Birth Certificates UK
What are Birth Certificates and their purpose?
Birth Certificates are documents that certify the details of an individuals birth, the term can either refer to the original document or a certified copy.
Initially the primary purpose of Birth Certificates was tax reasons, and also for the military to establish the available numbers of potential conscripts. Birth Certificates have many different uses today as we shall explore further.
Most countries have laws surrounding the registration of births. In most cases it is the responsibility of the parent to register with the appropriate agency.
UK Birth Certificates are archived by the registrar and a copy sent to the central archive. Upon request they can be reissued by either custodian for a fee, these are certified copies. Birth Certificates establish the identity of the person and grant him/her access to the rights, obligations and privilieges of citizenship.
Prior to the registration system created in 1837, evidence of births was dependent on such events being recorded by Churches. You may be able to find marriage, birth and death records in these Churches. However, you will not be able to obtain a certificate for anything prior to 1837.
What information is on Birth Certificates and why may i need to present one?
On a long form certificate you will find the full name, sex, date and location of birth, and parent’s names if present at the registration. You will also find the parent’s address and occupations and the registrar’s name and signature.
The short certificate only records the name, date and place of birth, there are no parent details on these short versions.
Typical reasons you could be asked to show your certificate are passport applications or renewals, house buying or a tenancy agreement, school places, job applications, benefit or pension claims.
Birth Certificates of UK nationals born overseas
Most armed forces birth records are held in the central archive and can be reissued in certificate form. For family history purposes click here for helpful information.
If a person was born overseas and registered with a consulate the birth certificate will not be readily available in the UK. But, we can assist with these searches so simply call us on 01706 826109 or fill out the contact form.
Birth certificates post adoption
After an Adoption order has been passed a copy of the court order will be issued and sent to the adoptive parent.
Then a birth certificate in the adoptive name will be issued which is also known as an adoption certificate. The adoption certificate replaces the original birth certificate for all legal matters.
I don’t live in the UK. Will my birth certificate be accepted abroad?
You may need an apostille stamp if the certificate is for official purposes overseas. The Apostille stamp validates a document’s authenticity when presenting it to foreign officials. Apostille stamps are not always needed, we would suggest that you check before ordering one as it may be an unnecessary expense.
If i order what will i receive?
You will receive a fully certified long version Certificate. Sometimes called extracts issued from the film images in the archives. They are not photocopies. You will receive a fresh printed certificate with the new issue date printed.
Speedy service
We understand that your order of a Replacement birth certificate is important. We have tailored the full online process to be simple from start to finish. Many other online services overlook mistakes that cause delays or even the annulment of an order. We use the necessary care and attention to ensure your certified birth certificate copy order is successful.
We have access to all the relevant databases which means should any problems arise we can resolve them quickly without delay. If a problem does present itself we will contact you immediately to seek a resolve.
UK Delivery
We use Royal Mail and the timescales for each service level are given at the time of order. When possible we will despatch an order ahead of the quoted timescale. Our priority option includes next working day delivery so if you are in urgent need we ensure your Replacement Whitchurch Birth Certificate copy arrives quickly.
International delivery
Orders to overseas addresses with priority service include a tracked DHL delivery service. The standard and standard plus options include standard airmail.
If you have a new born child that needs registering click here for useful information.
