How can I obtain a copy of a marriage certificate?
Local and family history A-Z > Births, marriages and deaths > Civil registration > Marriage certificates
Ordering a certificate for a marriage registered in England and Wales
You can order a certificate from the General Register Office (GRO),
online. You can find information about ordering certificates by post at the
Order birth, marriage, and death certificates section of Gov.UK
If you order certificates online:
- for marriages before 1st January 1900 you need to supply the full GRO index
- reference;
for marriages between 1st January 1900 and 18 months before the present date, you need to supply the GRO index reference or the exact date of the marriage
- Alternatively, you can order a certificate from the register office at which the marriage was registered, if you know which it was. For contact details and web sites of all register offices, see Register Offices
Does how I order affect the cost?
The two cheapest ways (by a few pounds) are:
- ordering from the local register office at which the marriage was registered, and
- ordering online from the GRO if you supply the GRO index reference with your order
How do I find GRO index references?
- The GRO index references are given in the marriages index. For each marriage entry, the GRO index reference consists of the details given in the volume and page columns of the index
Page last updated: 1st July 2020