Copy certificates

​Find out how to order copies of a certificate for a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership which took place in Northumberland. Each register office within Northumberland keeps the original registers for the county from 1837 to the present day.

To apply for your copy certificate, you will need to give us specific details and pay the correct fee.

The information we need

The birth, death, marriage or civil partnership must have taken place in Northumberland between 1837 and the present day. We will need the following information:

Marriage

• name of church, chapel, register office, or licensed venue
• date of wedding
• name of both the parties married

Birth

• where and when the birth took place
• full name of person
• supporting information, e.g. parents’ names, to identify entries with the same name

Death

• name of the deceased
• date of death
• place of death

Civil partnership

• name of both of the partners
• date of partnership
• where the civil partnership ceremony took place

How to apply

If you have all the information we require, you can order a copy certificate in the following ways:

Online here.

Phone: call 0345 600 6400 and make sure you have a credit/debit card handy.

In person: at County Hall, Morpeth, NE61 2EF, where you can complete the application form and pay the relevant fee.

Post: complete the relevant application form (see below) and return it, enclosing a stamped address envelope and a cheque or postal order made payable to 'Northumberland County Council.'

Please post any application forms and cheques or postal orders to:
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF
 

Click on the links below to download the application forms.

• Birth certificate application form
• Death certificate application form
• Marriage certificate application form
• Civil partnership certificate application form

View all fees and timescales below

The current fee per certificate is:

• £10.00 (standard service) - to be collected from any main register office
• £12.00 (standard service) - to be posted
• £20.00 (priority service) - to be posted first class same day or collected same day from any main register office
• £25.00 (priority service) - guaranteed next day delivery for orders placed before 2pm. A signature will be required on delivery

 

Timescales:

• standard service (UK) – orders are processed within five working days and posted second class
• priority service (UK) – orders placed before 2pm will be processed on the same day (Mon-Fri) and posted first class, orders after 2pm will be processed within 24 hours of receipt
• requests from outside the UK - please allow 28 days for delivery

 

How to pay:

Online: when you apply for your certificate.

Telephone: 0345 600 6400 using a credit or debit card.

In person: at County Hall, Morpeth, NE61 2EF. 

Post: send a cheque payable to ‘Northumberland County Council’ to County Hall, Morpeth, NE61 2EF.

For applications from abroad, payments should be in pound sterling by a cheque drawn with a UK address, accompanied by international reply paid coupons.
 

Collection points for certificates:

• County Hall, Morpeth, NE61 2EF
• Register Office, Hexham House, Gilesgate, Hexham, NE46 3NH
• Register Office, The Library Building, Walkergate, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1ED
• Register Office, 27 Fenkle Street, Alnwick, NE66 1HW

 

​If the entry is not held at our register office, we will try to advise on the district that may hold the entry.

Some marriage registers used by the Church of England or other places of worship may not be completed and will therefore remain at the church. In these cases we can supply the name and address of the person who holds the marriage entry.

Please make sure that the birth, death, marriage or civil partnership you are researching took place in Northumberland since 1837.

​We can undertake a search of our records for you if you do not have all the information you need to apply for a copy certificate.

The more information you can provide us with, the easier it will be for us to locate the record you are looking for.
It helps if you can tell us any details, including:

• the name of the person(s) on the record
• when the event took place (date, quarter, year)
• where the event took place (e.g. district, church, parish)
• names of the parents, if known, to identify entries with the same name

​Are you interested in researching your family tree? Whether you have started the research or don’t have a clue where to begin, our experienced registrars are here to help.

Once we receive your application form and payment, we will send you a confirmation receipt with an expected completion date. If you need the information quickly, you can use our ‘express research service’ for an extra charge.

Please complete the research application form and pay the fee (see above). Make sure you provide your telephone number and email address so that we can contact you if we need any extra information. We will either post or email you our results, which will include further research suggestions to help you complete your family tree. We will also explain how you can purchase copies of birth, death or marriage certificates of your ancestors.

If you already have the details, click here to purchase the relevant certificate. We only hold records of events that occurred in Northumberland but our team can provide application details for those ancestors whose records are held outside the county. Please contact us on 0345 600 6400.

​For further information, you may wish to use one of the following services:

The National Archives
Northumberland Archive Service
The Census - these are available to the public 1801-1901
parish registers
Bishop's transcripts- from approximately 1600 onwards
inscriptions on gravestones

​If you are searching for graves prior to 1900 then please contact the Northumberland County archives service at:

Collections@woodhorn.org.uk or visit their website here.

If you are searching for a grave after 1900, contact the cemetery you believe the person is buried in. Please note, cemeteries may not have all records as some have been destroyed over the years by fire or floods.

Some older cemeteries which are now closed may be managed by parish or town councils. Find contact details here.