Birth Certificates in Ireland: Registering a Birth, Fees and Ordering a Copy

In Ireland, a birth must be registered within 3 months, registration itself is free, and a certificate costs €20. Registration is done with the HSE's Civil Registration Service, and since 12 August 2024 some parents are invited to register online instead of attending in person.

Registering a birth and getting a birth certificate are two separate steps. This page covers both, along with the rules for late registration, the December 2025 change for unmarried fathers, and which certificate you need for a passport.

Information last verified on 26 October 2026. This page is general legal information for the Republic of Ireland, not legal advice.

How long do you have to register a birth in Ireland?

Section 19 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 makes it the duty of the parents to register a child born in the State not later than 3 months from the date of birth. If one parent has died, the duty falls on the surviving parent. If both have died or cannot act through ill health, it falls on another qualified informant, such as a guardian, a person present at the birth, or the chief officer of the hospital.

The 3-month limit is the legal duty. Section 20 then sets a second line at 12 months: a registrar cannot register a birth more than 12 months after it without the written consent of the Superintendent Registrar, and that consent is noted in the register.

Citizens Information says you have up to 12 months to register in some circumstances, and that you should contact the Civil Registration Service for advice if you need to register a birth after 12 months.

Registering within 3 months matters in practice too. Citizens Information says that when a birth is registered within that time, Child Benefit forms and the child's PPS number are sent out automatically.

How to register a birth in person

You can register at any Civil Registration Service office, whatever part of the country the baby was born in. Citizens Information advises that after a hospital birth you should wait 3 weeks before booking an appointment.

You fill in a Birth Registration Application form and give the registrar the required particulars of the birth. The birth is not registered until you sign the register in front of the registrar.

There is no fee to register a birth. The €20 fee is for a certificate, which is a separate request.

Can you register a birth online?

Since 12 August 2024, some parents are invited to register a birth online on MyWelfare.ie, the Department of Social Protection's portal. It is not an HSE web form, and it is not open to everyone.

To use it, you need:

• a verified MyGovID account, and both parents need one if they are not married to each other; and
• the birth notification ID, which the Civil Registration Office sends to the mother by post.

The Act limits the electronic route to people who have been issued with a public services card. Online registration is not available where:

• either parent is separated (still legally married), divorced, widowed or deceased;
• a same-sex couple is registering both people as parents;
• the birth is donor-conceived; or
• the birth is a stillbirth.

In those cases the birth is registered in person.

Registering when the parents are not married

The rules on recording an unmarried father's details changed on 10 December 2025, when section 6 of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014 was brought into force by S.I. No. 595 of 2025.

According to Citizens Information, if a mother is not married to the father and registers the birth on her own, she must now provide the father's contact details. The Civil Registration Service then writes to the father. If he does not respond within 28 days, or denies paternity, the birth is registered without his details.

A mother does not have to give the details if the registrar is satisfied, on her statutory declaration, that she does not know who the father is or where he lives, or, with evidence, that giving them would not be in the interests of the child's safety. A refusal can be appealed. The existing ways of registering both parents, including a joint request by both parents and requests following a court order, continue.

Articles written before December 2025 on registering an unmarried father are out of date. For the wider legal position of unmarried couples, see cohabiting couples' rights in Ireland.

How much is a birth certificate in Ireland?

The fees are set by the Civil Registration (Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships) (Fees) Regulations 2020, S.I. No. 552 of 2020, which have applied since 20 November 2020. The General Register Office service page, last updated on 29 June 2026, confirms the €20 certificate fee.

The Adopted Children Register, Multilingual Standard Form and "No Trace" fees are as listed by Citizens Information and the General Register Office.

The Fees Regulations also provide no charge for a certificate in two cases: an infant who died under 12 months old where the birth and death are registered at the same time, and a stillbirth.

The full standard certificate, sometimes called the long form, is the one used for legal and administrative purposes. It is printed on secure paper and cannot be sent by email. An uncertified photocopy is not printed on secure paper and is for research only.

How to order a birth certificate

There are two official routes:

• The HSE Civil Registration Service. Certificates can be ordered through the HSE's online application page, or from a Civil Registration Service office. Citizens Information says only full standard certificates are available online.
• The General Register Office (GRO). The GRO, in Roscommon and part of the Department of Social Protection, holds the records. Its gov.ie page says to download the application form and email it to GROonlinepayments@welfare.ie. The GRO sends a payment link once the record is found and then posts the certificate.

