Order a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate
Get an official copy of a certificate for an event registered in the UK. Each nation has its own register office, so order from the one where the event was registered.
Home » Public bodies » General Register Office (GRO)
General Register Office (GRO)
Keeps the birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership and death records for England and Wales and issues certificates from them.
Part of: HM Passport Office
Contact
General Register Office
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. For general enquiries or about an order you have already made.
- Phone · Telephone
- 0300 123 1837
- Phone · Textphone
- 18001 0300 123 1837
- Postal address
- PO Box 2
Southport
PR8 2JD
United Kingdom - Contact form
- certificate-enquiries.homeoffice.gov.uk/about
- Contact form
- gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/
We only list official numbers. Beware of websites showing 084, 087, 09 or 118 numbers that connect you to a public body at a premium rate.
Related procedures
Register a birth
Every baby born in the UK must be registered. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you have 42 days; in Scotland, 21 days.
Register a death
A death must usually be registered within 5 days (8 days in Scotland). Tell Us Once lets you inform most government departments in one go.
Register a stillbirth
A stillbirth must be registered by law. You have 42 days in England and Wales, 21 days in Scotland and up to 1 year in Northern Ireland. You can give your baby a name in the register.
Correct a mistake on a birth registration
If something was recorded wrongly when a birth was registered, you can apply to correct it. The original entry stays in the register with a note showing the correct details.
Research your family history
Search the official indexes of births, marriages and deaths and order historic certificates to build your family tree. Each UK nation keeps its own records.
Get married or form a civil partnership
You must give notice at a register office before a marriage or civil partnership. Non-British nationals may have extra requirements depending on their immigration status.
Contact data source: GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0, updated 12 October 2026.