UK parents warned they could be fined just £2 if they forget to do this for their kids
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Welcoming a new baby into the world doesn’t just come with a whole host of emotions – but similarly, countless paperwork, like registering their birth. But the work doesn’t stop in the months after their birth, as parents who had their children before they got married have been warned not to neglect one crucial piece of admin: re-registering their births.
![[Bride putting ring on groom's finger. Rings exchange. Happy couple celebrating wedding outdoors in summer.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1327358895.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Failing to do so within three months of marriage could result in a £2 fine. In the grand scheme of things, it might not seem like much – after all, it’s less than a coffee these days – but it’s a legal technicality that doesn’t depend on how old your child is. If they’re under 18, their paperwork needs to be updated.
![[Flowers Girls]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-614292848.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=509)
As per Hitched’s 2024 National Wedding Survey, one in four couples already have children before they get married – and one expert has warned that many aren’t aware of this bit of paperwork. ‘If you have children prior to marriage and you are marrying the parent of that child, you do need to re-register your children after you’ve got married,’ Hitched’s wedding editor Zoe Burke explains in one TikTok video.
Introduced as part of the Legitimacy Act 1976, the policy’s age explains why the fine is so small — it hasn’t been updated in almost fifty years. It’s also unclear how often this rule is enforced, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