The GRO says it can only deal with new orders and has no access to orders already processed by the HSE. It also warns of a waiting period because of a significant increase in demand, so there is no fixed turnaround time.

Only the official HSE and GRO channels are covered here. Check that any site offering certificates is one of them before paying.

Birth certificates are public records. Citizens Information says anybody can apply for one, so you do not have to be the person named or their parent.

Which birth certificate do you need for a passport?

For a first-time application, the Passport Service asks for the full original civil birth certificate, the version that includes the name or names of the parents. It does not accept baptismal certificates, birth certificates that do not show the parents' names, or laminated certificates.

In practice that means ordering the €20 full standard certificate. Citizens Information notes that a birth certificate is also needed to enrol a child in school and for many other purposes.

Where a person has a gender recognition certificate, Citizens Information says the certificate from the Register of Gender Recognition is the same as a birth certificate and satisfies any requirement for one. The Passport Service accepts the original civil birth certificate as re-issued after gender recognition.

Adoption certificates

Birth certificates for adopted children are issued from the Adopted Children Register held by the General Register Office, as a certified copy of an entry in that register. They can be ordered from the General Register Office or through the HSE's online certificate ordering page. The fee is €20 and the certificate can be used for legal and administrative purposes.

Access to an adopted person's original birth record is governed by a separate law, the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022, and is not covered on this page.

Changing or correcting a birth certificate

A deed poll does not change the entry in the birth register. A child's surname on the register can change through re-registration, for example when the father's details are added later or the parents marry after the birth, under section 24 of the 2004 Act as described by Citizens Information. There is also a separate procedure for a change of forename. The Civil Registration Service can advise on which applies.

Parents who are separating or divorcing can find more in the divorce guide.

Could the rules change?

The Social Welfare, Civil Registration and Charities (Amendment) Bill 2026 (No. 84 of 2026) is a Government Bill that would amend the Civil Registration Act 2004. It was referred to Committee Stage in the Dáil on 22 September 2026 and is not yet law. Check the current position before relying on older guidance.

For other family law topics, see the Irish family law section or the main Ireland laws page.

This page is general information about birth registration and certificates in the Republic of Ireland, not legal advice. For a particular registration question, contact the HSE Civil Registration Service or the General Register Office, or speak to a solicitor.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have to register a birth in Ireland?

The Civil Registration Act 2004 requires parents to register a birth within 3 months. A registrar can still register a birth up to 12 months after it. After 12 months, the registrar needs the written consent of the Superintendent Registrar, so contact the Civil Registration Service for advice.

How much does a birth certificate cost in Ireland?

A full standard birth certificate costs €20, under S.I. No. 552 of 2020. An uncertified photocopy of an entry costs €5, and a certificate with an authentication stamp costs €30. Registering the birth itself is free.

Can I register my baby's birth online in Ireland?

Since 12 August 2024 some parents are invited to register online on MyWelfare.ie, using a verified MyGovID account and the birth notification ID posted to the mother. It is not available if a parent is separated, divorced, widowed or deceased, for same-sex couples registering both parents, for donor-conceived births or for stillbirths.

Which birth certificate do I need for an Irish passport?

For a first-time application, the Passport Service needs the full original civil birth certificate showing the name or names of the parents. Baptismal certificates, certificates without the parents' names and laminated certificates are not accepted.

Can anyone order a birth certificate in Ireland?

Yes. Birth certificates are public records, and Citizens Information says anybody can apply for one. You do not need to be the person named or a parent.

Does the father have to be on the birth certificate in Ireland?

Since 10 December 2025, a mother who is not married to the father and registers alone must generally provide his contact details, and the Civil Registration Service writes to him. If he does not respond within 28 days or denies paternity, the birth is registered without his details. There are exemptions based on a statutory declaration.

Where do I get an adopted person's birth certificate?

Adopted children's birth certificates are a certified copy of an entry in the Adopted Children Register, which is held by the General Register Office. They can be ordered from the General Register Office or online through the HSE. The fee is €20.