UK Government Data Standards Catalogue

Metadata Value
Data Element

Person Birth Date
Is Part Of
Person Information
Has Parts  
Version 2.0 
Status Release 
Previous Versions  
Later Versions  
Date Agreed 1 January 2002

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Name

Person Birth Date
Description The date on which a person was born or is officially have been deemed to have been born.
Business Format See Type standard for date.
Element Type Data Item
XML Schema
View whole schema document Person Descriptive Types as XML
View definition PersonBirthDateStructure as HTML
Validations
1. See Type standard for date.
2. Date must not be in the future.
3. Date must not be later than Person Death Date where held.
Value
See Type standard for date.
DefaultValue
Owner DTG
Based On See date.
Verification

Level 0: Not Verified

Level 1: One or more of the following Secondary certificates:

  • Certificate of Baptism.
  • Marriage Certificate
  • National Health Service Medical Card
  • Child's Certificate of Vaccination
  • Child's Health Record Card
  • A certificate of Service in HM Forces or other employment under the Crown or in the Mercantile Marine.
  • A certificate of membership of a Trade Union Friendly Society or any cards or papers relating to membership of an Approved Society or Unemployment Insurance Apprenticeship indentures.
  • Early certificate or testimonial from employer.
  • Aliens registration card, certificate of naturalisation, Home Office travel document or a passport.
  • Life insurance policy.
  • Certificate of confirmation.
  • School certificate or report.
  • A birthday book or old family record.
  • Family Bible containing a record of birth.

Level 2: One of the following:

  • Full certificate.
  • Birth certificate short form.
  • Certificate of registry showing given names and family name.
  • GRO copy.
  • Adoption Order issued by the High Court, County Court or Juvenile Court.
  • Certificate of adoption issued by the GRO.
  • Foreign birth certificate issued by registration authority of the foreign country.
Comments
  • See Type standard for date.
  • DWP has a specific requirement to ensure that this data item is verified and has procedures to do so to 2 levels. The following also applies to DWP only:
    • If Birth Verification Type is level 1 or 2, then the Person Birth Date cannot be amended.
    • Where the Birth Verification Type is level 1 or 2, the validation relating to restrictions on amending the Person Birth Date does not apply to high level users.
  • A notional birth date will be recorded where an informant has reported an approximate age for a person whose actual date of birth is unknown.
  • In DWP if Person Birth Date is held, Birth Date type must be held.