Registering a Birth or Death and Giving Notice of Marriage from Catford

Registration in Catford is run by Lewisham Council from a single address on the council's Lewisham Register Office page. Fees and rules below are as the council and GOV.UK publish them and can change.

Getting there from Catford

The office is at 368 Lewisham High Street, SE13 6LQ, next to University Hospital Lewisham. The council says it is open Monday and Tuesday 9.10am to 4.15pm, Wednesday 10.10am to 4.15pm, Thursday and Friday 9.10am to 4.15pm and Saturday by appointment only, with phones answered Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. The number for general enquiries is 020 8690 2128.

The council lists buses 47, 54, 75, 136, 185, 199 and 208, with the nearest stop Lewisham Park, and says Ladywell station is a seven-minute walk. The Broadway Theatre's visit page lists all seven of those routes among the buses serving Catford, which gives a direct bus option from the town centre. Parking at the office is limited, with disabled parking on site; see the Catford parking guide and Blue Badge guide if you drive.

Registering a birth

The council's birth registration page says you can only register in the district where the baby was born, but can make a declaration at any register office in England or Wales, which is sent on. For a baby born in Lewisham, book online. You must decide the full name first, the appointment lasts about 20 minutes, and arriving late means rebooking. If the parents are married or in a civil partnership either can register; otherwise the mother can register alone, and both attend to have the father's details included.

Bring one document from the council's list, such as a passport, proof of address or driving licence, and for the baby the hospital notification of birth or the personal child health record (the red book). GOV.UK's register a birth page says births must be registered within 42 days. The council lists full certificates at £12.50 (standard) or £38.50 (priority, next working day if ordered by 2pm), and says there is no longer a free short certificate.

Registering a death

The council's death registration page says appointments take place at the Register Office and can be booked online or by phoning 020 8314 9268. The medical examiner emails the medical certificate to the register office and tells you when you can book; the death must be registered within five days of that, including weekends and bank holidays, unless the coroner is involved. The certificate costs £12.50 and is issued at the end of the appointment. The registrar gives you a Tell Us Once reference, and GOV.UK's register the death page describes the same five-day rule and the burial or cremation certificate for the funeral director. The council also lists an on-call service for urgent faith burials on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, 9am to 12 noon, by calling 020 8314 6000.

Giving notice of marriage or civil partnership

The council's giving notice page says you must give notice in person, not online or by video. The earliest is one year before the ceremony and the latest 28 days before; it recommends booking at least three months ahead. The fee is £46.50 per partner for British and EEA nationals and people with settled or pre-settled status, and £63 where one or both are subject to immigration control, paid by card when booking and non-refundable. Only original documents are accepted. GOV.UK's give notice page says you must give notice at least 29 days before the ceremony, that the ceremony must be held within 12 months, and that you usually need to have lived in the registration district for the past seven days.

Ceremonies in and near Catford

The council's ceremony booking page lists the Evelyn Suite at the Register Office, with a capacity of 40 including the couple and witnesses, and a Register Office room for up to four people. Among licensed venues it names the Broadway Theatre, Catford Broadway, SE6 4RU, and the Fellowship Inn, Randlesdown Road, Bellingham, SE6 3BT. The council says to speak to the venue and then contact it to book registration officers, and not to book the venue until an officer is available. Fees for 2026/27 are on that page.

Copies of older certificates for events in Lewisham from 1 January 1940 can be ordered through the council's certificates page.