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Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates UK: How to Order a Copy

Independently fact-checkedBy Recording Law Editorial Team10 min read

Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited September 28, 2026). · 21 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content

Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates UK: How to Order a Copy

Getting a copy of a UK birth, marriage or death certificate means ordering from one of three separate national services, England and Wales through the General Register Office, Scotland through ScotlandsPeople, and Northern Ireland through GRONI, and the deadline to register a birth or death in the first place is not the same across the three.

Registering a birth: the deadline is not the same everywhere

In England and Wales, a birth must be registered within 42 days, at a register office or, in some areas, the hospital where the baby was born (gov.uk: register a birth). The same gov.uk page confirms Northern Ireland uses the identical 42 day period. That period is fixed in statute for England and Wales: the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 requires informants "to give to the registrar, before the expiration of a period of forty-two days from the date of the birth, information of the particulars required to be registered" (legislation.gov.uk: Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, section 2).

Scotland's deadline is genuinely shorter. Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965, section 14(1), requires informants "within twenty one days from the date of the birth, to give to the district registrar for a registration district information of the prescribed particulars concerning the birth" (legislation.gov.uk: 1965 Act, section 14), and mygov.scot states plainly that "you should register it within 21 days of the date of birth" (mygov.scot: register a birth). A birth can be registered at any registration office in Scotland, not only one local to the parents.

Registering a death: the deadlines, and two nuances the summary pages miss

England and Wales require a death to be registered within 5 days of the medical examiner's confirmation, under section 16 of the 1953 Act, which sets the period at "five days from the relevant date" (legislation.gov.uk: 1953 Act, section 16); gov.uk states the same figure in plain terms, "register the death within 5 days (8 days in Scotland) of getting the confirmation" (gov.uk: after a death).

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Scotland's 8 day period comes from section 23(1) of the 1965 Act, which allows "eight days, or such other period, not being less than three days, as may be prescribed" (legislation.gov.uk: 1965 Act, section 23). National Records of Scotland's own guidance confirms 8 days is the figure actually in use, "where possible" (nrscotland.gov.uk: registering a death); the statute lets regulations prescribe a different period of not less than 3 days.

Northern Ireland requires registration within 5 days, under article 21(5) of the Births and Deaths Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 (legislation.gov.uk: 1976 Order, article 21), matching nidirect's own statement that "a death should be registered within five days" (nidirect.gov.uk: registering a death). Article 21(7) of the same Order waives that 5 day requirement where a death has been referred to a coroner, or where industrial lung disease is suspected, so a death referred to a coroner does not follow the ordinary 5 day clock.

Ordering a certificate: fees, turnaround and who can order one

NationIssuing serviceStandard feeTurnaroundExtra copies
England and WalesGeneral Register Office (GRO)12.50 pounds standard, 38.50 pounds priority4 days standard (next working day priority, ordered by 4pm); +3.50 pounds and 15 working days if you have no GRO index reference numberSame fee schedule applies per copy
ScotlandScotlandsPeople (National Records of Scotland)12 pounds15 working days standard10 pounds each
Northern IrelandGRONI (part of NISRA)15 pounds from GRONI after registration (20 pounds priority); at registration, 8 pounds per copy of a birth or death certificate, plus one free short birth certificate when a birth is registeredGRONI aims to process standard orders within 5 working days8 pounds each when ordered together (from GRONI or at registration)

Sources: gov.uk: order a copy of a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate; scotlandspeople.gov.uk: order a certificate; nidirect.gov.uk: registering and naming your baby; nidirect.gov.uk: registering a death; nidirect.gov.uk: ordering life event certificates.

Ordering a certificate is generally open access in all three nations: anyone who has the right reference details can order a copy, it is not restricted the way a personal data record is. The one exception is Northern Ireland's free first short birth certificate, which goes only to the person who registered the birth; anyone can order an additional or later copy for a fee. Order directly from GRO, ScotlandsPeople or GRONI: these official routes are the cheapest way to get a certificate, and a third-party certificate-finding service will charge more for the same official document.

Tell Us Once: covers Great Britain, not Northern Ireland

Tell Us Once lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go, but it is only available in England, Scotland and Wales. Gov.uk is direct about the gap: "you cannot use Tell Us Once if the person was living in Northern Ireland when they died" (gov.uk: Tell Us Once). The registrar-issued Tell Us Once reference number must be used within 28 days of being given.

