Births, Marriages and Deaths

Registering a birth

The Consular Section of the British High Commission in Kingston can register the birth of children born on the islands of Jamaica and the Bahamas. In general it is recommended that the births of British children taking place abroad are registered. The advantage being a British-style birth certificate is available immediately and a permanent record of the birth is kept locally and registered at the General Register Office in Merseyside or, where appropriate, at the General Register Offices in Edinburgh and Belfast.

We aim to process applications for birth registration within 5 working days. Which births may be registered?

a) The birth of a child born abroad after 1 January 1983 provided one of the parents (in the case of an illegitimate child it has to be the mother) is a British citizen by birth, naturalisation, registration or adoption in the United Kingdom, or a British Overseas Territories citizen by birth, naturalisation or registration in a dependent territory.

b) The birth of a child born abroad before 1 January 1983 provided the child was born legitimate, in a marriage recognised as valid in English law, and at the time of the child's birth the father was a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by birth, naturalisation, registration or adoption.

A separate application is necessary for each birth registered. In case of multiple births the exact time of birth of each child is required. Documents required: The following documents are required to register a birth. Please note we cannot accept photocopies of documents.

• The child's Jamaica and/or the Bahamas birth certificate

• Parents' British birth certificates or proof of claim to citizenship, e.g. Certificate of Naturalisation or Registration

• Parents' marriage certificate

• Parents’ passports

• a completed application form

Birth Registration

There are separate fees for registering the birth and providing a certificate. Please refer to our Consular Fees table for the latest charges.

Getting married in Jamaica

British citizens who wish to marry in Jamaica should read the Jamaican Tourist Board’s website.

Getting married in The Bahamas

Detailed information for those intending to get married in The Bahamas can be found on The Bahamas Tourism office, London website