knowledge of that occupier, took place
    • Any person present at the stillbirth

    A father who is not married to the mother can only register the stillbirth and be named in the register as the father if:

    • He jointly signs the register with the mother
    • He and the mother sign declarations (these are available from the registrar) that he is the father
    • A court declares that he is the father and the mother registers the stillbirth

    A woman who is not married to, or in a civil partnership with the mother can only register the stillbirth and be named in the register as a parent if the provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 apply to them and :

    • She jointly signs the register with the mother
    • She and the mother sign declarations (these are available from the registrar) that she is the parent
    • A court declares that she is the parent and the mother registers the stillbirth.

    You should take with you:

    • The certificate of stillbirth
    • The marriage or civil partnership certificate of the child's parents.


    When the registration is complete the registrar will give you, free of charge:

    • A certificate of registration of stillbirth for production to the person in charge of the burial ground or crematorium
    • If one of the parents registers the stillbirth and requests it, an extract of the entry in the register.

    You should register the stillbirth according to local regulations in the country concerned and obtain a certificate of the stillbirth. There is no facility available to register the stillbirth with the British Consul in that country.

    Extracts of stillbirth records from 1939 onwards are available from the National Records of Scotland for a fee. Due to the sensitive nature of stillbirth registrations, these extracts are usually only issued to the parents of the stillborn child. However, siblings of stillborn children may apply, either with the express consent of a parent, or on their own behalf, where they can demonstrate that their parents are no longer alive.

    Where no name was recorded for the stillborn child at the time of registration, a name can be added at the request of the parents. It is not possible for siblings to request names to be added.

    Application forms can be obtained from:

    General Registration Unit
    National Records of Scotland
    New Register House
    3 West Register Street
    EDINBURGH
    EH1 3YT

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