Ordering birth, marriage and death certificates

The General Register Office (GRO) Births, Marriages and Deaths (BMD) Indexes allow you to search for a family relative, and once found the Indexes provide that vital information that will enable you to order a certificate or to confirm your own research. The Indexes list the year, quarter, district and depending on the event - and the period will give you the information regarding the Mother's Maiden Name (Births) or Spouse's Name (Marriages) or the Age at death (Deaths). In addition the Indexes give two other vital pieces of information - the Volume number and the Page number of the Register which will allow the ordering of a certificate.

For the GRO Overseas Indexes note down the entry including the record type, name, forename or initial, age, place/ district/ station, year, page or volume number. Please note: entry information may vary between records.

How can I order copies of the original birth, marriage and death certificates?

You can obtain an original document from the General Register Office for:

• Birth Certificates
• Marriage Certificates
• Death Certificates

In any of the following ways:

• Locally from the registry where the event was originally registered
• Visiting the General Register Office at their new website www.direct.gov.uk/gro
• By post or telephone - please see below

By post:

You can order birth, marriage and death certificates by post, but you need to get an application form first.

To request the form you can email:

certificate.services@ips.gsi.gov.uk

You need to insert GQ in the subject line of your email to ensure a personal response to your query.

Alternatively, you can phone:

+44 (0)845 603 7788, Monday to Friday 8.00 am - 8.00 pm, or Saturday 9.00 am - 4.00 pm 

State which form you need - birth, death, or marriage - and how many copies, and include your name and address.

Send the completed form, with the correct payment by cheque, postal order or credit card, to General Register Office, PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD.

Make cheques or postal orders payable to 'IPS' (Identity and Passport Service). Please check the GRO website for costs

Do not fax or photocopy your application.

For Overseas events please apply to:

Overseas Section
General Register Office
Trafalgar Road
Southport
Merseyside
PR8 2HH

For ordering Overseas certificates visit: www.direct.gov.uk/gro

By telephone:

Tel: +44 (0) 845 603 7788 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday. Saturday 9am to 4pm)
Calls are charged at the cost of a local call.

Email: certificate.services@ips.gsi.gov.uk 
Fax: Faxed certificate applications are no longer accepted

Familyrelatives.com do not currently offer members a facility to purchase Certificates.

The General Register Office GRO is part of the Identity & Passport Service IPS

Please note that since mid March 2008 the Family Records Centre has closed its doors to the public.

Please note - Disclaimer: Familyrelatives.com is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. For further information please see our terms and conditions.