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You can order birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership and death certificates from the General Register Office (GRO) to help you research your family history and family tree.

GRO has all the records registered in England and Wales from July 1837. You鈥檒l need to look at parish records to trace back further.

It also has some other records, starting at a later date, for example for civil partnerships and adopted children. You can check which records are held by the GRO.

How to order a certificate

You can order a copy of a birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership and death certificate from GRO.

All births, adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths registered in England or Wales have a GRO index reference number.

Find index reference numbers online

You can:

• search the
• view index reference numbers for free on the

Commercial companies also have the index reference numbers online, but you鈥檒l have to pay to search them and prices will vary.

Find index reference numbers in person

You can also search for free at:

• the
• the
• (you鈥檒l need to )

These are the only complete copies of the full sets of index reference numbers. They鈥檙e on microfiche.

Some of the index reference numbers are available at local libraries, archives and other locations.

Overseas records

GRO has records of births, marriages and deaths of some British citizens that have taken place abroad since the late 18th century.

These include births, marriages or deaths:

• registered by the armed forces
• recorded by British consulates or high commissions
• at sea, or on British oil or gas rigs or aircraft

Divorce or civil partnership dissolution records

For copies of a decree absolute or final order of the dissolution of a civil partnership, you鈥檒l need to contact either:

• the court where the divorce or dissolution was granted
• the Principal Registry of the Family Division

Further information

You can also search local archives and the to help research your family history.

The GRO鈥檚 guides to researching your family tree include details of the information you鈥檒l find on certificates, and what to do if you cannot find a certificate.