• In person from the Family Records Centre (FRC)
• By postal mail, telephone, fax, or email from the General Register Office (GRO)
• Locally from the register office where the event took place

If you aren't sure of the year and quarter and/or the location in which the event took place, the Family Records Centre or the GRO will be your best bet. They have a graduated fee listing for requests depending upon the amount of information which you provide to them. The local register office, on the other hand, has the advantage of being a much cheaper alternative to the GRO. You may not receive your certificate as quickly, however, and it is not a good idea for marriage certificates unless you know the exact parish in which your ancestors were married.
 

How to obtain a certificate in person at the Family Records Centre:

Applying in person at the Family Records Centre in London has a few distinct advantages. First, you will be able to search for and obtain certificates for births, marriages, and deaths that took place in more than one area all in one visit. This can save you time spent traveling to various local register offices. The second, is that you can search the GRO index for your ancestors right there at the Family Records Centre and request the certificate the same day. The fees are also slightly better than for applying by mail, phone, fax, or email from the GRO.

The Family Records Centre is open to the public and all the indexes are housed in one central location. If you do not know the GRO reference number for the event in question, you can search the indexes at the FRC for free as outlined in the previous section.

Once you have identified the entry you want, you will complete an application form and take it to the tills for payment. At the FRC you may pay for the certificates you order by cash, check with a guarantee card, or credit/switch/solo/debit card.

It takes 4 working days to obtain a certificate from the FRC. You can either come back and pick it up yourself, or ask that it be sent to you by first class post.

There is a priority service for customers who require certificates the next day (not including weekends and bank holidays). Priority certificates are usually collected in person, but for an additional fee can be sent by special delivery. It is not possible to produce certificates on the same day.

If you are ordering a birth certificate you can choose between a full or short version. A short version only includes the child's details, the full version includes the parents' details. Please note that for family history purposes, you should order full birth certificates.

What information do these records contain?

How do I locate a birth/marriage/death certificate?

How do I order a copy of a birth/marriage/death certificate?

My ancestor was born/married/died after 1837. Why can't I find his/her record?