Change of https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-tree-guide-to-birth-certificates

Change description : 2025-09-05 15:34:00: Added more detail to ‘tip 1’ for if you cannot find an ancestor’s birth registration details recorded in the indexes. [Guidance and regulation]

Showing diff : 2023-07-06 08:01:47.784309196 +00:00..2025-09-05 14:34:18.292463990 +00:00

Promotional material

Family tree: guide to birth certificates

How to use the General Register Office to find birth certificates when researching your family tree and family history.

From:: HM Passport Office
Published: 22 January 2016
Last updated: 65 ~~July~~September ~~2023~~2025 — See all updates

Documents

Guide to birth certificates (accessible version)

HTML

Guide to birth certificates

PDF, 355507 KB, 3 pages

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Details

This guide explains:

how to find your ancestors’ birth certificates

how much it costs to order a birth certificate

what information you’ll find on a birth certificate

how to order birth certificates online, by phone and by post

information about PDF records

information about our online view digital image service

The guide also includes tips on what to do if you can’tcannot find your ancestors in the General Register Office’s public index of every birth recorded in England and Wales since 1837.

Published 22 January 2016

Last updated 65 ~~July~~September ~~2023~~ ~~+ show~~2025 href="#full-history">+ show all updates

Update history

2025-09-05 15:34
Added more detail to ‘tip 1’ for if you cannot find an ancestor’s birth registration details recorded in the indexes.

2023-07-06 09:00
Updated to include the online view service.