You need to register on the General Register Office ( GRO ) website to get a copy of a birth, adoption, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate in England and Wales. You can use this service to research your family tree. Order with the GRO index reference number, It takes around 10 minutes and you’ll need a debit or credit card. Start now
Contents
- 1 How can I obtain a copy of a birth certificate UK?
- 2 Are all birth certificates public record UK?
- 3 Can I lookup my birth certificate up online?
- 4 What is the difference between a certified copy and an original document?
- 5 Can you get a UK birth certificate if born abroad?
- 6 How do I get a birth certificate from the UK by phone?
- 7 Who owns my birth certificate UK?
How can I obtain a copy of a birth certificate UK?
Details – Complete the application form to order a copy of a birth certificate registered in England and Wales. It is cheaper if you apply online, If you include a General Register Office (GRO) index reference number, the process will be quicker. You can view the list of fees,
16 February 2019 New birth certificate application form and update to details. 25 October 2012 First published.
What can I do if I lost my birth certificate UK?
One of the most common reasons for requiring a replacement birth certificate is that the original certificate has been mislaid or lost. You can order a replacement copy online. We are able to supply a replacement birth certificate which is a fully certified copy. It is suitable for all official purposes.
Can I view my birth certificate online UK?
Original birth, marriage, and death records are not open to the public and are not available online ; you can gain access to these certificates by searching the birth, marriage and death indexes, then ordering a copy of the records. You’ll need the information found in an index to request a copy of a birth certificate.
Is a certified copy of a birth certificate the same as the original UK?
Births (that is, live-births) – You can search the indexes of births, and have a certified copy of an entry (i.e. a “full” birth certificate), under the provisions of sections 30–33 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, There is no restriction on you ordering someone else’s birth certificate so long as you don’t do anything fraudulent with it.
any corrections to the originally registered details (the original, wrong, information will still be visible though) if the child has been adopted (in which case it will be marked “Adopted”, and with the country where the Adoption Order was made, if not in England & Wales) if the child has been re-adopted (in which case it will be marked “Re-adopted” ) if a Parental Order has been made with respect to the child (in which case it will be marked “Re-registered by the Registrar General” )
A certified copy of an entry must be issued according to section 34 of the Act, which provides that the certified copy — so long as it has been stamped or sealed by the General Register Office — must be accepted as proof of the details of birth, “without any further or other proof of the entry” being needed.
How to get a copy of a birth certificate from UK online?
You need to register on the General Register Office ( GRO ) website to get a copy of a birth, adoption, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate in England and Wales. You can use this service to research your family tree. Order with the GRO index reference number, It takes around 10 minutes and you’ll need a debit or credit card. Start now
Are all birth certificates public record UK?
Can I request someone else’s birth certificate? – Under UK law, birth certificates are known as Public Records which means that any person can apply for a copy of any certificate, providing that they know the details of the birth that is required. This can be helpful for both government and legal services needing proof of birth, as well as family history (genealogy) researchers looking to discover new ancestors.
Can you get a passport without a birth certificate UK?
If you need to apply for a UK passport but don’t have a birth certificate, don’t worry – there are still ways to obtain a passport. The easiest way is to provide an alternative form of identification, such as a UK driving license, a marriage or civil partnership certificate, or a decree nisi or absolute.
Do I need my birth certificate UK?
A birth certificate is a vital document. As a primary identification document, you can use your document to obtain other forms of identification such as a drivers licence and also passport. So if you are scratching your head asking, “What is a Birth Certificate used for?” here is a list of some of the top things you can do with it.
Who owns my birth certificate UK?
The ORIGINAL certificate is government property, therefore your NAME as recorded therefore would also seem to be government property. And the ‘copy’ given to the parents is merely a form of receipt for the Transaction.
How long does it take to get a copy of birth certificate UK?
Contact the local registrar – Finally, if you know specifically which registrar recorded the birth, and are local to that office, you can contact the Register Office directly for a copy. Fees and timescales vary widely, with some registrars offering a same-day service and others taking 4-6 weeks to issue copy certificates.
Where are UK birth certificates stored?
The General Register Office holds records of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, stillbirths and adoptions in England and Wales. Contact the General Register Office with general enquiries or to ask about an application you’ve already submitted.
General Register Office [email protected] (put ‘GQ’ in the subject line of your email) Telephone: 0300 123 1837 Textphone: 18001 0300 123 1837 Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm Saturday, 9am to 1pm Find out about call charges You can also use the online form to ask about an existing application.
You can order certificates online or write to the following address. General Register Office PO Box 2 Southport PR8 2JD For records in Scotland, contact the National Records of Scotland, For records in Northern Ireland, contact the General Register Office for Northern Ireland,
Can I lookup my birth certificate up online?
Online United States Birth, Marriage, and Death Records • FamilySearch Vital records are birth, marriage, and death (BMD) records that are created by a government entity. These records can be found at the state, county, and city or town level. The federal government does typically not produce vital records.
Which United States BMD vital records are available online? The answer is that it varies by state and date. In many states, clerks began registering marriages a century or more before they recorded births and deaths. One of the most-current and up-to-date ways to determine if vital records are online is to check the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
Here are links to each state: Births and deaths were recorded in most states by the early 1900s. In some states, they go much earlier. Massachusetts vital records begin in the 1600s. Online United States vital records are found on a number of websites, such as,, or state government sites.
