Apply for copies of birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates

Alternatively, you can call us to buy copies of certificates. 

Before you start

You'll need the following information before you apply:

Birth certificates

Date and place of birth, full name and parent's names.

If you need an adoption certificate, you will need to apply to the General Register Office.

Death certificates

Date and place of death and full name of deceased.

Marriage certificates

Date and place of marriage, full names of couple.

Civil partnership certificates

Date and place of civil partnership, full names and address of couple at time of registration.

Records we hold

We hold records of:

• births, deaths and marriages which have taken place since July 1837 in Dorset (this doesn't include Bournemouth and Poole). Contact the Dorset History Centre for records before 1 July 1837
• births, deaths civil (non-religious) marriages and civil partnerships for Christchurch from 1 April 1997 to 31 March 2019 only (due to county boundary changes). For records outside of these dates and for Church marriages, contact BCP Council

If the birth, death or marriage/civil partnership happened outside of Dorset you will need to contact the register office for that area.

If you're unsure whether we hold a record, contact us before you apply.

Cost

Copy certificates from an archived register cost £12.50. 

Express service

If you need a certificate urgently we offer an express service, costing £38.50. If ordered by telephone before 1pm your certificate will normally be posted first class the same day.

This service is not available using our online ordering service so please contact us.

Contact us

Privacy Notice

For more information about how we handle your personal data see the Registration Service Privacy Notice.