Fees for certificates and searches
Fees payable for Certificates
Full certified copy of an entry of birth/adoption/marriage/civil partnership/death £12.00
Where two or more full certified copies of the same entry are applied for at the same time, the first copy will be charged at £ 12.00 and any additional copies at £ 6.00 each.
Where an applicant can supply full particulars including the register entry number and date of registration the fee will be £ 6.00.
Short birth/adoption certificate £12.00
A short certificate shows only the surname, name, sex, date of birth and (in most cases) the district of birth. Such a certificate is generally accepted for all for which evidence of age only is required. Please note that to obtain either a UK or Irish Passport, a full birth/adoption certificate is required.
Where an applicant can supply full particulars including the register entry number and date of registration the fee will be £ 6.00.
Priority Certificate (certificate fee +£17.00)
On payment of a priority fee, certificates can be produced within one hour for personal applications. Postal, telephone, fax and internet applications received before 14:30 hours, accompanied by the priority fee will be dispatched the same day.
Statutory Purpose Certificate £6.00
Certificates for Education & Social Security purposes can be produced at a reduced fee. Proof from the Department of Education or Department of Health and Social Services must be included with your application. These certificates may only be used for the purposes provided.
Postage charges
The following amounts will be added to your payment to cover postage costs:
| Country | 1 certificate | 2 certificates | 3 certificates | 4 certificates | 5 certificates | 6 certificates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Europe | £0.49 | £0.71 | £0.71 | £0.92 | £0.92 | £0.92 |
| Rest of the world | £0.79 | £1.20 | £1.20 | £1.61 | £1.61 | £1.61 |
How to Pay
On-line & Telephone Applications: Payment by VISA (credit & debit), Mastercard or Maestro.
Personal Applications: You can pay by cash, cheque (accompanied by a cheque guarantee card), postal order or by using a valid Visa, Mastercard of Maestro (card-holder only). An international money order is also accepted from those applying from outside the UK.
Postal Applications: You can pay by cheque or postal order made payable to 'The Registrar General' or by using a valid Visa, Mastercard or Maestro.
Fax Applications: You can pay by a valid Visa, Mastercard or Maestro.
Certificate dispatch
Personal Applications: Ready for collection or posting in THREE working days.
Postal Applications: Processed within SEVEN working days of the completed application form and payment being received.
Telephone Applications: Processed within SEVEN working days of the application being received.
Online Applications: Processed within SEVEN working days of the application being received.
Fax Applications: Processed within SEVEN working days of the application being received.
Priority Applications:
- Personal applications will be ready within one hour, if the priority fee is paid.
- Priority applications received by post, telephone, fax will be issued by first class mail, on the day of receipt provided they are received before 14:30 hours. Applications received after this time will not be processed until the next working day.
A priority service is not available for marriages registered before 1922.