Is a certified copy of birth certificate acceptable for passport UK?
I Have Been Told I Need An ‘Original’ Certificate? – There is a great deal of confusion regarding the status of original and certified copies of birth certificates. The passport office will not accept a certified photocopy of your birth certificate. This is what they are referring to when they state that certified copies are not acceptable.
What does a UK birth cert look like?
A full birth certificate is an official document that is printed on security paper and has a raised seal. It usually measures 8.5 x 11 inches and contains the details of the person’s birth in a tabular format. The certificate may include a watermark or other security features to prevent fraud.
What is the difference between a certified copy and an original document?
What is a certified copy of a document? – A certified copy is a duplicate (usually a photocopy) of a primary document, such as a birth certificate, which is endorsed by a government or independent agency. This endorsement guarantees the authenticity of the photocopied document.
- A certified copy doesn’t certify or confirm that the primary document or original document is genuine, only that it’s a true copy of the primary document.
- This means that if the primary document isn’t legitimate, you cannot use the certified copy to guarantee that it’s genuine.
- A true certified copy is a duplicate of a document that a notary has certified and verified as a true copy of the original document.
You may need certified copies of your original documents, such as school records, in many different circumstances.
Can you get a UK birth certificate if born abroad?
How to get a British birth certificate if I was born abroad – Although your local birth certificate should be accepted in the UK, you may still wish to acquire a British birth certificate. Whilst it’s not possible to obtain a regular British birth certificate, you can apply for a consular birth registration certificate.
- To be able to apply for a consular birth certificate if born abroad the birth must also be registered at a UK Consulate, High Commission or with the Armed Forces.
- You can only do this if you were born on or after 1 January 1983.
- It’s worth noting that if you already have automatic British nationality, registering your birth with UK authorities is optional.
You can still apply for a UK passport even if your birth hasn’t been registered. If you have not automatically acquired British citizenship, you may still be eligible to register as a British national by descent and will need to do this before you can apply for your first UK passport.
How do I get a birth certificate from the UK by phone?
The phone number for people wishing to order and enquire about birth, death and marriage certificates has changed today. The new customer service number for the General Register Office is 0300 123 1837. It has been designed to be a memorable as possible by including 1837 – the year that civil registration was first introduced in England and Wales.0300 phone numbers are specially designated for use by public bodies and not-for-profit organisations.
For many customers the cost of calling will be reduced. Calls made to 0300 numbers from landlines and mobile phones are charged to customers at their network provider’s national rate and also form part of the inclusive minutes within the customer’s call package in the same way as calls to geographical numbers.
The General Register Office is part of the Identity and Passport Service, an executive agency of the Home Office. For more information on the General Register Office and to order certificates online please visit Directgov, Published 5 January 2012
Are there two types of birth certificates UK?
There are 2 types of birth certificate:
the short version, which contains only the baby’s details the full version, which also contains the parents’ details
Once you have registered the birth, you’ll be able to buy a short or full certificate for your baby. Both kinds cost £11. If you register the birth in the area where it took place, you’ll get a certificate straight away. If you register the birth in another area, you’ll get it in a few days. You can buy extra copies of the birth certificate from the register office at any time.
What is a birth certificate called in the UK?
There are currently some unavoidable delays in sourcing some certificates from archive due to a backlog in requests, so please bear this in mind when placing your order. There are two types of birth certificates issued in the UK:
Short-form birth certificates, which contain only the child’s details. Long-form birth certificates (also known as ‘Full’ or ‘A4′ certificates), which include both the child’s and the parents’ details.
The Long-form certificate also shows the exact place of birth, the occupation of the father (and more recently the occupation of the mother), and the address of the person registering the birth.
What information do you need for a birth certificate UK?
Information you need when registering a birth – When registering the birth, you should know:
place and date of the birth name, surname and sex of the baby parents’ names, surnames and address places and dates of parents’ birth date of parents’ marriage or civil partnership parents’ jobs mother’s maiden surname
You might not need to give all of this information, depending on who is registering the birth.
Can I use a certified copy of a birth certificate for a passport UK?
I Have Been Told I Need An ‘Original’ Certificate? – There is a great deal of confusion regarding the status of original and certified copies of birth certificates. The passport office will not accept a certified photocopy of your birth certificate. This is what they are referring to when they state that certified copies are not acceptable.
Who owns my birth certificate UK?
The ORIGINAL certificate is government property, therefore your NAME as recorded therefore would also seem to be government property. And the ‘copy’ given to the parents is merely a form of receipt for the Transaction.
How do I get my birth certificate number UK?
In the UK, the serial number is typically located in the upper right-hand corner of the certificate. It is usually a combination of letters and numbers, ranging from 6-10 characters long.
Do I need my birth certificate UK?
A birth certificate is a vital document. As a primary identification document, you can use your document to obtain other forms of identification such as a drivers licence and also passport. So if you are scratching your head asking, “What is a Birth Certificate used for?” here is a list of some of the top things you can do with it.