Where do I get a replacement or a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate?
A birth, death or a marriage is registered in the district where it took place. You need to apply to that district’s Register Office to get a copy of the certificate.
At Leeds Register Office we hold the registers of all births, deaths and marriages which took place in the Leeds district dating back to 1837.
How can I apply for a replacement or a copy of a certificate?
You can apply by telephone to our contact centre. Please ring 0113 2224408 and have your credit or debit card available. You will need to allow 10 working days before you get your certificate. If you need your certificate urgently we will charge a priority fee, guaranteeing next day delivery on all orders received before 3.30pm.
You will need to provide us with enough information so we can find the correct record. The details we need are the name of the person on the certificate (names for a marriage certificate), the date of the event, the place, and for birth certificates the parents' names and mother's maiden name (if known).
If you apply in person, we will normally be able to give you the certificate in 30 minutes. If we are going to take longer we may ask you to leave your application and fee with us. Please note that from 31 May 2011, if you apply in person, our copy certificate service will be available between 10am and 4pm. You can pay for your certificate by cash, credit or debit card. We are unable to accept payment by cheque.
If you apply by post you should include details in a letter or print out an application form. Postal applications take about 5 working days. Family History requests, which need a search, may take up to 10 working days.
Send your letter or application form to the Register Office together with your cheque or postal order and a stamped addressed envelope. Your cheque or postal order should be made payable to the 'Superintendent Registrar'. If you are applying from outside the UK please send 2 international reply coupons or add postage of £1 to your fee.
You can email a request to us and if we can find the record, we will ask you to send your payment by cheque/postal order.
If we cannot trace the record you are looking for we will return your fee.
You can use the downloadable pdf forms to send requests to other districts.
We are obliged to give certificates to anyone who gives us the full details. We do not need proof of identity.
Note
If you have a General Register Office/St Catherine's index reference this means only that a register entry was made. This reference does not help us to find a record at Leeds Register Office.