How to obtain copies of UK and Irish Birth, Death & Marriage Certificates Online

Updated 5th January 2021

We are often asked whether it is possible to obtain official copies of Birth, Death and Marriage certificates from the UK or Ireland remotely online, typically whilst in Tenerife.

Fortunately in most cases, the answer is YES. We have set out the procedures to apply for replacement certificates in both the UK and in Ireland below:

For those requiring assistance with legal procedures in Tenerife or in England/Wales (e.g. divorce, probate, marriage declarations etc), TENERIFE SOLICITORS are the only dual registered English Solicitors & Spanish Abogados operating in the Canary Islands. More more information, visit their website:  www.tenerifesolicitors.com

United Kingdom Certificates

You can apply via the official government website here:  https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate

If you don’t already have an online account with the GRO, you will be prompted to create one.

The fee is £11.00 per certificate, which is payable online by debit/credit card at the time of ordering.

You will need a GRO reference number for the person whose certificate is being requested. This can be found via the following site:

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl  Your GRO reference number is the Volume and Page number found in the registry for the type of certificate you are requesting (e.g. Volume 9b and Page 2827 –  GRO = 9b2827). If you don’t quote the GRO number when filing the application for the copy certificate, you will be charged an additional £3.00 for the search to be carried out on your behalf.

Turnaround time is typically 4 days from the date of ordering, but may be extended due to Coronavirus delays. However, those requesting delivery to an address outside of the U.K. will obviously need to factor in the typical international postal delays.

Irish Certificates

Applications for copies of Irish Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates can be made here: https://www2.hse.ie/services/births-deaths-and-marriages/get-certificates/ordering-certificates.html

The fee for all certificates via this service is €20. There is also a postal fee of €1.50 to an Irish address or €2.00 to post to an address outside Ireland.

Due to Coronavirus delays, turnaround time is currently up to 30 WORKING days to post out, plus any postal delivery delay.