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| Q1. I was born in England / Wales. How can I order a copy of my birth certificate? |
To order a copy of your birth certificate online you will need to follow the instructions on our application page and supply any information that you are prompted for. You will also need to supply information relating to yourself as marked by the mandatory fields. This will help us to find and produce the correct entry. The same applies to those born in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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| Q2. Will the birth certificate have both parents details? |
Certificates give both parents' details, if they were registered at the time of the event, including the mother's maiden name. |
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| Q3. Is the Certificate the 'short' or 'long' version? |
Yes. The certificates are 'long' or 'full' versions.
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| Q4. How long will delivery take? |
Your order will be despatched within 5 working days if the GRO reference has been quoted and 12 working days if no GRO reference has been supplied. Mail delivery time should be added to the stated despatch date.
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| Q5. What records are held for overseas births, marriages and deaths? |
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Births, marriages and deaths registered by the British Forces and the British Consul or High Commission in the country where they took place, from 1849.
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Deaths that occurred in the Boer War and both World Wars.
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British Army Regimental records of births, baptisms and marriages dating back to 1761.
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Marine Births and Deaths, from 1837, which took place on British registered vessels.
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Aircraft Births and Deaths, from 1948, which took place on British registered aircraft. |
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| Q6. Are all overseas births, marriages and deaths, involving British nationals held in the UK? |
No. Registering with the British authorities is not compulsory. It is not a service which everyone takes up. |
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| Q7. I have a British passport, does this mean that my birth is registered or recorded in the UK, even though I was born abroad? |
No. Having a British passport does not mean that your birth was automatically registered in the UK. Your birth may have been registered, by your parents, with the British authorities in the country of birth, but registering is not compulsory.
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| Q8. What certificates of overseas births, marriages and deaths can I order? |
You may place an order online for a full certificate of an overseas birth (which will include parent's details) a death certificate or a marriage certificate.
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| Q9. What will I see on an overseas certificate? |
Due to the variety in format of overseas records, it depends on the type of record the certificate is produced from.
Normally the format of a birth certificate will include a date and place of birth, the child's name and the parent's names and surnames.
Marriage certificates, if the marriage took place in a British Consul or was registered by the British Forces the certificate will take a usual format of date and place of marriage and the names and surnames of the bride and groom. If however the marriage was one where a certificate was deposited with our records then it will be a certified copy of the original documents i.e. the certificate issued by the foreign country plus a translation, if applicable.
Death certificates will normally include date and place of death (in respect of war deaths this may just state the country), name and surname of the deceased and often the age at death or date of birth.
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| Q10. What records are held in the Adoptions Branch? |
The Adoptions Branch hold the following information:
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Adopted Children Register: The Adoptions Branch maintains the Adopted Children Register (ACR). The Register contains the particulars of adoptions authorised by order of a court in England or Wales on or after 1 January 1927. The only information that is available from the Adopted Children Register is a certificated copy of an entry, which is the equivalent of a birth certificate for an adopted person. |
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