About birth certificates

When a child is adopted, the original birth certificate is marked with an 'A'. It is withdrawn from the public register.

A new adoption certificate is issued with entries showing the names of adoptive parents. This is, in effect, a replacement certificate and is called a 'birth certificate'.

An original birth certificate will provide the following information:

• The date and place of birth
• The name under which you were originally registered
• The mother's name and perhaps her occupation
• The mother's address at that time
• The name and address of the person who registered the birth (this is usually the mother)
• The date of registration
• The name of the registrar

It may or may not give the father's name and occupation. If a child's parents are not married to each other, the father's name is not always on the birth certificate.