Copy certificate information

What is a copy certificate?

A certified copy certificate is an exact copy of an original entry in a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership register.

How can I order a copy certificate?

You need to establish first which Register Office will hold the original entry in the register. If the birth, death, marriage or civil partnership happened in the Wokingham district you can order a copy from us.

If the event happened in a district other than Wokingham you will need to apply to the relevant Register Office for that area. For example, if a person was born or died in the Royal Berkshire Hospital then the record would be held at the Reading Register Office. You can check which Register Office to contact by entering the postcode for the place where the event took place on the Gov.uk website.

For an overseas registration you may be able to order a certified copy certificate through the General Register Office. Visit the General Register Office website or telephone their helpline on 0300 123 1837 for more details.

Information required

Full name, or names, on the original certificate
Maiden name, or previous surnames, if appropriate
Date of event
Place of marriage for a marriage certificate
Parent's names for a full birth certificate - short birth certificates are no longer issued
Place of birth
Deceased's date of birth for a death certificate
Applicant's name, address and contact details and their relationship to the person(s) on certificate
Reason why the copy certificate is required
The number of copy certificates required

Costs

Copy certificates cost £12.50 each and will be produced within 15 working days.

The statutory fee for a priority service is £38.50 per certificate.

If you can’t supply the relevant information we’ll do a manual search for a cost of £20 plus a fee of £12.50 for the issue of the certificate.

Terms and Conditions

Payment is required in full before any certificate can be issued. Once the certificate has been posted, it is no longer the responsibility of the council. All claims for missing postal items should be addressed to Royal Mail.

Order a copy certificate

You can use our website form to order a copy certificate from us.

Free public access for research

Indexes to all register entries are available at the following places in microfiche format:

The British Library
Birmingham Central Library
Bridgend Reference and Information Library
City of Westminster Archives Centre
Greater Manchester County Record Office
The London Metropolitan Archives
Plymouth Central Library