The paperwork that comes with life's big events

A new baby, a move, a wedding or a death each bring their own forms. A few of them come with a deadline set in law.

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A new baby

GOV.UK says every birth in England, Wales or Northern Ireland must be registered within 42 days of the child being born. You can do it at the local register office for the area where the baby was born, or at the hospital before the mother leaves if the hospital offers it.

In Scotland, mygov.scot says a birth should be registered within 21 days of the date of birth.

Moving home

When you move, you have to tell DVLA your new address so it can update your driving licence. GOV.UK says you can be fined up to £1,000 if you don't. The process is different in Northern Ireland. Your V5C, the vehicle log book, needs the new address too.

To stay on the electoral register, GOV.UK asks you to register again with your new details.

Getting married or forming a civil partnership

In England and Wales, both people must be 18 or over, not already married or in a civil partnership, and not closely related.

You must give notice at your local register office at least 29 days before the ceremony, and you must have lived in that registration district for the past 7 days. The ceremony must then take place within 12 months. GOV.UK says the process may differ for Anglican weddings, and that different rules apply if either of you is from outside the UK or Ireland.

When someone dies

A doctor confirms the death, and a medical examiner then checks the cause. The family waits for the medical examiner's office to confirm the death can be registered. GOV.UK asks for the death to be registered within 5 days of that confirmation, counting weekends and bank holidays. If you need longer, you must tell the register office straight away. When a death is reported to a coroner, the steps can be different.

Scotland has its own rule. National Records of Scotland says a death there must be registered within 8 days of the date of death, where possible.

Tell Us Once lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. It can be used if the person lived in England, Scotland or Wales. The death must have been registered, or reported to a coroner with a final or interim death certificate issued.

Planning ahead

A lasting power of attorney is a legal document that lets you appoint one or more people to help you make decisions, or to make them for you. You must be 18 or over and have mental capacity when you make one, and it is legally binding only in England and Wales.