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Copies of registration certificates - birth, marriage, civil partnership or death

Where and how to apply for copies of certificates - information you will need to provide, cost, applying for someone else's certificate, how long will it take and old register entry certificates.

Please do not come to the office to order a certificate unless the request is urgent.  Certificates can be ordered online and will be posted to your home address.

You can apply for a copy of a historic birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificate online:

Apply for a certificate

How do I apply for a copy or replacement registration certificate?

We can provide you with copies of registration certificates for events that took place in the East Riding of Yorkshire from 1 July 1837, providing you can supply enough information for us to trace the register entry.

We cannot provide copies for events that took place outside of the East Riding of Yorkshire, instead, you must apply to the district in which the event took place.

Read about the information you will need to provide

Read about accessing certificates for entries, not in the East Riding

Read about accessing certificates for records prior to 1837

Or, apply now below:

Once we can confirm we hold a record of the certificate you will need to pay for the copies.  See cost of certificate copies. 

Ideally certificates should be collected in person or by an authorised representative from Walkergate House, Beverley, HU17 9BP. Certificates for collection in person will be held at the register office for 6 months. Any certificates not collected within this period of time will be destroyed. If collection is not convenient we can post the certificate to you, but we accept no responsibility for the safe delivery of certificates once they have left us and entered the postal system.

Certificates from outside the East Riding

The General Register Office website (government website) allows you to purchase certificates from areas all over the county: 

General Register Office (external website)

You may also want to apply to our neighbouring registration districts: 

Please note: some non-registration websites offer to provide copy certificates. They will make the application on your behalf and may charge very high handling fees. 

If you have a more complex query call us on (01482) 393600.

What informationwill I have to provide?

For us to locate the certificate you must provide:

  •  the first and last name on the certificate
  • your contact details. 

The following information may also help us to locate the correct certificate:

  • the date of the birth, death, marriage or civil partnership
  • the place where the event took place
  • parents details if it is for a birth certificate
  • occupation
  • name of spouse or civil partner if it is for a marriage or civil partnership certificate.

How long will it take to get a copy of my certificate?

Copies of certificates can be ready in as little as 24 hours using our priority service. Alternatively, you can use our standard service where copies will be ready in five working days.

The quickest and safest way to receive the copies of the certificates is to collect them from:

Walkergate House
Old Walkergate
Beverley
East Riding of Yorkshire
HU17 9BP.

Certificates posted in the UK

We can post certificates to you in the UK at no extra cost.

Certificates posted internationally

We can post certificates internationally for an additional fee. 

Please note: we will not take any responsibility for certificates once they have been posted.

How much is a copy certificate?

The following table shows the current fees for copy certificates:


Service  Cost for one copy of certificate Cost per additional copy Timescale
 Priority £35 £11
 Certificate will be ready in one working day
 Standard £11 £11
 Certificate will be ready in five working days

Once the copies of the certificates are ready:

  • You can collect the copies from Walkergate House, Old Walkergate, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU17 9BP.
  • We can post copies to you in the UK or internationally. There will be additional costs for international postage.

Can I apply for someone else’s certificate?

You can apply for someone else’s certificate if it is for a birth, marriage or death. You must provide full information such as names, places and dates and say why you are applying for the certificate.

Please note: you cannot apply for someone else’s civil partnership certificate.

How do I apply for a historical copy certificate?

We only hold registers containing entries for births, deaths and marriages in the East Riding dating back to 1 July 1837.

For information on records before this date visit the East Riding Archives (external council website).

East Riding of Yorkshire  family history archive service  at the Treasure House has a number of records from:

  • parish and church records
  • census information
  • cemetery records
  • information on wills
  • some general register office (GRO) indexes
  • archive and local studies information.

How do I start to trace my family tree?

Firstly, try to find out all the information you can from relatives, such as names, dates, address, occupations and religions. 

Try to find any relevant documentation such as wills, birth, marriage and death certificates. Obtain further information from various sources. There are many publications and websites to help.

Take notes, try to draw up a rough family tree, confirm the earliest event that you are certain of and apply for a birth certificate. This will give you further family information and dates.

There are also many local family history societies who will be willing to help (see guide below for more information). 

Read our useful guide:

Family History leaflet (pdf 67kb)

Or, visit our  family history page.  

What is the GRO Index?

The General Register Office Index (sometimes called the St Catherine's Index) is an index since 1837 of all births, deaths and marriages listed alphabetically in date order. This index is available at most major libraries (but none in the East Riding).

Read more about the GRO Index and family history at the General Register Office website:

General Register Office (GRO) - Family History (external website)

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