Family History & Research
What computerised indexes are held by the General Register Office?
| Birth registration indexes | From 1864 onwards |
| Death registration indexes | From 1864 onwards |
| Marriage registration indexes | From 1845 onwards (non-Roman Catholic marriages) and from 1864 onwards all marriages |
| World War II death indexes | From 1939 - 1945 |
Please note: GRO only hold marriage registers from 1922 onwards.
How do I make arrangements?
We have a limited number of spaces in the public search room, and can only permit one person per terminal. You are advised to book an appointment at least 6 weeks in advance as we cannot guarantee that a place will be available on a particular day if you have not made a prior reservation. This should be taken into consideration especially if you are travelling to Belfast. Please note that children under 16 years of age cannot be admitted to the room.
To book the above services please telephone 101 (if calling from within NI) or 02890 252000 or email: gro.nisra@dfpni.gov.uk
When you arrive, you will be asked to produce some form of ID, preferably photographic, i.e. driving licence or passport.
Laptops are permitted in the Public Search Room but must be battery operated as no external power sources are available.
To protect our records, we do not permit smoking, eating or drinking anywhere within the General Register Office.
Type of searches available
Assisted Search
General search of records assisted by members of GRO staff for any period of years and any number of entries. The cost of this service is £26.00 per hour.
Index Search
Computerised indexes are available for searching at a cost of £12.00 for a total of 6 hours or part thereof. This cost includes 4 verifications of entries by staff, with the option of further verifications at £3.00 each. An index search is when you can see the index only, if verification is requested a member of staff will look up the register and read the entry to you.
Copies of certificates
Copies of certificates relating to any entries traced may be purchased at a cost of £6.00 each but cannot be provided immediately. The certificates can either be collected from the GRO or posted to the applicant. If an application is received before 2.30pm, and an additional priority fee of £17.00 is paid, the certificate will be provided within 1 hour of application.
Search room opening hours
The search room is open between 9.30am and 4.00pm (except on the first Tuesday of every month, when the office opens at 10.00am to facilitate staff training). Staff are unavailable for assistance between 12.00 and 12.30pm and members of the public reporting for a search will not be admitted to the search room during this time. Staff are unable to provide verifications of entries after 3.15pm.
Access to the search room
Assistance for deaf and hard of hearing customers
A personal induction loop system is available for use in the public search room.
Customers who use wheelchairs
Our office is accessible to wheelchair users.
Documents which could assist in your research
GRO family history research guide
Contact information for a number of information sources which could assist in your research.