Ordering certificates
Find out how you can order certificates (also known as extracts) online, the type of certificates available, the information needed for ordering and how much they cost.
Types of certificate you can order online
Information you need to order a certificate
Your responsibilities under data processing laws
Other options for obtaining a certificate
Order online
You can search for and order certificates online. You will need a credit or debit card to use this service. To order a birth, death, marriage, civil partnership, divorce or dissolution, go to Certificate search.
Types of certificate you can order online
- Statutory birth - 1855 onwards
- Statutory marriage - 1855 onwards
- Statutory death - 1855 onwards
- Statutory Civil Partnership - 2005 onwards
- Statutory divorce - 1984 onwards
- Statutory dissolution - 2007 onwards
- Open census - 1841 to 1921
- Old Parish Registers - 1553 to 1855
Information you need to order a certificate
Statutory record - birth, marriage, death, civil partnership, divorce, dissolution
- Full name of the person(s) whose certificate you require
- Date and place the event took place
- Names of parents (including mother's maiden name) for common surnames.
Census
- Year
- Full name and address of the person
Old Parish Register - birth or baptism
- Full name
- Date or year
- Parents' names, place of birth
Old Parish Register - banns or marriage
- Full name of both parties
- Year
- Place of marriage
Old Parish Register - death or burial
- Full name
- Date or year of death
- Place of death.
Priority certificates
A priority certificate is one that is needed urgently. An additional fee will be charged per certificate for priority processing.
Fees
Type of certificate and cost (excluding postage) from 1 November 2023
- One certificate (any type) - £12
- Two or more certified copies of the same certificate (must be ordered at the same time)
The first certificate will cost £12 and each additional copy will cost £10 - Priority service - £15 per certificate in addition to the certificate fee.
If multiple copies of the same certificate are ordered, the priority fee is only charged on the first copy of each certificate ordered
Postage
All certificates are issued by 1st class UK mail or standard airmail or by the alternative delivery option selected by the customer. If you require a certificate urgently please select the priority ordering service when reviewing your shopping basket.
Postal options and charges (from 13 October 2023)
- Collection at General Register House - not currently available
- UK standard 1st class - £1.95
- UK signed for 1st class - £3.45
- UK special delivery - £7.35
- UK special delivery with Saturday guarantee - £11.82
- Standard airmail to Europe - £3.25
- Standard airmail to Rest of World zones 1, 2 and 3 - £4.20
Processing times
We aim to process and post out online applications within 15 working days of the application being received. Priority orders received before 13:00 on a working day will be dispatched the same day; and orders received after 13:00, at weekends, or during public holidays will be reviewed within 1 working day and dispatched the same day.
Typed certificates
Certificates will normally be produced electronically from images of the actual register page entry. It is only in cases where the entry has been altered as a result of an RCE or contains a clerical error, that a typed certificate many need to be issued.
Divorce certificates
Please note that we issue divorce certificates in redacted form. This means that any sensitive information such as children’s details or financial arrangements given in the Decree will not be included in the certificate. This redacted certificate is still valid for legal purposes.
Should the data subject or legal representative of the data subject wish to obtain an unredacted version, they will need to provide a copy of their ID (passport, driving licence etc.) and copy of proof of address (utility bill etc.). This can be done via email to records@nrscotland.gov.uk at the time of ordering the certificate.
The receipt of the documentation will be recorded and then the copies of the ID and proof of address will be confidentially destroyed thereafter.
Your responsibilities under data protection laws
In the use of information provided by NRS, customers must comply with their obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation, Data Protection Act 2018 and the Human Rights Act 1998. The contents of any certificate (official extract) containing personal data about any living individuals should not be reproduced without obtaining the permission of those individuals first. If you require further guidance on your data protection obligations please contact us.
Other options for obtaining a certificate
For information about ordering in person, in writing, from a local registration office or by phone please go to the How to order an official extract from the registers page on the National Records of Scotland website.