All stillborn babies must be officially registered within 42 days of their birth.

Who can register a stillbirth

GOV.UK has more information on who can register a stillbirth including what to do if neither parent can attend.

Book an appointment to register a stillbirth

To register your baby's stillbirth, you need to book an appointment with a registrar from the area your baby was born in. If your baby was born in Bexley, you can make an appointment by telephoning 03000 411103.

If you do not live in Kent or Bexley

If your baby was born in Kent or Bexley but you cannot attend an office here, you can give the details to any birth registrar in England and Wales.

The details are sent to our Kent Libraries, Registrations and Archives service who will register the birth. This is called registration by declaration.

If a stillbirth is registered by declaration, the birth certificate and form for the funeral director will be sent to you by post, normally within one week.

What happens at the registration

You will need to bring the medical certificate issued by your doctor or midwife.

You will need to provide the following information:

• place and date of birth of the baby
• if the parents wish to name the baby, the name and surname
• sex of the baby
• names, surnames, places of birth and occupations of the parents
• mother’s maiden name (if applicable).

This information is recorded on the stillbirth certificate.

At registration, you will receive:

• a stillbirth certificate,  this is an exact copy of the entry in the register
• a certificate for burial or cremation, this is the certificate you need to give to the funeral director arranging the funeral

Get support

Support for parents whose child was stillborn is available from the following organisations:

• Still Birth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS)
• Child Death Helpline
• Child Bereavement UK

GOV.UK has more information about financial support as well as taking time off work.