Apply for a birth, marriage or civil partnership or death certificate

You can order a certificate online, in person or by post.

We are not able to take certificate applications over the phone.

Apply online

Standard Service

£10 + £1.50 for postage and packaging.
Despatched within three working days - we are unable to guarantee when the Royal Mail will deliver the certificate to you if you opt to have it posted.

Priority (Express) Ordering Service

£10 + £20 priority service including Royal Mail special delivery, signature required on delivery. Total cost £30.

Orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday will be despatched the same day. Orders that are received after 2pm will be despatched the next working day. Please note: Royal Mail do not guarantee Saturday deliveries for orders posted on Friday.

We are able to accept all major credit and debit cards for online payment except American Express and Visa Electron.

Certificate ordering

All the links below offer you a choice of Express or Standard, please select as required.

• Full birth
• Death
• Marriage
• Civil partnership

In person

Applications made in person Monday to Friday at Bristol Register Office, The Old Council House, Corn Street, Bristol BS1 1JG.
View a map showing the location of the Old Council House (pdf, 356 KB) (opens new window).

To save time you may wish to print and complete an application form from the links below before your visit to the Register Office.

Standard service

£10 for a full birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate.

The order will be ready for collection or posted after three working days. Additional £1.50 payable for postage and packaging. We are unable to guarantee when the Royal Mail will deliver the certificate to you if you opt to have it posted.

Priority ordering service

£10 + £20 priority service, for collection after 2 hours on orders received before 2pm. Total cost £30.

Two hour collection service or posted out same day by Royal Mail special delivery, signature will be required on delivery. Available for orders placed in person at the Old Council House, Corn Street before 2pm. Orders received after 2pm will be despatched the next working day.
Please note: Royal Mail do not guarantee Saturday deliveries for orders posted on Friday.

We are able to accept all major credit and debit cards for online payment except American Express and Visa Electron.

By post

Print out the application form - available in the 'Application forms' section below. Complete the form and send it to the register office with a cheque or postal order payable to Bristol City Council, and enclose a stamped addressed envelope. Or write a letter stating the full details of the event such as; full name at birth, date of birth, place of birth and names of the parents. Please include a daytime telephone number. For multiple applications it is helpful to enclose a separate cheque for each certificate required.

Standard Service

£10 plus stamped addressed envelope. Certificates processed and despatched after three working days of receipt of your application. We are unable to guarantee when the Royal Mail will deliver the certificate to you if you opt to have it posted.

Priority service

£10 + £20 for priority service. Certificates processed and despatched by special delivery on the same day that your application is received. A signature will be required by Royal Mail on delivery. Please note: Royal Mail do not guarantee Saturday deliveries for orders posted on Friday. Total cost £30.

Please note that we are unable to accept credit or debit card payments for postal applications.

Application forms

You can print an application form for your postal application or to save time when you visit the Register Office in person.

• Application for a Birth Certificate (pdf, 28 KB) (opens new window)
• Application for a Marriage Certificate (pdf, 26 KB) (opens new window)
• Application for a Death Certificate (pdf, 25 KB) (opens new window)
• Application for a Civil Partnership Certificate (pdf, 27 KB) (opens new window)

What happens after I have applied?

Provided the details on the form enable us to trace the entry then a certificate will be issued. If the certificate cannot be found then your fee will be returned, and we will advise you what you should do next.

Standard Service

If you apply in person your certificate will be available to collect or will be posted to you after three days.  It will cost £10 for the certificate, plus an additional £1.50 if you would like it to be posted to you or you can bring your own stamped self-addressed envelope.

If you apply by post your certificate will be posted after 3 working days.  Please enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope with your application together with your cheque or postal order for £10.00.

If you apply online (standard service) we will charge £10.00 for your certificate and  £1.50 administration fee which includes return postage by 1st class post after 3 working days.

Two Hour Priority Service

Orders received before 2pm will be available to collect after 2 hours, or will be posted to you by Special Delivery - a signature will be required upon delivery. It will cost £30 (£10 for the certificate, plus an additional £20 for the priority administration fee).

Orders placed after 2pm Monday to Thursday will be available for collection or posting the following day, after 11am. Orders placed after 2pm on Friday will be available after 11am on Monday.

Further Information

A standard birth certificate may also be referred to as a full or long certificate.

An extract (or short) birth certificate costs £10, but has limited use and is not recommended for general use. Short certificates are not available for deaths, marriages or civil partnerships.

Please make cheques or postal orders payable to: Bristol City Council.

Please note that we are unable to offer the same standards of service for family history applications unless full information is known. The General Register Office reference number does not usually help local register offices to trace historical records.

Lost copies

If you have you lost your original certificate, you can order a replacement.

If a birth, marriage, death or civil partnership took place in Bristol, then you should apply to the Bristol Register Office for a replacement. Please note that some records were destroyed prior to 1940 and are only available from the General Register Office. Certificates can be supplied to anyone provided you know the full personal details of the person whose certificate is required.

If you were born in Bristol but later adopted please telephone the register office on 0117 922 2800 for further information.

Possession of a birth certificate is not proof of identity.

Please Note:

• If the registration has only recently taken place, within the last six weeks, a different fee may apply. Please call 0117 922 2800 for further information.
• Please be aware that where marriages took place at a church or a chapel, the register may still be held by a minister of that church.
• Prior to 1940 some of our records are incomplete.