Replacement Certificates and Family History

You can currently order your certificate by using one of the following methods:

• Telephone (with a credit/debit card - the cardholder must be the person ordering).

• Post – using one of our downloadable applications forms (found in the downloadable documents section below). Please send your application to the address at the bottom of this page.

• By visiting our office – you can download and fill in one of our application forms before visiting us or complete a form at the office.

• You can also email us the details using our downloadable applications forms. If you choose this method, you will then need to telephone us to pay using your debit or credit card as online payments are not currently available. The certificates will be sent to you. Unfortunately you are not able to collect the certificate from our office if you order this way.

• Please refer to the Council's Disclaimer at the bottom of this page before ordering any certificates

The current fee for each certificate is £10.00. If the certificate is for an event that was registered within the last month, it will be charged at a reduced fee of £7.00 (staff will advise you). All duplicate civil partnership certificates are £10.00

You can order your certificate by one of the following four options: Each option includes the cost of one certificate, our administration fee and any postage:

Option 1
Priority Post - £19.00 The certificate will be dispatched within 24 hours (or next working day if ordered after 12.00 noon) and posted 1st class.

Option 2
Priority Collect - £18.00 The certificate will be produced within 24 hours and ready for collection after 12 noon the following working day. Please note: THIS SERVICE IS NOT AVAILABLE IF YOU ORDER BY TELEPHONE OR IF YOU EMAIL THE APPLICATION FORM TO US AND PAY OVER THE PHONE.

Option 3
Standard post - £11.00 The certificate will be dispatched within 5 working days and posted 1st class

Option 4
Standard Collect - £10.00 The certificate will be ready for collection on the 5th working day after ordering. Please note: THIS SERVICE IS NOT AVAILABLE IF YOU ORDER BY TELEPHONE OR IF YOU EMAIL THE APPLICATION FORM TO US AND PAY OVER THE PHONE.

• Please refer to the Council's Disclaimer at the bottom of this page before ordering any certificates

We accept payment by:
• Cash
• Cheque payable to ‘Southampton City Council’ with a valid guarantee card
• Your debit/credit card (except American Express)
• Postal order – Payable to ‘Southampton City Council’

First name and last name at the time of birth(s)

• Date of birth ( or as close as possible to what you think was the date of birth within 2 years)

• Where – What part of Southampton – was it a home birth or which hospital?

• Parent’s names, any previous names and for family history - their occupations

• There are two types of birth certificate available, each costing £10.00. The full/standard version shows all the details held in the register, including parent(s) names and is required for passport applications and your employer. The abbreviated version only shows the name and date of birth and although perfectly legal is not as wildly accepted as the full/standard version

If a marriage took place in a church and the church has not yet passed the register to the register office, you may need to contact the church who will issue the certificate. We will be able to let you know if this is the case.

• First and last names of the bride and groom

• Date of the marriage within (within 5 years of the actual marriage)

• Where the wedding took place – e.g. the name of the church or other location

• For family history purposes - the father’s details (if you know them)

• Full names of the couple

• Full address of each partner at the time of the civil partnership

• Date of the Civil Partnership

• Location of the Civil Partnership

• First names and last name, and/or any other names that the person was known by

• Date of the death ( or as close as possible to what you think was the date of death within 2 years)

• Did they die at home or in hospital (if you know)

• Any details you may have about the deceased’s husband wife or civil partner, e.g their name and occupation.

• We can only supply certificates for events that took place in Southampton City since 1837. Further information is listed below if the event took place outside of this area. Please note that although initially registered under Southampton, some records including Eastleigh were transferred to Hampshire.
• Please provide us with a day-time contact number. This is required so that we may contact you if there is a problem with locating the record or your payment method. Your application may be delayed if this information is not provided.
• Please provide us with as much information as possible about the certificate you require. If you are unsure of the date, a maximum of 3 years will be searched in our indexes.
• If we are unable to locate the entry, a refund for the certificate fee only will be made. Any fees paid for priority service and administration will be retained, as the application has still been processed.

As an adopted person you can apply for a certificate of adoption, showing your adoptive name from the General Registrars Office in Southport. Full information on the process and fee’s can be found on the link below to Directgov.

If you were adopted through a court in England or Wales and are over 18 years old, the law allows you to access your birth entry.

If you want a copy of your original birth certificate showing your natural parent(s) you must contact the Register Office in the area of your birth. If you were adopted before 12 November 1975 you must attend a counselling interview before any certificate can be issued. Please check the Directgov link below for further information.

You will need to apply to the register office of the district the event took place. Our local districts are; Hampshire, Portsmouth, Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight. Or you can obtain a copy of a certificate from the General Register Office in Southport.

Due to the sensitive nature of stillbirth registrations, only the mother or father of the child is able to apply for a certificate. The parent must be named on the birth certificate to do this. Should the parents be deceased, a brother or sister can apply if they can provide their parents’ dates of death. Further information on how to order a stillbirth certificate and the fees involved, can be found at Directgov

Requests for certificates will be administered by the Council's Register Office, who will administer this under the provisions of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953. Southampton City Council will not use your information for any other purpose or share with any third parties unless it is required to do so by rule of law. If you have any queries on how your information is used, please contact Southampton Register Office on 02380 915327 or via email at registrars@southampton.gov.uk

Southampton City Council will not be held liable for any loss, damage or expense as a result of delays or failure to provide certificates arising from circumstances beyond the Council's reasonable control, including, without limitation, any of the following: act of God, acts of third parties including postal or courier services, industrial action, strikes, lockouts, fire, flood, earthquake, bad weather conditions, explosion, civil commotion, war, terrorist attack, technical failure, or power failure.