Register a stillbirth

You'll need to come into a register office and register a stillbirth in person.

A stillbirth needs to be registered in the district in which it took place and within 42 days. See what to do if the stillbirth took place outside of Buckinghamshire.

You can register a stillbirth if you're:

• the mother
• the father - if married to or in a civil partnership with the mother
• a person present at the stillbirth

To book a registration appointment, call 01296 383 005 during office hours.

We'll need:

• the date and place of stillbirth
• the name that you have chosen for your baby
• the parents' full names
• the date and place of birth, the occupation and the home address for each parent
• date of marriage for the parents (if applicable)

At the end of the registration, you'll be given:

• a certificate of registration
• a certificate for burial or cremation, known as the 'green form', which authorises the funeral director to proceed with the funeral - we can send this form to the funeral director if you want us to

You'll also be given the option to buy a full certificate of stillbirth. Certificates cost £12.50.

If the stillbirth occurred outside of Buckinghamshire, you should register the stillbirth at your local register office.

For:

• Wexham Park Hospital, contact Slough Register Office
• the John Radcliffe Hospital, contact Oxfordshire Registration Office
• Milton Keynes Hospital, contact Milton Keynes Registration Office

You can also find your local register office online.

If you're unable to visit your local register office, you can register a stillbirth at any of our register offices by making a 'declaration’.

If you make a declaration:

• the stillbirth will not be registered at the office you attend
• we'll not hold any records or be able to provide any copies of certificates

We'll send the details to the relevant register office. You'll need to contact them for copies of certificates, they'll send them by post which can take up to 10 days.

The following organisations give support and advice:

• Sands
• Tommy’s

If you need any help with your registration, contact the registration service team.