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

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

You must apply to the register office in the district in which the event took place. We can only provide copies of entries in registers for events that took place in East Riding of Yorkshire, from 1 July 1837 onwards, providing you can supply enough details for us to trace the register entry. 

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:

Online

Apply and pay for a copy of a certificate

Please see prices below

In person 

You can apply and pay at your nearest Customer Service centre. Cheque, card and cash payments are accepted provided that you are in receipt of a reference number issued by the district register office listed below (there is no charge for card payments). Please see prices below.

Alternatively, you can apply in person at:

The Register Office
Walkergate House
Walkergate
Beverley
HU17 9BP

Tel: (01482) 393600

(View Walkergate House on a map and see opening times)

Please note: 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.

By post

You can also apply by post to:

The Register Office 
Walkergate House 
Walkergate 
Beverley 
HU17 9BP

(View Walkergate House on a map and see opening times)

Please note: if applying by post, you are not required to complete a formal application form. Please just send a letter including as many details as possible to help us find the correct register entry. 

Please also include your contact details (phone and address) and we will contact you to arrange payment over the phone by card. If you wish to pay by cash, you must do so in person at the address above or your nearest customer service centre.

Please note that ideally certificates should be collected in person or by an authorised representative. If this is not convenient we will post the certificate out to you via second class post.

We accept no responsibility for the safe delivery of certificates once they have left us and entered the postal system.

Please see prices below

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:

• Hull City Council
• York City Council
• North Yorkshire County Council
• Leeds City Council
• North Lincolnshire Council

Please note: some 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 then you can contact us by telephone (01482) 393600.

What information will I have to provide?

You must provide:

• the name or names on the certificate
• the date and place where the birth, death, marriage or civil partnership happened
• parents details if it is for a birth certificate
• the reason why the certificate is needed
• your contact details.

How long will it take to get a certificate?

We aim to process your application within five working days. Our priority service can produce a certificate within 24 hours or less and the fee for this service is £35 plus the cost of the certificate (see table below).

How much is a copy certificate?

The following table shows the current fees for copy certificates:

** Our priority service can produce a certificate within 24 hours of payment being received. If your application is made between 10am and 3pm Monday to Friday, your certificate can be:

• Collected from Walkergate House, Beverley, HU17 9BP the following working day. (recommended)
• Posted to you using first class post the following working day. We accept no responsibility for the safe delivery of certificates once they have left us and entered the postal system. We would require an additional fee to issue any replacement certificates.

Can I apply for someone else’s certificate?

You can apply for someone else’s certificate but you must provide full information such as names, places and dates and say why you are applying for the 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. Information is available on the family history page  for records prior to this.

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 which 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 opens new window)

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)

Can I provide feedback on the service I have used?

Yes, we welcome your feedback.  

Please complete our online survey using the following link:

Provide feedback