In England and Wales, official records of births, deaths and
marriages began on 1 July, 1837 and Civil Partnership records began
on 5 December, 2005. Separate systems operate for Scotland and
Northern Ireland. The country is divided into registration
districts, each has its own Register Office, where the original
registers are kept. They contain the records of births, marriages
and deaths from 1 July, 1837. If you know the area where the event
took place you can apply directly to the Register Office for a
certified copy of the entry from the registers, there is a charge
for this service.
Registers of births, deaths and marriages are either:
- Incomplete - Still being used by a Registrar
or Church
- Complete - Transfered to the Superintendent Registrar for
safe keeping
How to apply
If you wish to obtain a copy certificate for a birth, marriage
or death that was registered in Peterborough you can
apply to us here at Peterborough Register Office by post,
telephone or in person. Telephone applications require a card
payment so please have these details to hand when telephoning
the office.
You will need to provide the following information:
- The type of certificate you require: birth, death, marriage or
civil partnership
- The name or names the certificate applies to
- The date of the event
- The place of the event
- Parents names for a birth certificate
- Any other relevant information that may help us to locate the
certificate
If applying by post you will also need to include the
following:
- A stamped addressed envelope.
- Payment in the form of a cheque or postal order made payable to
'Peterborough City Council'.
If applying in person at the Register Office:
- Payment can be made by cash or credit/debit card (excluding
'Electron'). There is a £1 admininistration charge for
applications paid for by card.
- Certificates are usually ready for collection 7
days after ordering, or they can be posted to you
If applying by telephone:
- Payment can be made by credit/debit card (excluding 'Electron'
). There is a £1 administration charge for applications paid
for by card.
Certificates are ready for collection or posting 7
days after ordering. We do offer an express certificate
service where, for an additional cost, the certificate will be
ready within one hour of ordering:
Express Certificate Service fees:
| Up to 31 March 2012 |
£28 + certificate cost |
| 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 (proposed) |
£30 + certificate cost |
| |
|
Fees for Birth, Death or Marriage certificates:
- Certificates issued at the time of registration are
£3.50
- Certificates issued after the time of registration are
£7.00 from an incomplete register or
£9.00 from a completed register.
The above same fees also apply to the issue of short birth
certificates - a short birth certificate is issued free
of charge at the time of the birth registration.
Fees for Civil Partnership certificates
Two types of certificate are available:
- Standard certificate (which includes partners'
addresses)
- Extract certificate (which does not include partners'
addresses)
The same fee applies for each type:
- Certificates applied for at the time of registration are
£3.50
- Certificates applied for after the registration are £9.00
What if I do not know where the event took place
If you are not sure where the birth, death, marriage or civil
partnership occurred, you can order your certificates through
General Register Office as they keep of all events registered
in all registration districts in England and Wales.
We cannot issue a certificate until we have received payment.
Please note that most agencies including Passports, Jobs,
Saving Accounts etc., now request sight of a full birth
certificate.
Application Forms
Death certificate application form
(206KB, 1 pages)
Marriage certificate application form
(202KB, 1 pages)
Useful Links