If the event took place in the Dudley Borough you can apply to us for a certificate. We hold registers for births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths that occurred from 1st July 1837 to the present day.
For events that took place elsewhere you will need to apply to the relevant register office.
Please complete the online application form. This is the quickest and easiest way to order a certificate. This service requires an online payment. After you submit your form you will be taken to our secure payment facility to pay for the requested service.
You should read the fees and services information below before starting your online application to enable you to decide which service you require. We offer a standard 5 day service and a priority same-day service. For added security and peace of mind, we post all our certificates by Royal Mail 'signed for 1st class' service. Royal Mail aims to deliver the next working day, but this is not guaranteed and deliveries can take longer. Royal Mail advise to allow up to 14 days. Please add on 'special delivery' if you want to guarantee delivery and track your item.
Please note that a maximum of 5 certificates are sent per envelope. If you order more than 5 certificates they will be sent in separate packages and may arrive on different days.
IMPORTANT: Please note that postal delays may occur. Increased demand on Royal Mail can also cause delays during December.
If you require death certificates, they can be ordered using our standard certificate service. They cost £12.50 per certificate plus a £4.50* admin and processing fee per application for up to 5 certificates. This increases for larger quantities.
If you are ordering death certificates from a registration completed during the last week, your certificates will be issued and posted the day your application is received provided that it arrives before 12 noon. Applications received after 12 noon will be issued and posted the next working day. (Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays). You DO NOT need to use the ‘same-day’ £38.50 service for recently registered deaths.
Delivery: For added security and peace of mind, your certificates will be posted using Royal Mail ‘signed for 1st class’ delivery service, which aims for, but does not guarantee, to deliver the next working day delivery.
If you require your certificate(s) urgently, you can request them to be sent using Royal Mail Special Delivery guaranteed to be delivered by 1pm the next working day (Monday to Friday). This option can be added once you have completed the application form. Guaranteed next day delivery costs £10. You will be shown how to do this once you have completed the application form and paid for your certificates - a further fee will be payable for this added service, covering all of the certificates in your order.
Your certificates will need to be signed for on delivery
From 9 September a short death certificate will also be available for the same fee. The short death certificate does not include the cause of death or the sex of the deceased and may be preferred if this information is sensitive. Please note that the short death certificate may not be acceptable for all purposes.
*Please note that if we cannot locate a registration from the information supplied and we are unable to issue your certificates, only the certificate fee (£12.50) will be refunded.
Standard service for all birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates - £12.50 per certificate plus a £4.50* admin and processing fee per application for up to 5 certificates. This increases for larger quantities. See above for ordering certificates for deaths registered in the last week.
Applications for certificates from events registered more than one week ago will be processed within 5 working days (Monday – Friday, excluding Bank Holidays). However, please allow up to 10 working days for family history certificates.
Delivery: For added security and peace of mind, your certificates will be posted using Royal Mail ‘signed for 1st class’ delivery service, which aims for, but does not guarantee next working day delivery. Royal Mail advise to allow up to 14 days.
If required, you can request them to be sent using Royal Mail Special Delivery guaranteed to arrive by 1pm next working day (Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays). This option can be added to the application form. Please note that certificates will take up to five working days to produce before they are posted.
Guaranteed next day delivery costs £10. You will have the option to select this on the application form. A fee will be payable for this added service, covering all of the certificates in your order.
Your certificates will need to be signed for on delivery.
*Please note that if we cannot locate a registration from the information supplied and we are unable to issue your certificate, only the certificate fee (£12.50) will be refunded.
Same-day service - £38.50 per certificate - please note that this service is NOT required for death certificates issued immediately following a registration, which will be produced the same working day we receive the application (up to 12 noon) as standard for £12.50 each.
If you need your certificate quickly, we offer a same-day production service. Applications received by12 noon will be processed and posted on the same day using Royal Mail 'signed for 1st class' which aims to deliver the next working day. This service is available Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays.
Applications received after 12 noon will be processed the next working day.
For added security and peace of mind, your certificate(s) will be posted using Royal Mail ‘signed for 1st class’ delivery service, which aims for but does not guarantee next working day delivery. Royal Mail advise to allow up to 14 days.
If you want to guarantee delivery, we offer the option to add Royal Mail Special Delivery which is guaranteed to arrive by 1pm the next day. This option can be added when you complete the form above. A further £10 will be payable for this added service, covering all of the certificates in your order.
Your certificates will need to be signed for on delivery.
If we do not think we have the correct registration in our records, we will contact you and arrange a speedy refund*. Please include an email address and daytime contact number in your application in case we need to contact you to discuss your application.
We cannot accept applications in person or by post.
When using the online application form, please take a note of the payment reference number in case you have to contact us about your payment.
Short copies of birth certificates are not suitable for all purposes, such as passports, and it may be more appropriate to order a full (standard) certificate. A short birth certificate only shows the name, date and district of birth; a full (standard) birth certificate shows all of the information recorded in the registration including parents' details.
*Please note that if we cannot locate a registration from the information supplied and we are unable to issue your certificates, only the certificate fee (£12.50) will be refunded.
For events that did not take place in Dudley Borough you will need to contact the relevant register office for the district where the event occurred.
If you are unsure whether the event occurred in Dudley Registration District on-line indexes for Dudley Borough records are available here to assist you.
The General Register Office for England and Wales holds the adopted children's register. Please visit their website if you require further information. If you have been legally adopted through a court, the adoption certificate is the document required for all official purposes in place of a birth certificate.
We will use the data you provide for the sole purpose of this application. Your personal details will be retained for two years and will not be passed to other parties or used for any other purposes.
If you have just got married in a church, chapel, temple or other religious building and are applying for your marriage certificate following the registration for more information about applying for your marriage certificate, please follow this link.
Useful Links
We have also included links to the General Register Office in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Visit Gov.uk website for information about getting a copy of a lost decree absolute
The centres below provide free public access to a complete set of the GRO Indexes in microfiche format. As well as the Birth, Marriage and Death indexes for the whole of England and Wales, indexes are available for recent events, the Adopted Children's Register, Civil Partnerships and events which have been registered overseas.
A full set of indexes can be found at:
Birmingham Central Library
Bridgend Reference and Information Library
City of Westminster Archives Centre
Manchester City Library
Plymouth Central Library
The British Library
The London Metropolitan Archives
It should be noted that it is not possible to obtain a certificate at any of the locations listed above although some offices may provide internet access to the GRO online ordering service.
Contact Us
The easiest way to contact us is by email. If you prefer to speak to us, please use the telephone number.
Please Note: Our lines tend to be quieter in the afternoons, however if we are not able to answer your call you will be diverted to Dudley Council Plus who may be able to help you. If not, they will take a message so we can call you back.