Registration of Births

Bedfordshire Registration Service at Bedfordshire County Council is responsible for recording all births that take place in Bedfordshire (excluding Luton). Bedfordshire County Council's website gives further information and guidance on registering a Birth.

The Register Office is in Bedford, with outstations in Ampthill, Biggleswade, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, and holds records of all Bedfordshire birth, death and marriage registrations since 1837.

The birth must be registered within 42 days of the child being born at any of the Register Offices within the district in which the birth took place.

Civil Naming Ceremonies

In addition to its legal duties of registering births, Bedfordshire Registration Service now offers, in partnership with Civil Ceremonies Limited, a number of celebratory services, including naming ceremonies.

Naming Ceremonies are a non-religious alternative to church christenings. The ceremony provides an opportunity to celebrate the birth of a child and is also ideally suited to welcome an adoptive child or stepchild into their new family.

It is an opportunity for parents to declare before family and friends their commitment to being as good a parent as possible and for chosen adult friends or relatives to confirm their special relationship with the child throughout its life.

Each ceremony is unique being specially created using the family's own choice of words, poems and readings from the selection provided.

Contact

For more information, please visit the Bedfordshire County Council website or contact the Registration Service using the details below.

Bedfordshire Register Office,
Pilgrim House,
20 Brickhill Drive,
Bedford,
Bedfordshire. MK41 7PZ

Telephone: 01234 290450
Email:lifeevents@bedscc.gov.uk