Genealogy Chat

Hi I am new to researching family trees I have found birth records of several of my ancestors . How do I get birth certificates ?

Hi Kevin.
I assume this is England/Wales?
If so, certs cost £9.25 and can be ordered online from the GRO:

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/

Jan

You have two options....

Either to buy from the GRO (General Register Office) or from the relevant local Register Office.

If I have the index record and I am sure that I have the right event then I use the GRO as it is easy and quick using the online order form.

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/default.asp

Local Offices may or may not issue certificates for family history research and some take longer than the GRO, though some are said to be quicker!

Chris

Just a note; The GRO reference number is of no use to Local Registry Offices as they have their own reference system

Roy

Ordering via the GRO is the cheapest method as the £9.25 is all inclusive

From a local registrars office you have to pay P & P on top of their price which can take the charge up to around £10.00 depending on which office you order from.

I think now that most charge 9.50 & p+p.

NEVER order from anywhere other than the GRO or Local Registrars offices, as these are just middlemen who will overcharge

For certificates from a closed register, the current price for England and Wales is £9.25 inclusive from GRO online but £10 from the relevant registration district (price is set by GRO too for these, so a bit odd, I admit!) and they may add p & p. From a current register it's £4 on the day of registration and £7 thereafter until the register is closed (i.e a month after the final entry - number 300 - is done)

Ordering from abroad means that ordering from the GRO is the ONLY feasible way.

Cost is £9.25, charged to a credit card

No extra charge for p&p


Ordering from a Registry Office can bring the total cost up to as much as £15 per certificate


This is why .....................


can't be charged to credit card, so have to buy a Sterling Money Order from a bank, plus associated service charge

Certificate cost £10 (according to Jack), plus service charge = ca £10.50 to £11

Add P&P ...... add £1 to cost of each certificate (no UK stamps!!) plus service charge = ca £1.50 to £1.75 for each certificate

Total cost of Money Order for each certificate = ca £12 to £12:75

Have to enclose stamped addressed envelope ........ stamp not available, PLUS the envelope size requested is not found in most other countries.

Add cost of special sized envelope (has to be bought individually) ...... ca 50 cents to £1

Add cost of mailing to them .................. larger than average envelope and heavier than average ..................... cost equivalent of ca £3-5, minimum


This is all something to bear in mind!!



sylvia

Thanks to everyone who replied it was all really helpful :-)

Kevin, depending where/when the birth took place then there might be a baptism record on-line which can give very useful info and save on a cert.

You can always ask on here for a look-up or try FamilySearch https://www.familysearch.org/

Trust me on the price of £10. I'm a registrar! :-)

:-D :-D


Jack ......we usually get so many different versions of costs from Registry Offices.


It's good to get an official voice!

For certs ordered from the local RO, in addition to the £10 statutory fee (it was increased to that figure a year or so ago, but Jack might be able confirm when that was) postage costs and other costs appear to vary a lot, which is why there are different versions when you are comparing the total costs.

e.g. Liverpool charge 80p for UK, £1.50 for abroad, unless an SAE is provided. Manchester does not appear to charge postage, unless you require their premium service. Some ROs make no charge but only use 2nd class post.

Our local RO requires an SAE or expects you to collect in person. In addition, if you pay by debit or credit card, they charge a £1 on top as an admin fee.

I don't believe that RO's can refuse to issue certs for research purposes, but they can treat such applications with low priority. Also some RO's will search a number of years for you, others wont, or have special requirements..

Liverpool for example, specifies "For Family History applications, the minimum information we require is the: quarter, year, Registration District and name and initials from the ONS index. Unfortunately, if you do not supply this information, or the index information available from the Lancashire BMD website, we will return your application. "

Details of the services provided and any additional charges or the costs of express or premium services can usually be found on the appropriate website.