Pre-order a church marriage certificate
If you're getting married or forming a civil partnership in a church, you can order your certificate in advance
All other certificates
Buy copies of birth, death, marriage or 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 £11.
Express service
If you need a certificate urgently we offer an express service, costing £35.
For same day certificates (Monday to Friday), phone us before 1pm to place your order.
Certificates ordered after 1pm (Monday to Friday) will either be available to collect from the Dorset History Centre or posted via Royal Mail First Class the following day.
This service is not available using our online ordering service so please contact us.