Registering a stillbirth

A still-born child is legally defined as a child born after the 24th week of pregnancy, who did not breathe or show any other signs of life at any time after being born.

Any still-birth that takes place in the London Borough of Bromley must be registered at Bromley Register Office. Your bereavement midwife will liaise with you and with the register office, to make the arrangements for the registration and the funeral.

What information will the Registrar need? 

The medical certificate of stillbirth issued by the doctor or midwife who was present at the birth will be emailed through to the register office, together with contact details for the parent(s). Once the medical certificate has been received and checked, we will contact the parent(s) to make an appointment to register. We will send a confirmation email when the appointment has been booked, detailing all the information that the registrar will need to complete the register entry.

Certificates

We will issue you with a full certificate of registration, free of charge. Should you wish to purchase more copies, the statutory fee is £12.50 per certificate payable by card only.

We will also issue the paperwork to the hospital or funeral director to allow the funeral to proceed. 

Can I register elsewhere?

If it is more convenient, information about the event can be given at another register office. The details will then be emailed to the register office of the district where the stillbirth took place. The certificates and other documents will be issued and posted to the person who gave the information to the registrar. This is called registering a stillbirth by declaration.