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Northern Ireland has no equivalent single notification service. Its Bereavement Service, run separately, records "the date of death, informing any benefit office that paid benefit to the deceased" and checks whether the bereaved can claim financial support (nidirect.gov.uk: who to tell about a death). It does not replace contacting the relevant tax office, the passport office, the Driver and Vehicle Agency or Land and Property Services, which nidirect lists as separate contacts, so anyone dealing with a death in Northern Ireland has to contact each of those separately.

Marriage registration: a 3 day duty in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a 2021 change in England and Wales

In England and Wales the couple has no registration deadline: the registrar keeps the signed marriage schedule, or the officiant must deliver it to a registrar within 21 days (legislation.gov.uk: Marriage Act 1949, section 53D). Scotland and Northern Ireland differ: after a religious or belief marriage in Scotland the couple must deliver the marriage schedule to the district registrar within 3 days (legislation.gov.uk: Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977, section 15), and after a religious marriage in Northern Ireland the couple must arrange for it to reach the registrar within 3 days (legislation.gov.uk: Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, article 16).

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In England and Wales, that registration has run through an online marriage schedule system since 4 May 2021, replacing the old paper marriage register books. The commencement is set by regulation 1 of the Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021, which brings the new system into force "on 4th May 2021" (legislation.gov.uk: Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021, SI 2021/411), made under section 1 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act 2019, and amending the Marriage Act 1949 (legislation.gov.uk: Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act 2019, section 1). One practical effect of the change is that both parents' names now appear on the marriage certificate, which they did not before 2021. Marriage certificate fees follow the same GRO, ScotlandsPeople and GRONI schedules quoted above for birth and death certificates.

For the wider UK public records hub, including freedom of information requests and land registry searches, see the section hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days do I have to register a birth in the UK?

42 days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland's deadline is shorter, at 21 days, under the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965.

How long do I have to register a death?

5 days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, though Northern Ireland waives this where a death has been referred to a coroner. Scotland allows 8 days, where possible, under its own 1965 Act.

How much does a UK birth, marriage or death certificate cost?

12.50 pounds standard or 38.50 pounds priority in England and Wales (extra copies the same price), 12 pounds through ScotlandsPeople in Scotland (10 pounds per extra copy), and 15 pounds from GRONI in Northern Ireland (8 pounds per extra copy ordered together). In Northern Ireland, copies bought at registration cost 8 pounds each, and registering a birth comes with one free short birth certificate.

Does Tell Us Once work in Northern Ireland?

No. Tell Us Once covers England, Scotland and Wales only. Northern Ireland has a separate Bereavement Service that deals with benefits, so other organisations, including the relevant tax office, the passport office, the DVA and Land and Property Services, must be contacted separately.

Is there a deadline to register a marriage?

Not for the couple in England and Wales, where the registrar or officiant deals with it. In Scotland (religious or belief ceremonies) and Northern Ireland (religious ceremonies), the couple must get the signed marriage schedule to the registrar within 3 days.

Can anyone order a copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate?

Generally yes, anyone with the correct reference details can order a copy in all three nations. The one exception is Northern Ireland's free first short birth certificate, which goes only to the person who registered the birth.

Updates

Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources

Sources and References

  1. Register a birth(gov.uk).gov
  2. Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, section 2(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  3. Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965, section 14(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  4. Register a birth (Scotland)(mygov.scot).gov
  5. Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, section 16(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  6. After a death(gov.uk).gov
  7. Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965, section 23(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  8. Registering a death (Scotland)(nrscotland.gov.uk).gov
  9. Births and Deaths Registration (Northern Ireland) Order 1976, article 21(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  10. Registering a death (Northern Ireland)(nidirect.gov.uk).gov
  11. Order a copy of a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate(gov.uk).gov
  12. Order a certificate (ScotlandsPeople)(scotlandspeople.gov.uk).gov
  13. Registering and naming your baby (Northern Ireland)(nidirect.gov.uk).gov
  14. Tell Us Once(gov.uk).gov
  15. Who to tell about a death (Northern Ireland)(nidirect.gov.uk).gov
  16. Registration of Marriages Regulations 2021, SI 2021/411(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  17. Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc.) Act 2019, section 1(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  18. Marriage Act 1949, section 53D(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  19. Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977, section 15(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  20. Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, article 16(legislation.gov.uk).gov
  21. Ordering life event certificates (Northern Ireland)(nidirect.gov.uk).gov
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