How Can I Obtain a Copy of a Birth Certificate?

You can order a certificate for a birth registered in England and Wales...

• online* or by post, telephone or fax from the General Register Office (GRO). The site includes application forms for ordering by post.

     *Note that to order certificates online for births before 1st
      January 1900 you need to supply the full GRO index
      reference; for births between 1st January 1900 and 18
      months before the present date, you need to supply the GRO
      index reference or the exact date of the birth.

• from the register office at which the birth was registered, if you know which it was. For contact details and web sites of all register offices, see Register Offices.

Does how I order affect the cost?
 

The two cheapest ways (by a few pounds) are...

• ordering from the local register office at which the birth was registered, and

• ordering online from the GRO if you supply the GRO index  reference with your order.

How do I find GRO index references?

• The GRO index references are given in the births index. For each birth entry, the GRO index reference consists of the details given in the volume and page columns of the index.